If a Los Angeles startup’s staring down the barrel of a crushing tax burden, who do they call? An accountant.
If a Silicon Valley biotech company needs to fund a new international research project, who takes care of the financial logistics? The accounting department.
And when investors and government regulators get a whiff of fraud, whose nose do they trust to sniff it out? A particularly cunning breed of bloodhound known as the forensic accountant, an investor’s best friend and a huckster’s greatest enemy.
In critical areas where business and accounting intersect, even a pure Master of Business Administration degree that includes a dose of business accounting as standard seems to miss the mark slightly. And though an accounting-exclusive master’s like the MAcc coupled with a CPA license through the California Board of Accountancy puts you in a position to compete for top slots in any corporate accounting department, it may be too narrowly focused if you’re looking to put yourself out there as a business leader.
But an MBA with a concentration in accounting puts you in the sweet spot, and could eventually land you in the C-suite. Not only will it leave the CPA option on the table for you, it also puts you in a position to take on accounting and accounting-adjacent leadership positions in one of the world’s most powerful economies.
Diverse and Lucrative Jobs in California With an MBA in Accounting
If you’re considering an MBA or another advanced degree in accounting, some of your career options are obvious: CPA, actuary, tax accountant, risk analyst, corporate accountant… But while those roles are important and perfect for someone with a mind for numbers, they’re not your only options when you hold an MBA with an accounting concentration.
MBA-prepared experts in accountancy are found heading up accounting departments, and well beyond, in risk analysis roles, and even in the echelons of corporate leadership.
Working for the Big 4 firms in classic accounting and external auditing roles, as examiners and fraud investigators in the SEC’s regional offices in LA and San Francisco, and in corporate accounting roles for the tech giants of Silicon Valley, you could almost say an MBA in accounting creates opportunities in the Golden State.
Considering the California economy is the fifth largest in the world, the state’s comptrollers have a lot of sway in both the nonprofit and government sectors.
When it comes to leadership roles in the private sector, your possibilities are virtually endless. While CFO, CEO, and similarly prestigious C-suite roles may seem like the perfect place for a finance or operations expert, an experienced accountant knows just as much, if not more, about how and why things work in their organizations. According to a 2024 report from the Journal of Accountancy, about 39% of CFOs at Fortune 500 companies are CPAs. About 53% have MBAs.
Or, if you’re like a lot of other MBA hopefuls in California, you have a strong entrepreneurial drive. In that case, you’ll be right at home as an advisor in the state’s booming venture capital sector. Here, you’ll be helping investors decide which new, potentially groundbreaking enterprises they should throw their support behind.
While this type of position typically comes with a pretty cushy salary, bonuses, commissions, and good old fashioned glory are also on the table. Just look at Forbes’ 2024 Midas List of the world’s top venture capital investors. Firms in LA, San Francisco, Woodside, Los Altos, and Atherton are all represented — and you can bet they all have some sharp-eyed accountants behind them.
MBA in Accounting Programs in California – What You Can Expect to Learn
Any MBA program will come with a course or two in business accounting, but these classes are typically limited to fundamental topics like managerial and tax accounting.
The kind of curriculum you’ll get from an MBA with a concentration in accounting goes a whole lot further with explorations of how accounting principles are used to inform high-level strategic decision-making.
In addition to basic accounting classes, you’ll take classes in:
- Financial reporting
- Internal auditing
- Assurance and advising
- Advanced financial statement analysis
- Accounting systems and software
Then on the business administration side of the syllabus, you’ll dig as deep into valuable leadership and data analysis skills as you would in any other MBA. That combined focus not only gives you the skill to produce and understand detailed reports, but also to see into the data and draw out insights you can use to maneuver your organization in the marketplace.
Whether you want to earn your MBA in accounting online, on-campus, part-time, or full-time, there’s a program that fits your needs.
Even within an MBA in Accounting program, there are opportunities for niche specialization.Â
For example, UC Riverside’s MBA in Accounting program comes in four flavors: general accounting, taxation, auditing, and costing and control.
UCLA’s MBA in Accounting program features classes on corporate valuation, incentives, and corporate financial decision-making. A program like this would be an excellent choice if you’re shooting for the C-suite or a career in consulting or investment management.
If you want to get into the nuts and bolts of analysis and technology, the University of Southern California’s MBA program (including its accounting degree track) is STEM-certified and focuses on data-driven decision-making — perfect for accountants in industries where change is constant and competition is stiff. Like other programs in California, USC offers its MBA in Accounting online and in an Executive MBA format for experienced leaders.
MS in Accounting vs MBA in Accounting – Getting the Calculus Right For Your Career
Master’s programs in accounting provide pure accounting-focused career preparation and are designed for CPA licensure. If you’re gunning for the CPA exam and plan to get into any type of corporate accounting and financial management or aiming straight for a position with an accounting firm, an MAcc is probably the way to go.
On the other hand, if you’re more attracted to business leadership that leans into accounting skills, an MBA in Accounting is the direction you’ll be leaning. You’ll still learn plenty of advanced accounting skills, but by learning about other aspects of business administration and leadership, you’ll be able to leverage your accounting skills to play a big part in organizational decision-making. On top of that, you’ll still meet most, if not all, the education requirements to become a CPA. Post-master’s certificate programs provide a simple solution to filling in additional courses you might need to meet requirements for licensure through the California Board of Accountancy.
MBA in Accounting: Salary Expectations and Job Market Outlook
As you might imagine, things look pretty sunny for people who know how to manage, track, and improve a business’s finances. But while that’s true for accountants and similar professionals all over the country, it’s especially true in California.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), accountants and auditors in California have the fourth highest average salary in the country at $100,560. The top 10% make $159,000 and up. That kind of earning power can make for a great return on investment for an MBA in Accounting, but remember — with an MBA in Accounting, you’re not limited to accountant roles and salary expectations.
The BLS also reports that financial managers of all kinds in California have the third highest average salary in the nation at $196,670. Those in the top 25% make around $228,000. The BLS doesn’t even track salary data for the top 10% because it’s literally off the charts – beyond the BLS reporting ceiling of $239,200.
But if too-high-to-report salary potential isn’t enough to get your attention, maybe some job market outlook data is.
According to Projections Central, employment for accountants and auditors in California is expected to increase by about 8% through 2032. If that doesn’t sound impressive, consider it context. 8% is equivalent to over 15,000 job openings per year in California and more than double the national average growth rate of 4% for all occupations.
When you look at stats for financial managers, things are even more optimistic. Projections Central reports that employment in that sector will grow by almost 18% by 2032. That’s equivalent to roughly 9,000 annual job openings.
In this lucrative, high-demand corner of the job market, competition is likely to be stiff. But with an MBA in Accounting, your leadership skills and financial acuity can put you at the front of the race and the top of the pile.
Most MBA in Accounting Programs in California Hold AACSB Accreditation
California is home to dozens of business schools housed in universities that hold the kind of institutional accreditation that has come to be standard in modern American collegiate-level education. Among these, there are many that rise above the standard with specialty business accreditation through the IACBE, ACBSP, or AACSB.
Of these three specialty business accreditors, only AACSB provides additional supplemental accreditation for MBAs and other advanced business degrees in accounting specifically.
An AACSB-accredited MBA in accounting isn’t a hard requirement, but in California, it also isn’t hard to find one that has submitted their accounting curriculum to the additional scrutiny it takes to earn this widely recognized and highly respected accreditation.
University of California-Los Angeles
John E. Anderson School of Management
Los Angeles, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
University of California-Davis
Graduate School of Management
Davis, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting/Finance
University of California-Riverside
School of Business
Riverside, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
California State University, San Bernardino
Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration
San Bernardino, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting and Internal Auditing
California State University, Fullerton
College of Business and Economics
Fullerton, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
University of Massachusetts Global
School of Business and Professional Studies
Online
WASC
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
California State University, Los Angeles
College of Business and Economics
Los Angeles, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
California State University, Stanislaus
College of Business Administration
Turlock, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
University of Southern California
Marshall School of Business
Los Angeles, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
Chapman University
Argyros College of Business and Economics
Orange, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
Woodbury University
School of Business
Burbank, CA
AACSB
Master of Business Administration in Accounting-Finance
Mount Saint Mary’s University
Department of Business Administration
Los Angeles, CA
ACBSP
Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting
University of La Verne
College of Business
La Verne, CA
WASC (institutional)
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
Azusa Pacific University
School of Business and Management
Azusa, CA
IACBE
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
California Baptist University
Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business
Riverside, CA
ACBSP
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
William Jessup University
School of Business
Rocklin, CA
ACBSP
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
University of Phoenix-California
College of Business and Information Technology
Ontario, CA
ACBSP
Master of Business Administration in Accounting
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics and Projections Central salary and employment figures for accountants and auditors and financial managers reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed December 2024.