Bachelor’s in Accounting Degree Programs in Massachusetts

Finding a bachelor’s in accounting degree program in Massachusetts means exploring a variety of institutions of higher education that range from small private schools to large public schools. Accounting majors offer students essential knowledge for careers in business, as well as in accounting departments for businesses in every sector, from public to private to government. Students with interest in math, numbers, and in entrepreneurial endeavors may wish to explore the benefits of a bachelor’s degree in accounting. The degree can lead to steady employment for a lifetime, as well as to high salaries and opportunities for career advancement within prominent businesses across Massachusetts.

American International College

School of Business, Arts & Sciences

American International College describes itself as a private, co-educational school that offers students a liberal arts education. Established in 1885, the college was once known as the French Protestant College and was established by Reverend Calvin E. Amaron in an attempt to ensure local French Protestants were able to attend higher education at a local school. The college was the first in New England to allow women to enter its programs and was also a pioneer in encouraging minorities and non-French students to attend. The college retains a reputation for multiculturalism to this day with an undergraduate population of more than 1,700 and a postgraduate group of more than 450 students.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting

AIC’s accounting major tasks students with taking a variety of liberal arts courses and business courses that help the student gain a broad knowledge base in preparation for pursuing accreditation to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Students may also use this bachelor in accounting degree program in Massachusetts to apply to a graduate program in accounting or to enroll in Master of Business Administration. The school shares that auditing standards have become quite complex in the past decade and graduates of accounting programs have become an essential component of successful businesses. Careers available to students include work as a public accountant, managerial accountant, or government accountant.

Featured Programs

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)

Contact

American International College

1000 State Street

Springfield, MA 01109

Phone: (800) 242-3142

Email: admissins@aic.edu

Program Website

Bentley University

Bentley School of Accounting and Finance

A private university in Waltham, Bentley University was founded more than 100 years ago as Bentley College. The school was initially designated as a school for finance and accounting degrees when it opened its doors in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. The school was relocated to Waltham in the late 1960s. The school focuses on including lessons on technology within each of its business degrees and offers bachelor of science degrees in 11 different areas of business. Around 5,600 students attend classes at Bentley University at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students who participate in sports at the school play in NCAA Division II games.

Accounting Degree

The accounting program at Bentley University covers several essential areas including cost accounting, financial accounting, external/internal auditing, and information technology. Students may focus on any one of these areas as an official emphasis, as well as benefit from the technical knowledge granted within the program. Classes required in the program include Financial Accounting, Federal Taxation, and Accounting Information Systems. The accounting degree at Bentley can help students prepare to sit for the CPA exam by providing a four-year undergraduate accounting degree, as well as a graduate program that helps students fulfill the 120 hours of education required before a student can gain eligibility for the exam.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Contact

Bentley University

175 Forest Street

Waltham, MA 02452

Phone: (781) 891-2244

Email: ugaadmissions@bentley.edu

Program Website

Elms College

Division of Business

Established in 1928, Elms College was originally called the Academy of Our Lady of the Elms. It functioned as a preparatory academy for girls in the late 1800s. By 1927, the school was chartered as a liberal arts college for women by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. The school would expand greatly over the next century as it added classes in nursing, communication sciences, and business management. The school has just over 1,200 students attending at its location in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Its sports teams play in NCAA Division III games, and the nickname of their sports teams is the “Blazers.”

Major in Accounting

Of its bachelor’s in accounting degree program in Massachusetts, Elms College reveals that all students receive internship placement with prominent accounting firms that include the “Big Four,” as well as several regional businesses like Deloitte, LLP, Price Waterhouse Coopers, and KPMG, LLP. Some of the classes students will take include Computer Applications, Principles of Management, and Global Business Environment. Students must maintain a GPA of 2.25 in all courses to graduate from the program. The required courses are a mixture of business core classes and accounting courses. All classes given at Elms College are taught by expert faculty working full-time or part-time for students. The school’s teachers work diligently to help prepare students to pass their professional licensure exams.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)

Contact

Elms College

291 Springfield Street

Chicopee, MA 01013

Phone: (413) 594-2761

Email: admission@elms.edu

Program Website

Fitchburg State University

Department of Business Administration

Fitchburg State offers four-year and graduate degrees to more than 6,800 students in a variety of disciplines. The school’s main campus is in Fitchburg, and students also study in the nearby towns of Lunenburg, Leominster, and Lancaster. The school was originally called the State Normal School in Fitchburg when it operated in the late 1890s as a secondary education school for women. The school would begin granting bachelor’s degrees in 1930 and would expand its offerings during the 20th century. Students who participate in sports play in NCAA Division III games as the Falcons. The school’s official colors are green and gold.

Accounting Concentration, Business Administration, B.S.

Accounting students at Fitchburg State take several business administration classes to earn their degree, as well as a variety of accounting-centric courses in the Accounting Concentration. Classes in the core curriculum include Business Law, Basic Finance, and Fundamentals of Marketing. Accounting courses in the concentration include International Accounting and Taxation, Business Law II, and Financial Reporting Theory and Practice. The university shares that recent graduates of the program in business administration have had an eighty-three percent success rate of finding work within six months of graduating. Those who were successful in finding work also had an excellent average starting salary of $42,000.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)

Contact

Fitchburg State University

160 Pearl St.

Fitchburg, MA 01420

Phone: (978) 665-3144

Email: admissions@fitchburgstate.edu

Program Website

Lasell College

Department of Accounting & Finance

A private school in Newton, Massachusetts, Lasell College has a long history of operation with its establishment in 1851 as the Auburndale Female Seminary. The school would undergo several name changes over the next century and a half until it became Lasell College in 1989. Today, the campus is around 50 acres and is located in the historic district of town. The school has around 1,800 total students with 200 of those students studying at the postgraduate level. The school’s official colors are blue and white, and students play as the “Lasers” on the college’s sports teams that include baseball, basketball, cross-country, and many more.

Accounting Major

Just as other bachelor’s in accounting degree programs in Massachusetts prepare students for eventual certification and the CPA exam, the accounting major at Lasell College is designed to help students gain “career-relevant” information. The school describes its classes as occurring in an active learning environment where 100% of students participate in at least one internship. The school prides itself on providing students with small class sizes that help foster a supportive learning experience. In addition to gaining the necessary experience to prepare for the CPA exam, students may also consider the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) route after gaining their degree in accounting.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)

Contact

Lasell College

1844 Commonwealth Ave.

Newton, MA 02466

Phone: (617) 243-2000

Email:dscipione@lasell.edu

Program Website

Nichols College

Accounting Department

Nichols College is located in Dudley, Massachusetts and is more than 200 years old with a founding date of 1815. Once styled as an academy for local students, the school offers three different bachelor’s degrees with a variety of specializations like accounting, art, and history. The school covers around 200 acres and offers classes to just over 1,400 students. In 2016, the school was dubbed a good return on investment by Payscale.com, which ranked the school 13th in the nation for business schools. Sports at the college are played in NCAA Division III, and the school’s official colors are black and green.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Accounting

To complete the bachelor’s degree in accounting at Nichols College, students must complete 120 credit hours, which is equal to around 40 courses. Many of the courses include topics on business and the foundations of accounting, and students in the accounting concentration will also take several required courses on the subject. Some of the classes students will take in this bachelor’s in accounting degree program in Mass include Intermediate Accounting, Cost Accounting, Auditing, and Federal Taxes. The college reveals that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests the profession of accounting will experience around eleven percent growth over the next decade.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)

Contact

Nichols College

129 Center Road

Dudley, MA 01571

Phone: (800) 470-3379

Email: john.armstrong@nichols.edu

Program Website

Springfield College

Department of Business Management

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, Springfield College is a private school that bears the distinction as the “Birthplace of Basketball” since the sport was invented by a student named James Naismith in 1891. Founded in 1885, the school has around 3,600 students currently enrolled at the undergraduate level, and 1,441 students enrolled at the graduate level. Its sports teams play in NCAA Division III games as the Pride, and the school’s official colors are maroon and white. The school has been granting degrees since 1905 and subscribes to a style of learning called “humanics,” which attempts to educate the mind, spirit, and body of each student who attends.

Bachelor of Science Accounting

The bachelor’s in accounting degree program in Massachusetts at Springfield College offers a broad curriculum that teaches students a number of essential topics in accounting that include data analytics, ethics, management, and communication. These classes help students understand how to create strategies for successful reporting, analyzing, and assembling of accounting data. Graduates of the program may seek employment in many types of organizations like nonprofit, for-profit, and government groups. Students may also use their bachelor’s degree to prepare to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). At the conclusion of study, students will be able to identify and understand the basic principles of accounting that include management, marketing, finance, and accounting.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)

Contact

Springfield College

263 Alden Street

Springfield, MA 01109

Phone: (413) 748-3200

Email: rmoreau@springfieldcollege.edu

Program Website

Suffolk University

Sawyer Business School

Suffolk University is a research university located in Boston with around 7,500 students attending classes. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education reveals that the school is a Doctoral Research University within its classification system. The school was originally founded as a law school in 1906 and graduated many future majors, state judges, and members of Congress over the next century. Popular programs at the school include Global Management, the MBA program, and the degree offered from Suffolk Law School. The university’s official colors are navy and gold, and students play in NCAA Division III games as the “Rams.”

BSBA in Accounting

This bachelor’s in accounting degree program in Boston, Massachusetts requires that students complete at least 24 credit hours in accounting beyond the school’s introductory classes in accounting. Some of the classes students will take in the program include Federal Taxation, Intermediate Accounting, and Cost Accounting. Majoring in accounting at Suffolk University will help the student obtain the 150 hours of pre-professional accounting experience required to become a CPA. Learning objects include the ability to demonstrate ethical issues in accounting, understand analytical reasoning and common decision-making in the profession, and possess global awareness of accounting issues. Students must complete at least 124 semester hours of coursework to satisfy all degree requirements and graduate.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Contact

Suffolk University

73 Tremont Street

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 573-8460

Email: admission@suffolk.edu

Program Website

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Isenberg School of Management

Known by locals as “UMass,” the University of Massachusetts Amherst is part of the state’s university system and is the flagship campus. The large school has more than 30,000 students attending classes. Its size makes it the largest public university in New England. Students may choose from 111 different undergraduate degrees, 75 master’s degrees, and 47 doctoral programs. The town in which the school is located was once ranked first in a list of “Best College Towns in the United States.” The school was established in 1863 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College and transformed into a modern-day university over the next century.

Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting

The university describes accountants as the individuals responsible for helping businesses make informed and data-driven financial decisions. Describing accounting as the “language of business,” this bachelor’s in accounting degree program in Amherst, Massachusetts helps students meet their goals through a customizable academic program. Topics students will cover in the program include corporate finance, accounting information systems, financial accounting, taxation, and auditing. Students may seek out a variety of careers at major companies dedicated to accounting, as well as within accounting divisions within large companies. Graduates have obtained work with companies like Ernst & Young, Aetna, IBM, General Electric, and Pratt & Whitney.

Accreditations

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Contact

Isenberg School of Management

University of Massachusetts Amherst

121 Presidents Drive

Amherst, MA 01003

Phone: (413) 545-5610

Email: undergrad@isenberg.umass.edu

Program Website

Accounting is often referred to as the “language of business,” and obtaining a degree can help a future accountant enter work as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), as well as help the student play a vital role within virtually any business. No business can survive without the knowledge, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking ability of someone trained in accounting, which means graduates of accounting programs may find work in just about any industry. From traditional accounting firms to work in government to employment with exciting start-up companies, anyone with an interest in business and a prosperous future should explore all bachelor’s in accounting degree programs in Massachusetts.

See also: Top 10 Best Online Accounting Degree Programs 2015