University at Albany Master of Science in Accounting: 2027 Review

Score

64.1 of 100

Cost (20%)

3.6 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

9.2 of 10

Completion (15%)

4.7 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

3.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

8.6 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

8.4 of 10

Format

On Campus, Evenings and Weekends

Terms

16 weeks

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list)

See exactly how we score on the methodology page. We checked the school's figures on October 8, 2026.

Albany's M.S. in Accounting is a 21-month cohort program designed for students with no accounting or business background. It lets them waive up to 10 credits of earlier coursework. It ends with an academic research seminar and meets New York's 150-hour rule for certified public accountant (CPA) licensure.

The Massry School of Business at the University at Albany offers the Master of Science in Accounting on campus. You'll move through the program as a cohort. There's also a part-time option.

• Career changers: the program is designed for students with no prior background in accounting or business.
• Students with some accounting coursework: you may waive up to 10 credits if you already completed equivalent classes.
• Future New York CPAs: the degree meets the 150-hour education requirement for initial licensure in the state.
• Students who like Excel: Advanced Excel with Visual Basic for Applications sits in the course list.
• Students who want Big Four contacts: career services connect you with recruiters from Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Theory of Financial Accounting I, II and III cover assets, liabilities and entities, with attention to official accounting pronouncements. Introduction to Cost Analysis shows you cost behavior, budgeting and standard costing. Survey of Taxation shows how income taxes shape business decisions. Auditing covers audit planning, evidence gathering and internal control. Internal Controls and Financial Information Systems focuses on spotting information technology risks in computer-based systems.

Contemporary Developments in Accounting Thought links American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and American Accounting Association pronouncements to journal writing. You also take one accounting elective, such as Service Learning and Community Engagement in Accountancy, a semester-long project open only to M.S. Accounting students. In your last semester, you complete the Research Seminar in Accounting, a capstone where you carry out your own research on an approved topic.

The program runs 21 months, with four semesters of full-time study. A part-time option stretches the schedule if you're working. Waiving up to 10 credits can shorten the plan if you already hold equivalent coursework. The degree meets the 150-hour education requirement for initial accounting licensure in New York.

The school reports tuition of about $1,040 per credit.

Classes meet on the Albany campus, and your cohort moves through the sequence together. You can study full-time, which asks you to be available days and evenings, Monday to Friday, or choose the part-time option. Career services through the Massry School of Business connect you with Big Four recruiters.

The Master of Science in Accounting is accredited by AACSB. The Massry School of Business is one of only four public universities in New York State with business and accounting accreditation from AACSB. The full-time program qualifies you to apply for the Uniform CPA Examination.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

An alumnus quoted by the school says the master's program helped start a career as an auditor, and that the graduate courses inform everyday work. Press coverage from 2025 describes the EY partnership at the business school, where roughly 30 participants each semester analyze a case and present findings to EY partners and faculty. Insight Into Diversity gave the school's EY LEADs program its 2023-24 Inspiring Programs in Business Award.

• Which of my earlier courses count toward the 10 credits I can waive?
• How is the part-time sequence scheduled across semesters?
• What topics have recent cohorts chosen for the Research Seminar?
• Which Big Four recruiting events does the M.S. cohort attend?
• When is the next application deadline for the M.S. in Accounting?

• Best Master's Programs
• Accounting Programs in New York

• Mercer University
• University of Arizona
• Rider University
• New York University

Also at University at Albany: our bachelor's program review