UIUC Accounting Master & Undergraduate Programs

The UIUC Accounting Master program will always appear in any search for top accounting degree programs. Short for University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, UIUC's historic and deserved reputation as a leading school for business, finance and accountancy courses is well deserved.

UIUC Accounting MasterUIUC Accounting Master

To give you an idea of the size, there are more than 3000 undergraduates and 850 graduates in the College. 

We've covered the accounting career options available to you once you've got college under your belt. But if you're just starting out then you need to know what accountancy courses are on offer at Urbana-Champaign.

We'll cover the undergraduate programs through to their master's programs, give you some idea as to what's expected from you and how much it will cost in tuition fees.

UIUC BS In Accountancy

Let's have at the UIUC Accounting undergraduate degree programs and requirements.

It all hinges around UIUC's BS in Accountancy (short for Bachelor of Science in Accountancy or BSA). As we've mentioned elsewhere this course is focused on getting you into the accounting world but not on getting you ready for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exams. Here's some facts for you too absorb:

  • They are quite specific in telling you that the BSA no longer meets the Illinois CPA exam criteria as far as the 150 hours educational requirements go. So be careful, if that's what you're looking for out of the course then you'll need to look at the only other options on offer (including the an integrated bachelor/masters program which we'll discuss below)

  • You're required to take a 124 hours of courses (hence it doesn't meet the 150 hour CPA criteria) of which there's a 33 hour upper limit on accountancy

  • As an accounting major, the Department really frowns upon credit/no credit course work. Actually, they state that they'll give you a C- or an F for taking them. That reflects the expected standards at this college

OK, so let's move on to UIUC's master accounting degree programs:

UIUC Master Of Accounting Science (MAS)

If you've already obtained an accountancy degree from a US college or university then the recommended UIUC accounting master option is the MAS. Let's give you some details:

It's heralded as one of the top accounting degree programs in the country and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign claim that they've supplied more partners to the Big 4 CPA firms (Ernst & Young, PwC, Deloitte, & KPMG) than any other college or university.

The focus of the Master of Accounting Science is not only gaining a far deeper understanding of accounting foundations but supplementing that with specialization electives (minors) in three related areas, being Tax, Finance & Information Systems.

If you're coming from another university with an undergraduate accounting degree then still be prepared for stringent requirements including your last two years of undergraduate study being at the B (or 3.0) average.

You can also take the MAS if you're taking a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign course that's not accounting related. However, prior to enrolling you'll still need to complete the college's core accountancy curriculum (five courses) as well as the College of Business's core curriculum. Phew! It's not easy and nor should it be. If you're taking a top accounting degree program you can't just sail in having had no accountancy experience.

The tuition fees are currently $21,000 for state residents and $27,000 if you're from outside Illinois.

It's a one year program.

UIUC Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA)

The MSA is a one year program also knows as the UIUC MS in Accountancy which is directed at students who have undergraduate degrees but not focused on accountancy. One caveat is that if you're from overseas and have an accountancy undergraduate degree then the MSA is the recommended course.

Here's some key facts about the MSA

  • The MSA is designed to get you ready to take the CPA exams by giving you the option to take the CPA Preparation Course (included in your tuition fees). This can also give you up to 10 semester hours as part of getting to the magical 150 hour requirement

  • It's a tough course to get into requiring you to have a minimum B grade average during the last two years of your undergraduate course

  • You'll take 32 hours of graduate course work of which at least 20 will be in accountancy

  • The most recent tuition costs were $37,750 for the the full year

UIUC Online Master of Science in Accountancy (iMSA)

COMING SOON!

UIUC Certificate in Accountancy

You may have read about UIUC's accounting certificate but that's no longer available due to the lack of demand and increasing costs.

UIUC Accounting - Next Steps

Now you're up to speed on one of the top accounting degree programs in the country you can head on over to the UIUC Accounting Department of Accountancy website for further details such as application forms and sample class schedules