Hello everyone. I’m currently a senior at Georgia State and I’m applying to their Masters of Accounting program. I’ve done very well during my undergraduate years and currently have a 4.1 GPA. I’m assuming because I’ve done so well in their undergraduate accounting program, it will be a lot easier for me to be accepted. Is my assumption correct, or does it not matter very much?
The advantage in applying to your current department is in the intangibles - they know you. If you are a solid student, that is a plus, if your GPA hides some concerns then that is a minus.
It also depends a bit on the type of program. If you are looking for a research based masters then this is a bigger issue, if a professional or coursework-only program, much less so.
You should be fine. Do you need the MAcc to be CPA eligible?
We don’t know!
In some departments, it would be easier. Some departments like admitting their own (good) students, because they’re a known quantity.
In other departments, it might not be easier - they may just consider you the same as any other applicant. It could even be more difficult. Some departments like encouraging their students to attend graduate programs elsewhere, so as to expand the student’s network (and, by extension, the school’s) and get them exposed to different ways of thinking and training. Some departments and professors may be more attracted to the shiny, new ‘potential’ of an unknown quantity than a solid student they already know.
There’s really no way to know, but I’m also willing to bet it’s not really worth speculating about. Apply widely and see what happens 
Depends on the college. When my S graduated Fordham in 2012 they offered automatic admission (just had to fill out an application) to the one year MS in accounting program (no GMAT required) for.accounting students with a stated minimum undergrad GPA at the university. The one year MBA program.was more competitive in terms of admission. I would contact both the Accounting Department and the grad school at Georgia State to see if there are any auto-admit programs at your college, find out what the application process is, if standardized testing is required etc.
FWIW my S did get the auto admit to his college’s MS in accounting program but he took the GMAT and applied to a one year MS in accounting at Notre Dame and ended up.there for grad school. So if you want to research other grad school options for your MS they may be out there as well (especially.with your high GPA).
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@Juliette I almost always defer but accounting is a peculiar case. People now need 150 credits to become a CPA (I’m a CPA as is my S). For many accounting students (unless they go into college with a lot of credits) this means going on for a one year Master’s program (often a MS or MaCC in Accounting) directly after undergrad. The top accounting firms will not bring on a full time employee until he/she has the requisite number of credits (“CPA eligible”).
Therefore, the one year master’s program can be viewed as an extension of the undergrad – a number of schools we visited with my S had auto-admit programs (if a certain GPA and/or any other stated criteria was met) into their master’s in accounting program for the undergrads at the university. I don’t think any college would discriminate against their own undergrad students in terms of admitting them to the Master’s in Accounting programs because they would, if effect, be leaving their own students ineligible to qualify for jobs with many top employers (ex. Big 4 and other large international CPA firms).
My S chose to go to a different institution for his MS in Accountancy but that is the exception rather than the norm-- he did it to get a different personal expereince and because he felt the career placement at ND would be superior. However, the majority of his undergrad classmates took the auto-admit and stayed for their MS.
“I’ve done very well during my undergraduate years and currently have a 4.1 GPA”
I am assuming that a 4.1 means that you get a bump for an A+, and that your A+ grades outnumber your A- grades.
This is going to help you significantly with admission to graduate programs, regardless of where you apply. Yes it will help a lot if you want to stay at Georgia State. It will also help you pretty nearly anywhere else that has an appropriate program.
Correct. The fifth year is a necessity for nearly everyone desiring a CPA, so staying for Year 5 is the norm. (While a MA is not necessary, the 5th year of coursework certainly is, so most kids just go thru the formality of the additional degree.)
Given the OP’s GPA, I’d guess that s/he be an auto-admit (absent criminal or academic transgressions). That being said, the OP might consider looking at other local schools, as well, who might offer some merit money.
Ah, that makes a lot of sense, thank you for this information @happy1!