Choose it with the CPA rules in front of you. Each state board sets its own credit-hour and coursework requirements, and an MBA concentration may or may not close the gap to the 150 hours most of them want, so the question to ask an admissions office is which state you are sitting in.
An accounting concentration adds financial reporting, auditing and tax courses to the MBA, often for readers building toward a CPA license, which each state sets its own education rules for. The programs below are the online MBAs whose schools list an accounting concentration with AACSB, ordered by their national score. The score describes the whole
MBA, since neither federal earnings nor AACSB tuition is reported for a single concentration;
the concentration tells you what the program lets you specialize in. Program summaries on the
cards come from each school's own online MBA page.
The Top 10 Online MBA Programs In Accounting
Rank#1
Score67.8
University of North Alabama
Master of Business Administration (MBA)Sanders College of Business and Technology
Online MBA in accounting · Florence, Alabama · Public · AACSB accredited
Eleven concentration choices include one built for people working in the engineering industry and an HR track that prepares students for the SHRM Assurance of Learning Certificate.
Read more about University of North Alabama
The MBA is delivered 100 percent online with five start dates a year, and students finish in 12 to 18 months full time or 18 to 24 months part time. Everyone completes the 25-credit MBA Core, then adds a concentration or selects three electives (9 credits) to build a custom path.
Admission typically calls for a bachelor's degree or equivalent and a minimum 2.50 GPA, with no GMAT required, although requirements can vary by concentration and professional experience. Up to six semester hours of graduate credit may transfer in, and applicants with six to eight years of business experience can take the Executive concentration.
The online MBA comes in 15 concentrations, including Aerospace Logistics, Native American Leadership and Safety, and requires no GMAT for admission.
Read more about Southeastern Oklahoma State University
The MBA in General Business requires 24 credit hours of core courses and 6 credit hours of specialty courses, chosen as two graduate-level courses at the 5000 level or above. Core coursework covers finance, accounting, economics, behavioral management, research and data analysis, and students build skills through applied business projects and a course covering all aspects of entrepreneurship. The program can be completed in as few as 12 months, and its calendar lets students start soon after applying.
Applicants qualify with a bachelor's degree and a 3.0 GPA overall or in the last 60 semester hours, or with a 2.5 overall GPA (or 2.75 in the last 60 hours) combined with either three years of continuous professional work experience or an application portfolio, each with the program coordinator's approval. The program is built for both business and non-business graduates. Those without a business degree can satisfy prerequisites online through four 1-week leveling courses.
Five start dates a year and 8-week terms set the pace, and applicants need neither a GMAT or GRE score nor an undergraduate business degree.
Read more about Southeast Missouri State University
SEMO's general management MBA is delivered completely online, with courses offered in 8-week terms and five start dates each year. The degree requires 33 credit hours of coursework focused on strategy, analysis, and the applications and systems of business, with BA650 serving as the capstone course.
Neither the GMAT nor the GRE is required, and students without an undergraduate business degree can build foundational knowledge through Business Essentials courses, applying up to 3 of those credit hours toward the 33 required. SEMO also awards credit for prior learning through credit by examination, military-related credit or existing experience.
Emphases range from Cybersecurity Management to Environmental Safety and Health, and a Customized emphasis lets students assemble approved graduate courses across areas in this asynchronous MBA.
Read more about University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
The MBA is a 36-credit program that can start in the spring, summer or fall term and move at the student's own pace, and full-time students can finish in as little as three semesters. Courses are asynchronous, with connections built through online assignments and discussion boards.
Many applicants qualify without GMAT/GRE scores: beyond a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, each must meet one criterion, such as military service, a 3.0 GPA from an AACSB- or ABET-accredited program, or four or more years of professional work experience. The curriculum aims to develop professionals who think globally, behave ethically and lead innovation strategically, using case studies and teamwork.
Built from eleven 7-week courses with six start dates a year, the 33-credit MBA can be finished in as few as 12 months.
Read more about Emporia State University
The curriculum totals 33 credit hours: 24 in core courses covering managerial economics, financial management, marketing and information systems, plus 9 elective hours in topics ranging from Systems Analysis and Design to Marketing Analytics, Electronic Marketing and Consumer Behavior. Coursework is case study-driven and taught by faculty who also teach the on-campus program. Beyond the general track, concentrations include Information Systems and Marketing.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited (or equivalent) institution and a 3.0 GPA, cumulative or in the last 60 semester hours, and there is no GMAT requirement. Those with a 2.65 to 2.99 GPA may be admitted when other factors point to success, such as two to four years of work or study in a field that includes quantitative analysis. Students without an undergraduate business degree may have to complete a series of IVY modules with a minimum grade of 80% in order to graduate.
A globally themed core, from Economics for the Global Executive to Global Strategic Marketing, leads to a capstone, Global Strategic Management, taken in the final semester.
Read more about The University of Memphis
The OMBA totals 36 credit hours: 10 three-credit core courses plus two graduate electives offered by the Fogelman College. Students who work full time typically take two courses (6 hours) per semester, and the college estimates 6 to 9 hours of study time per week for each course.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and a GPA of at least 2.75, and those meeting one of several criteria, such as a 3.0 undergraduate GPA from another school, a U.S. graduate degree, or five or more years managing at least 10 direct reports, do not need the GRE or GMAT. The program is built for students without time to attend classes in person, and its current students average 5 to 7 years of work experience.
People, data and technology recur as threads across courses and business challenges instead of standing alone as topics, in a part-time MBA completed entirely online.
Read more about Drexel University
The Part-Time Online MBA is completed entirely online and includes required coursework in finance, legal frameworks and data privacy, management, marketing strategy and supply chain management. Concentrations span emerging technology, analytics, finance, marketing and leadership, among them Applied AI in Business and Financial Analytics and Valuation, and students can also build a customized concentration with an academic advisor. Drexel moves from quarters to semesters in Fall 2027, and students starting in Spring 2027 begin under the quarter-based calendar.
GMAT and GRE scores are not required, although applicants may submit them to be considered for additional merit scholarships; all applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. The program is built for working professionals who want to advance or change careers, with team-based projects and cases that mirror cross-functional decision-making. Those who want in-person time in Philadelphia can choose the separate Part-Time Hybrid MBA.
Students can point the capstone at an issue in their own workplace, an independent research project or a startup proposal, and they also build a personal strategic plan.
Read more about William Paterson University
Courses are 100% online and delivered in an accelerated format with multiple start dates each year, and the MBA can be earned in as few as 12 months. The general track requires 15 credit hours of core courses (including the capstone), three credit hours of concentration courses and 12 credit hours of electives, and concentrations include Environmental, Social, and Governance; Healthcare Economics and Management; and Sales Strategy.
Admission requires an undergraduate degree plus a 3.0 GPA, a 2.75 GPA with two years of professional supervisory experience, or a 2.75 GPA with a qualifying GMAT or GRE score. Students without a B or better in the undergraduate business foundation courses may need up to nine additional credits but can start the MBA core while taking them.
The STEM-designated program pairs small, synchronous online seminars each week with required multi-day in-person residentials.
Read more about University of California, Davis
The 72-unit program can be completed in as little as 24 months, with four start dates a year (fall, winter, spring and summer). Students take 10 core courses plus electives, and concentrations are offered in Business Analytics, Finance and Accounting, Leadership, and Marketing. Self-paced video lectures and case studies are combined with live online classes scheduled outside of standard business hours.
GMAT and GRE scores are optional, and admissions decisions weigh professional experience and leadership potential alongside a resume, personal statements, professional recommendations and transcripts. The format is designed for working professionals. In the Integrated Management Project capstone, students work on the executive team of a simulated startup, where they formulate and defend a strategic vision.
Adding a second area of emphasis takes just three more courses, so graduates can finish with two emphasis areas on the diploma in as little as one extra semester.
Read more about Pittsburg State University
The general online MBA is 30 credit hours, built from seven required core courses and three emphasis courses in 7-week terms, with multiple start dates each year and completion in as few as 12 months. Coursework embeds case methods or simulations, includes an experiential exercise in leadership and team-building, and ends with a capstone in which students benchmark their skills against MBA peers worldwide through a program assessment. Pitt State offers eight areas of emphasis, including Data Science and Information Systems and Healthcare Administration.
Admission follows one of two tracks: a resume showing at least three years of substantial, full-time managerial experience (managing people, financial resources or customer relationships beyond a basic supervisory level), or an undergraduate business degree earned within the last three years. No prerequisite or leveling courses are required regardless of undergraduate major, so students start MBA courses on day one. To remain in the program, students must earn an A or B in their first two online courses.
Online MBA in accounting programs, ranked 11 onward
#
School
State
Tuition
Earnings, year one
Score
National rank
11
The University of Michigan-Flint
MI
$51,445
$94,679
48.1
163
12
Central Michigan University
MI
$32,040
$77,865
47.2
169
13
Texas Wesleyan University
TX
$31,080
$75,769
45.3
179
14
Wayne State University
MI
$64,184
$93,398
43.4
195
15
Clayton State University
GA
$13,206
$55,163
43.4
196
16
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
NC
$17,339
$62,101
43.2
198
17
Jacksonville State University
AL
$22,932
$65,786
42.8
199
18
Idaho State University
ID
$30,840
$73,470
41.9
207
19
Slippery Rock University
PA
$18,215
$61,813
41.3
212
20
Texas Woman's University
TX
$35,538
$74,153
38.5
230
21
Barry University
FL
$23,760
$61,860
36.4
247
22
Jacksonville University
FL
$32,400
$70,617
35.8
251
23
Alfred University
NY
$34,600
$56,143
22.3
279
24
St. John's University
NY
$59,250 to $73,425
$63,236
10.8
286
What Accountants and Auditors Earn
BLS reports a median of $83,680 for accountants and auditors , across 1,449,500 jobs nationally.
The range is wide: $56,020 at the 10th percentile and $144,090 at the 90th, so the median is a midpoint, not a promise. These figures come from the May 2025 wage survey and describe the occupation, not graduates
of any program. MBA salaries by occupation compares the other
roles MBA graduates move into.
Accounting Programs Listed Without A Score
These schools also report an accounting concentration to AACSB but lack one of the two
figures the ranking needs.
Mercer University-Macon and Atlanta CampusesGA$31,860
Seton Hall UniversityNJ$62,495
State University of New York at FredoniaNY$32,571
The State University of New York Polytechnic InstituteNY$51,766
Common Questions About The Accounting Concentration
What is the best online MBA in accounting?
On this ranking, University of North Alabama, which is 31st of 286 online MBAs nationally and reports an accounting concentration to AACSB. Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Southeast Missouri State University follow. The scores describe the whole MBA: federal earnings and AACSB tuition figures are not reported for individual concentrations.
What is the cheapest online MBA with an accounting concentration?
Among ranked programs, Emporia State University, which reports $10,890 in whole-program tuition to AACSB. The median across the 24 ranked programs offering accounting is $27,301.
What can you do with an MBA in accounting?
The most direct federal occupation is accountants and auditors, where BLS reports a median of $83,680 (May 2025), against $105,770 for general and operations managers. Those are occupation figures; federal data does not report pay by degree or concentration.
Accreditation, online MBA offerings, concentrations and tuition: AACSB's list of accredited schools, retrieved September 21, 2026. Program details on that list are reported to AACSB by each school.
Graduate earnings and debt: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study file (Most-Recent-Cohorts-Field-of-Study_06102026.zip), business master's in CIP 52.01 and 52.02.
Institution identifiers: IPEDS, used to match each AACSB school to its federal records.