Master data – master your future. Enroll in the Accounting, Business Technology and Analytics graduate degree to gain cutting-edge analytical, accounting and business skills that employers are clamoring for. Taught by expert faculty in a fully online or mostly online delivery, this career-driven program is designed to launch you into high-demand roles in accounting, data analytics and technology-driven business environments.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s M.S. in Accounting, Business Technology and Analytics (MSABTA) combines deep accounting expertise with hands-on data analytics and emerging-technology fluency in a single 30-credit program. While other Ohio MAcc programs offer analytics tracks as electives, the MSABTA’s curriculum makes machine learning, database analytics, and AI-driven innovation core required coursework – built for accountants who want to lead the next decade of the profession, not just the current one.
Traditional accounting graduate degrees prepare you for compliance work – financial reporting, audit, tax. The MSABTA prepares you for what comes after: the analytics, automation, and AI-driven decisions that are reshaping every accounting function.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s curriculum integrates Python, R, machine learning, database analytics, and AI tools directly into accounting coursework, not as a separate elective track, but as the core of how modern accountants do their work. The program is designed to prepare students for senior analyst, controller, financial systems, and accounting analytics consultant roles that combine accounting depth with technical fluency.
MSABTA is built for three distinct prospect profiles. The fully online or mostly online format and three annual start dates fit around the life you already have.
You are an accountant or auditor watching the profession shift toward analytics, and you want to be on the right side of it. MSABTA layers Python, R, machine learning, and AI fluency on top of advanced accounting depth. The program is well-suited for accountants moving into Big Four audit-analytics, financial systems, and advisory practices.
You hold a bachelor’s degree in another field and want to enter accounting through its highest-growth track. Four prerequisite courses get you to baseline; MSABTA’s analytics + tech depth is designed for firms that already value coding fluency in their accounting hires.
You have just finished a bachelor’s in accounting, analytics, or information systems. Stack a master’s that combines all three rather than picking one, and graduate with a credential set most early-career accountants do not develop until they are five years in.
The MSABTA is built around the tools and techniques that drive modern accounting. Python and R are taught directly inside accounting coursework. Business intelligence platforms power analytics projects. Machine learning, database analytics, and AI tools appear in dedicated required courses, not as electives.
Both programs build on a foundation of advanced accounting. The right choice depends on the next decade of your career. Compare against our M.S. in Accounting program if a CPA-track or traditional accounting role is your goal.
| MSA | MSABTA | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Accountants pursuing CPA, CMA, CISA, CFE, or CIA certifications and traditional accounting roles | Accountants moving into analytics, technology, and AI-forward roles |
| Curriculum Focus | Financial reporting, audit, tax, ethics | Accounting + Python, R, machine learning, business intelligence, AI |
| Technology Depth | Limited | Embedded throughout the program |
| CPA Pathway | Becker CPA Review materials integrated; combined with bachelor’s coursework, helps students reach the 150-credit-hour CPA pathway | Speak with the program advisor about the 150-credit-hour pathway |
| Best-Fit Roles | Public accounting, tax, audit, controllership | Analytics-forward accounting, financial systems, advisory practices |
4.6%
about as fast as the average
1,579,800
number of jobs
$81,680
potential earnings
1.0%
slower than the average
50,400
number of jobs
$87,930
potential earnings
5.7%
faster than the average
368,500
number of jobs
$101,350
potential earnings
MSA programs prepare students for compliance-focused accounting roles – financial reporting, audit, and tax – and integrate Becker CPA Review materials.
MSABTA prepares students for analytics-forward accounting roles, with Python, R, machine learning, AI, and business intelligence integrated directly into the accounting curriculum. Speak with the program advisor about the 150-credit-hour CPA pathway if that applies to your goals.
The MSABTA offers two delivery options: fully online and mostly online with some 51³Ô¹ÏÍø campus coursework. Both formats are designed to fit around full-time work, with asynchronous coursework that supports varied schedules and time zones.
The MSABTA is a 30-credit, 10-course program. Most full-time students complete the major coursework across two semesters plus a summer term. Career-changers without an accounting background also complete four prerequisite courses before starting the major coursework.
No. Applicants without a bachelor’s in accounting complete four prerequisite courses (ACCT 53001 Financial Reporting I, ACCT 53010 Auditing Fundamentals, ACCT 53012 Financial Reporting II, ACCT 53041 Individual Income Tax) before starting major coursework. The program is structured to support career-changers from a wide range of bachelor’s backgrounds.
The program is designed to prepare students for roles such as:
The combination of accounting depth and analytics fluency is well-suited for Big Four firms, corporate accounting departments, and consulting practices.
Our MSABTA admits new students for fall, spring, and summer terms. Application deadlines: Fall (March 15), Spring (October 15), Summer (July 1).
Have questions about this M.S. degree? Contact 51³Ô¹ÏÍø today and we will be in touch soon. If you are ready to take your career to the next level, apply to earn your master’s in accounting, business technology and analytics!
Email | crawfordgrad@kent.edu
Phone | 330-672-1280
Email | tmassey2@kent.edu
Phone | 330-672-1225
