University of Maryland-College Park Bachelor of Science in Business, Accounting: 2027 Review

Score

63.0 of 100

Cost (20%)

1.0 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

9.1 of 10

Completion (15%)

8.8 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

0.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

9.8 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

9.7 of 10

Credits

120

Format

On Campus

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.

Maryland lets you sit for the certified public accountant (CPA) exam at 120 credits, before the usual 150, once you hold the degree and the required coursework. Its Plus 1 option then folds ten master's credits into your undergraduate years.

The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland offers a Bachelor of Science in Business with an accounting major in College Park. You'll take classes on campus. The major is also taught at The Universities at Shady Grove in Montgomery County.

• Future auditors on the Public Accounting Track, which requires you to take the four courses Maryland asks of CPA candidates.
• Students who prefer advisory work, since the Business and Accounting Advisory Track needs only nine track credits and leaves you room for electives.
• Students near Montgomery County: you can take the same major at the Shady Grove campus.
• Students curious about graduate study: you can try it through Plus 1 before you commit to the master's.
• Future fraud investigators: you can take Fraud Examination, a course that introduces the topics on the Certified Fraud Examiner exam.

Everyone takes Intermediate Accounting I, Managerial Accounting and Accounting Systems. Managerial Accounting teaches you product costing and cost analysis for planning and control. Accounting Systems looks at accounting and computer technology. The Public Accounting Track adds Intermediate Accounting II, an individual taxation course, Ethics and Professionalism in Accounting, and Auditing Theory and Practice.

Auditing shows you audit standards, compliance and substantive tests, and report opinions. The advisory track picks from electives such as Financial Statement Analysis, Government Accounting and Advanced Accounting. Taxation of Corporations, Partnerships and Estates is another option. Fraud Examination covers fraud prevention, detection and investigation. The Accounting Teaching Scholars program pays students to lead discussions in the beginning accounting courses while they review for the CPA exam.

The degree takes 120 credits. Plus 1 lets select majors finish a bachelor's and a master's in five years. You complete ten master's credits as an undergraduate and the remaining twenty as a master's student. Some graduate courses count toward undergraduate requirements, such as Forensic Accounting for Fraud Examination. Most states require 150 credit hours to license a CPA, and Plus 1 gets you there.

The school reports about $1,645 per credit. One graduate on Reddit says Plus 1 graduate classes taken before the fifth year cost the undergraduate rate.

You attend class on campus in College Park, or at Shady Grove in Montgomery County. Admission to the major follows the Smith School requirements. There's a four-year degree plan for each track on the Smith majors page.

The program is AACSB accredited. If you plan to sit for the CPA exam, the Public Accounting Track is for you. Maryland doesn't make you wait for 150 credits: applicants can take the exam with 120 credits, a degree and the required coursework.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

A recent graduate posting on a Reddit forum for the university says the accounting workload was manageable. Another graduate says most professors are good people and very helpful. A student on the same forum has held an internship every summer and calls the Smith career center phenomenal.

A graduate adds that it's a hot job market for accounting and internships pay well at the Big 4 and mid-size firms. A student in Plus 1 calls it a good way to find out what graduate school is like. The Smith School reported a U.S. News 2024 undergraduate business ranking of No. 13 among public schools.

• Which Public Accounting Track courses should I take first to qualify for the Maryland CPA exam at 120 credits?
• When do I apply for Plus 1, and which graduate courses count toward my undergraduate requirements?
• How do the Accounting Teaching Scholars positions get filled?

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