I know most MBA programs usually require at least a couple of years of professional experience prior to being accepted. I’m curious though if this holds true to M.Acc programs since most people who plan to do it, usually are only doing it to qualify for the CPA exam (150+ credit hours). I personally am wanting to just go straight into a MAcc program after graduating with my undergrad, so I’m curious how realistic of expectations those are?
Specifically I’m wanting to go to UGA, so not nearly as competitive like ivy league business schools.
Don’t worry - MAcc/MSA programs do not require work experience!! Since everyone now needs 150 hours to qualify for the CPA exam, you are not expected to have two years of work experience. The Big 4 will not let you start working for them until you are qualified to sit for the exam.
My son got his masters a year ago. The applications may ask about work experience, but they are looking for summer internships and other jobs. The schools are really looking at your GPA and GMAT scores. My son was accepted to Miami OH (his undergrad school) Indiana, Michigan, and Notre Dame (where he got his MSA).
Many students continue for a 5th year at their current school while others (like my son) opt to take the 5th year at a different school thereby adding a second alumni network to their resume. While Ivy League schools typically do not have undergraduate accounting or MAcc/MSA degrees, some very prestigious schools and strong flagships do offer masters in accounting: Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas, Illinois, USC to name a few. UGA is a strong flagship and has a very well regarded program - good luck.
In the West Coast, UC Berkeley, UCLA and Stanford do not offer the MAcc/MSA. As mentioned above, USC does and additionally, the Univ. of Washington in Seattle offers it too. Some of the other UC’s, like UC Irvine, offers it. In a nutshell, the number of prestigious schools offering the MAcc/MSA is very limited in the West Coast. Other than that, there are many less prestigious private and public schools (CSU’s) that offers these programs in the West Coast. An intern in my department recently graduated with a Master in Accounting from St. Mary’s College (SF Bay Area) and got an offer from EY. The person had an undergraduate degree in accounting.