5-Year Program

Requirements to be a CPA in Maryland (and in all but two of the other states) include 150 hours of post-secondary education. To provide a seamless process for students to achieve the 150 hours, Towson University offers a combined bachelor’s-master’s degree 5-year program.

Admitted accounting majors may apply to the program in the second term of their junior year to be admitted prior to their senior year. Students then apply to the Accounting and Business Advisory Services (M.S.) program in the first term of their senior year, and are admitted to the graduate program in the second term of their senior year.

In order to be admitted to the bachelor’s-master’s accounting program, students must:

• Be an accounting major with at least one term of residency at Towson University
• Have a GPA of at least 3.0, and
• Have a GMAT score of at least 400

Six units of 500- and 600-level courses can be counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate programs. A bachelor’s degree is awarded after all the bachelor’s degree requirements are met which is normally the fourth year.

Students graduating from the program earn 114 undergraduate units and 30 graduate units. The Maryland CPA Board counts 3-unit graduate courses as 4.5 units; meaning students enrolled in this program will have completed the equivalent of 114 hours of undergraduate and 45 hours of graduate course work.

Sample Schedule for Full-time Students

Course	Title	Total (30 units)
Senior Year
ACCT 630*	Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting	3
ACCT 720*	Design of Managerial Cost and Control Systems	3
Graduate Term I
ACCT 752	Advanced Topics in Accounting Systems	3
FIN 640	Financial Management and Policy	3
AIT 610	Systems Development Process	3
Elective 1	Choose from courses in accounting, finance, information technology or management information systems (see catalog)	3
Graduate Term II
ACCT 740	Advanced Topics in Assurance Services	3
FIN 715	Investment Analysis	3
AIT 632	Database Management Systems	3
Elective 2	Choose from courses in accounting, finance, information technology or management information systems (see catalog)	3
*May be taken only when offered at Towson University.

 

Sample Schedule for Part-time Students

Course	Title	Total (30 units)
Senior Year
ACCT 630*	Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting	3
ACCT 720*	Design of Managerial Cost and Control Systems	3
Graduate Term I
ACCT 752	Advanced Topics in Accounting Systems	3
FIN 640	Financial Management and Policy	3
Elective 1	Choose from courses in accounting, finance, information technology or management information systems (see catalog)	3
Graduate Term II
ACCT 740	Advanced Topics in Assurance Services	3
AIT 632	Database Management Systems	3
Elective 2	Choose from courses in accounting, finance, information technology or management information systems (see catalog)	3
Graduate Term II
AIT 610	Systems Development Process	3
FIN 715	Investment Analysis	3
*May be taken only when offered at Towson University.