What Can I Do with an MBA in Accounting?

We think that an MBA in Accounting can prepare you to pursue your career goals. An MBA, which is a graduate-level degree, helps you develop broad business and leadership skills, which may help you stand out from the crowd in some cases. It may help you bypass some entry-level jobs and apply for intermediate-level positions, depending on the company and its particular job requirements.

An MBA, especially one with an accounting specialization, may also help you prepare to take the CPA Exam¹. The CPA Exam requires candidates to have 150 credit hours of education in an accounting-related field. Earning an MBA in accounting may help you meet the 150 credit hour requirement while also giving you insight and the chance to acquire more complex accounting skills that may prove useful when you take the CPA Exam¹.

Because an MBA in Accounting teaches both accounting and business principles, you may find that you're able to apply for both business and accounting jobs.

Five jobs that people with an MBA in Accounting may consider are:

• Accountant: Accountants perform a variety of tasks depending on their specialty and where they work. In general, they provide some form of bookkeeping and analysis to keep a company’s finances in order and help meet their fiscal goals. Accountants may also work freelance with multiple clients, or even work for the government.
• Budget analyst: Budget analysts use accounting skills to evaluate the health and stability of a company's budget. They may also make recommendations to management regarding the allocation of funds and how they could be better used throughout the organization.
• Financial analyst: Financial analysts look at the state of an organization's finances at the end of each fiscal period. They may also make recommendations as to how the finances of a company could be improved.
• Auditor: Auditors perform deep dives into the accounts and finances of organizations in order to identify areas for improvement and consistency. Those that work for the government tend to do so for the IRS, where they help to identify organizations and individuals that are committing tax fraud.
• Management accountant: Management accountants work alongside managers to determine how funds should be allocated within individual projects. They may also be partially responsible for choosing which projects to pursue.

MBA degree programs typically teach some level of accounting. While the fields of business and accounting are by no means identical, they do intersect in a variety of ways and rely upon one another in order to function. Aside from an MBA in Accounting, an MBA in Finance would teach you the most accounting skills. You would also learn some accounting skills in a general MBA program or in an MBA in Entrepreneurship.

Accountants perform a range of tasks that will vary based on their specialty and position, but some of typical tasks performed by accountants include:

• Creating financial reports
• Performing audits for companies or individuals
• Reviewing a business's financial standing
• Advising clients on how to reduce costs and improve business revenue in order to increase profits
• Implementing new accounting techniques that can help a business get better data
• Making recommendations as to which projects should be canceled or pursued
• Preparing and filing tax documents