program highlights
Career Preparation and Support
Our program is designed to prepare you for key certifications such as CPA, CIA, CMA, and CISA, meeting the educational requirements for these credentials. Additionally, with a strong job placement rate, supported by career coaches and corporate partners who help guide your career path, connect you with a global network of alumni and employers, and prepare you for successful interviews with leading firms.
Specialize Your Degree
The program offers five specialized concentrations to align with your career aspirations: Assurance, Advisory, Corporate Financial Reporting, Analytics, and Tax. Each concentration is designed to provide targeted expertise and prepare you for success in your chosen field.
STEM-Designated Curriculum
The program features a STEM-designated curriculum, with the exception of tax, that incorporates advanced analytics and technology into the core coursework. This designation ensures that regardless of your concentration (with the exception of Tax), you'll benefit from a cutting-edge education that aligns with industry demands and enhances your technical skills.
Learn More About the Program and Curriculum
inside the program
Auditors Intensify Scrutiny After Negative ESG Coverage
Research by Accounting Professor Rani Hoitash examines how auditors react to negative media coverage of a client’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, and finds that such coverage increases auditors' scrutiny and adjustments to ensure accurate financial reporting and mitigate reputational risk.
Technology Come to Life
In the "Data Analytics for Accountants" course, students use tools like Excel, Python, and SQL, in partnership with tech companies such as Alteryx and SAP, to analyze financial datasets and identify potential fraud. They apply algorithms to spot anomalies and enhance audit processes, preparing them for real-world forensic accounting scenarios.
Master’s in Accounting Fellowship
Bentley University’s Master’s in Accounting Fellowship program provides underrepresented groups in the profession with the financial, academic and career support to start on a rewarding career in this field.
Top Employers Hiring Our Graduates
The Bentley MSA prepares you for a wide range of careers, no matter the industry you are interested in. See below for a partial list of employers that our recent graduates have landed.
| BDO | Grant Thornton | RSM |
| Deloitte | KPMG | State Street |
| EY | PwC | Thermo Fisher Scientific |
What some of our recent graduates are doing now
The MSA prepares graduates for a variety of careers in the accounting field and beyond
| Cost Accountant Associate Internal Auditor Tax Analyst | Advisory Associate Transfer Pricing Associate Tech Risk Analyst | Tax Associate Emerging Technology Consultant Senior Manager, Tax Reporting & Strategy |
Curriculum
Our new MSA curriculum provides you with the option of five different concentrations. This program has a CIP code that corresponds to the DHS STEM designated code list and prepares you for today's CPA exam and the updated CPA exam coming in 2024, as well as CIA, CMA and CISA certifications. The MSA program has a 10-course minimum requirement for degree completion. Full time students can complete the program in eleven months. Part-time students generally take between 2-5 years. For the most up-to-date information and detailed course descriptions, visit the Catalog.
All applicants will be evaluated for foundation waivers.
GR 521 Managerial Statistics
GR 524 Accounting for Decision Making
Four required courses
AC 611 Financial Accounting
AC 730 Business Process and Controls Assessment
AC 793 Ethics, Judgment and Decision Making
AC 770 Data Analytics for Accounting
Assurance:
Assurance services aim to improve the quality and transparency of information for a professional organization. By providing independent and professional opinions that reduce information risk, you can improve public trust in the credibility of published financial reports.
This concentration will prepare you to meet the accounting challenges of tomorrow with the following skills:
- Financial Statement Auditing
- Information Technology Auditing
- Internal Auditing
- Accounting for Income Taxes
- Tax Compliance and Reporting
Advisory
Advisory services go beyond the traditional accounting role and look to provide guidance to business owners through the examination of the present and potential future variables that will impact business. With the right insight, they will help make better-informed decisions that increase company performance.
This concentration will prepare you to meet the accounting challenges of tomorrow with the following skills:
- Risk Advisory
- Information Technology Auditing
- Internal Auditing
- Fraud and Forensic Accounting
- Performance Evaluation and Management
Corporate Financial Reporting
Corporate Financial Reporting is the practice of preparing all elements of the financial statements and SEC reporting. Professionals in this field will ensure external reporting compliance and present and analyze important financial data to help businesses understand their true financial position.
This concentration will prepare you to meet the accounting challenges of tomorrow with the following skills:
- Accounting for Income Taxes
- Performance Evaluation and Management
- Financial Accounting
- Managerial Accounting
Analytics
The high demand for accounting graduates with strong data and analytics skills is the reason why Bentley has this concentration available for students interested in private company audit firm practices such as risk management and process assurance. You’ll gain skills in accounting practices and advanced expertise in accounting and auditing, using industry tools to explore data mining and predictive analytics.
This concentration will prepare you to meet the accounting challenges of tomorrow with the following skills:
- Financial Statement Auditing
- Information Technology Auditing
- Internal Auditing
- Accounting Analytics
- Data-Driven Development with Python
- Managing with Analytics
Tax
Tax planning and compliance is essential for every business. As the business world becomes more global and tax regimes become more complex, managing tax burdens across states and around the globe is a focal point of any business operation. This concentration provides a foundation necessary to navigate the complexities of the tax aspects of business decisions.
This concentration, available starting in January 2025, will prepare you to meet the accounting challenges of tomorrow with the following skills:
- Federal Taxation of Income
- Multi-Jurisdictional Taxation
- Taxation of Corporations and their Shareholders
- Professional Tax Practice
faculty
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Tuition and Aid
At Bentley, we do everything possible to make your education affordable for you and to provide the kind of return on investment you expect — and deserve. With available merit and financial aid, Bentley works with qualified applicants to help find ways to pay for their education.
program director
Len Pepe is an accounting lecturer and the program director of the MS in Accounting at Bentley University. Len was a partner in the audit department of Grant Thornton, LLP Boston and has experience as a managing partner of the CCR LLP, Boston Office and as a partner at BDO Seidman, Boston. His research interest is in professional practice and has been honored with Bentley’s Adamian Award for Teaching Excellence — Part Time in 2017.
Reach out to Len to schedule a time to discuss your background and career goals and how these align with Bentley's MSA program.
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