Department of Accounting
Welcome to Accounting
The Accounting Profession and MTSU’s Programs
Accountants perform all kinds of high-demand tasks, including preparing and analyzing financial records, auditing internal and external reports, providing tax, financial, and management advice, and investigating fraud in all types of businesses – for-profit and not-for-profit. The accounting profession is frequently highlighted in today’s news media and recent events clearly indicate the importance of accounting in today’s society and financial markets. Accounting is a growing and dynamic profession that offers graduates a wide variety of career options. Our graduates are recruited by over a hundred companies in the metropolitan Nashville area. See who! Recruiters’ Average starting salaries are as follows:
| Degree | Average Salary | % Employment Reported at Graduation |
|---|---|---|
| MAcc | $62,143 | 100% |
| Undergraduate | $55,250 | 90% |
About Our Department
Want to be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)?
Tennessee requires that students complete 150 semester hours (30 more than a traditional B.B.A.) before receiving their CPA license. The Department encourages students to meet this requirement by earning a Master of Accounting (M.Acc.) degree, although the requirement can also be met by pursuing additional coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree in other areas.
In Tennessee, you can start sitting for the 4-part CPA exam as soon as you have a bachelor’s degree, 24 hours of business, and 24 hours of upper-level accounting courses. Our M.Acc. program offers four CPA Review courses to help you pass the CPA exam and prepare for a successful accounting and financial analysis career. Our students consistently perform very well on the CPA exam. Here are the latest scores according to NASBA:
CPA Exam Pass Rates
| 2019 | MTSU | Comparables | Competitors | Aspirants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Testing Events | 59.0% | 48.9% | 53.9% | 56.5% |
| First-Time | 66.5% | 53.8% | 55.5% | 63.3% |
| AUD | 62.7% | 57.1% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| BEC | 69.2% | 55.8% | 60.0% | 75.6% |
| FAR | 61.2% | 45.0% | 50.8% | 56.4% |
| REG | 74.4% | 59.4% | 57.7% | 66.8% |
Contact Me!
You may contact me at Audrey.Scarlata@mtsu.edu or (615) 898-2625 to learn more about our programs or visit the Department of Accounting located on the fourth floor of the Business and Aerospace Building, N425, during regular business hours.
—Audrey Scarlata, Chair
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