Northern Illinois University Accountancy: 2027 Review

Score

68.4 of 100, rank 20 of 50

Cost (20%)

4.7 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

7.2 of 10

Completion (15%)

8.6 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

5.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

6.4 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

7.7 of 10

Cost per Credit

$877.18 per credit

Credits

33

Tuition

$28,947

Format

Fully Online

Terms

8 weeks

Starts

1 start per year

Time to Finish

24 to 48 months

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list)

AACSB Accounting

Accounting accreditation listed by AACSB

See exactly how we score on the methodology page. We checked the school's figures on October 7, 2026.

NIU built this master's for career changers. You start with six mostly sequential foundation courses, then move on to tax, advanced reporting and research. The accountancy college also runs fall and spring career fairs where firms recruit MAC students.

The Master of Accountancy comes from the Department of Accountancy in NIU's College of Business in DeKalb, Illinois. It's a 33-credit degree for people whose bachelor's is outside accounting. You take your classes fully online.

• You're a career changer with a bachelor's in any field except accounting. The degree is designed only for non-accounting majors.
• You're a working professional who needs to keep a full-time job. You take 3 to 6 credits a semester.
• You're aiming to sit for the certified public accountant (CPA) exam in Illinois. Finishing the degree meets the education requirement to sit for it there.
• You like a set path. The cohort moves through a planned sequence, and an advisor adjusts it if your pace differs.

Your core is 27 credits. It includes Accounting Information Systems, Managerial Accounting Information Systems, Financial Reporting I and II, Principles of Taxation and Assurance Services. Later you take Advanced Financial Reporting, Advanced Issues in Taxation and Accounting Research. You then choose 6 credits of electives from three courses: Financial Statement Auditing, Data Analytics and Decision Making in Accounting, or Seminar in Accountancy.

The first six courses (18 credits) are mostly sequential and come before most of the final six. You can also take NIU's 10-week, full-time academic internship worth three credits. It requires papers and an oral presentation. It's open to MAC students. If you want networking, you'll find professional meetings and events through the Student Accountancy Society.

Plan on two years at two courses per semester, which totals 33 credits. If you take one course a semester, the plan stretches to four years. The cohort begins each fall. If you're admitted for spring or summer, you take any missing prerequisites first and start cohort courses the next fall.

You can meet the prerequisites in accounting and general business with a C or better in an undergraduate course. The financial accounting one should be recent. An advisor builds you a custom plan if you leave the standard timeline.

Your tuition is $877.18 per credit hour, listed on the NIU Online program page.

The program is 100% online and asynchronous, so you set your own weekly schedule. Courses run in 8-week terms. One cohort starts each year in the fall, and you'll need to apply by the August 21 deadline. A student success specialist guides you through enrollment. The Office of Graduate Business Programs schedules your advising appointments.

The College of Business holds AACSB accreditation in business and accounting. The school says the curriculum was shaped with faculty to meet CPA exam requirements. It also says its MAC students pass the CPA exam at a rate above the national and state rates.

Completing the MAC fulfills the requirements to sit for the CPA exam in Illinois. It also prepares you to pursue licensure in most other states, so check your own state's rules. NIU's Foundation certificate courses also count toward the MAC prerequisite phase.

The department's Executive Advisory Council reviews courses so they stay relevant to employers.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

• Which prerequisite courses do I still need, and can I finish them at a community college before the fall start?
• How do the electives rotate between Financial Statement Auditing, Data Analytics and the Seminar?
• Can an online student join the 10-week internship, and how do I arrange it?
• Which accountancy career fairs offer a virtual option for students outside DeKalb?

• Best Master's Programs #20 of 50
• Best Online Programs #13 of 25
• Best Online Master's Programs #13 of 25
• Accounting Programs in Illinois #2 of 3

• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville #18 of 50
• Florida Atlantic University #19 of 50
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette #21 of 50
• University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus #22 of 50

Also at Northern Illinois University: our bachelor's program review