A cutting-edge degree from an accounting powerhouse, completely online.
The University of Illinois, consistently ranked among the nation's top three accounting programs, now offers a full Master of Accountancy program, completely online and very affordable.
Taught by some of the best accountancy faculty in the world, the iMSA offers hands-on practice, an innovative curriculum that evolves as the profession evolves, and cutting-edge analytics.
Who is this degree for:
The iMSA is open to students of all academic backgrounds. It is suited for people already working in the field and for those who intend to enter the field for the first time.
Tuition:
Exceptional Quality at a Manageable Cost
The University of Illinois, in partnership with Coursera, designed the iMSA program to make quality education accessible and attractive to a wide range of top talent. Tuition will be $850 per credit hour and the total price of the program will be ~ $30,000.
18-36 months
16 eight-week courses
~$30,000 (total tuition and fees)
Completely online
Start your application
The next cohort starts on January 2018
Early admission deadline:
Round 1: Friday October 6, 2017
Round 2: Friday November 3, 2017
Benefits of applying earlier:
- Time to get all application materials submitted on time
- Gain feedback earlier
- Start the program early, get access to exclusive material and get ahead.
Final Deadline:
December 4, 2017
The iMSA is offered in Fall (Aug.-Dec.), Spring (Jan-May), and Summer sessions (June-July). Cohort start dates are in August and January of each year.
Academics
Courses are delivered in two segments: The first segment, a self-paced MOOC from Coursera, is via video lectures, with readings and quizzes. It features the same faculty you’ll work with if you move to the second segment, which consists of weekly live global classrooms that are engaging, interactive, and practice-oriented. You’ll work with accounting professionals and fellow students, create presentations, and practice and discuss what you learn.
16 eight-week courses
4 projects
18-36 months
Some of the projects you'll do...
Financial Reporting
Learners will assess the validity and completeness of a publicly-traded corporation’s financial statements and disclosures of key risks, and analyze the corporation’s potential for future financial success.
Managerial Accounting and Control
Learners will role-play as managers and identify relevant information, analyze costs and profits, and use information management tools to make a strategic business decision involving uncertainty.
Corporate Tax Strategy
Learners will identify a publicly-traded, global corporation and assess its organizational structure’s effectiveness in minimizing domestic and global tax obligations.
Business Analytics
Learners will apply a multi-faceted analytics approach to assess a company’s strategic and operational risk, and identify, measure, and quantify the impact of instances of manager fraud.
The degree experience is...
The same courses you’ll find on campus, with the flexibility to learn when and where you want.
Collaborate with a global network of industry leading classmates, instructors, and alumni.
Innovative courses with lectures from some of the world’s best instructors and hands-on projects.
Practical courses designed to help you master skills that you can start applying to your career right away.
When you graduate, you’ll be
A highly sought-after candidate in the field
Proficient and knowledgeable in audit, financial reporting, tax, and in managing and analyzing data
Valued for your skills in data analytics, communications, and teamwork
Poised for a successful career in accountancy
Admissions
Tuition:
Exceptional Quality at a Manageable Cost
The University of Illinois, in partnership with Coursera, designed the iMSA program to make quality education accessible and attractive to a wide range of top talent. Tuition will be $850 per credit hour and the total price of the program will be ~ $30,000.
Start your application
The next cohort starts on January 2018
Early admission deadline:
Round 1: Friday October 6, 2017
Round 2: Friday November 3, 2017
Benefits of applying earlier:
- Time to get all application materials submitted on time
- Gain feedback earlier
- Start the program early, get access to exclusive material and get ahead.
Final Deadline:
December 4, 2017
About University of Illinois
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an accounting powerhouse. Our alumni have gone on to become world-renowned founders of businesses, CEOs, CFOs, world leaders, and more.
We have more than 60,000 living alumni worldwide in the College of Business, and over 450,000 influential University of Illinois alumni across the globe, enabling you to network and leverage career opportunities globally.
The Department of Accountancy, home of the iMSA, has been ranked #1 by both the BYU’s Accounting Faculty Research Rankings and UT Dallas Top Business Schools based on Research Contributions Rankings.
23
Nobel Prize Winners
425k
Global Alumni Network
#1
Ranked on times Magazine
Faculty
Gregory L. Davis, CPA, CMA, CFM, CCM
Petro Lisowsky, PhD, CPA
Robert Brunner
Ready to start your application?
The next cohort starts on January 2018
Early admission deadline:
Round 1: Friday October 6, 2017
Round 2: Friday November 3, 2017
Benefits of applying earlier:
- Time to get all application materials submitted on time
- Gain feedback earlier
- Start the program early, get access to exclusive material and get ahead.
Final Deadline:
December 4, 2017
Frequently Asked Questions
We do not offer options to apply credit toward the iMSA degree requirements. All iMSA degree requirements must be satisfied through courses offered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Yes, but this can wait until you receive an admissions decision from the iMSA admissions team. We can complete a review of your application based on unofficial copies of these documents uploaded in your online application. If you have been admitted to the iMSA program, you have to request that the educational institution which issued those transcripts and degree certificates mail your official and original transcripts and degree certificates in a sealed envelope directly to us.
Earning a Master of Accounting such as the iMSA will help you meet the education requirement, which includes extensive course work in accounting. While the CPA exam is the same no matter where you take it, every state/jurisdiction has its own set of education and experience requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed by a state board of accountancy. We highly recommended that you review these requirements issued by each state’s Board of Accountancy prior to applying to the online program.
On successful completion of the program, you will earn a full master’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois, the same degree you would earn if you attended classes on campus.
No, your diploma will not designate that you completed an online degree. It will simply state that you earned a Master of Science in Accountancy degree from the University of Illinois.
Yes, each open course is available separately, with or without the enhanced courses that accompany it.
Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.
