Accountancy Requirements & Deadlines

If you have an accounting undergraduate degree, you do not need to take any prerequisite classes.

If you do not have an accounting undergraduate degree, you must have the following requirements completed before you will be permitted to enroll in the program:

1. An undergraduate degree (in any field). You may apply during your senior year but must complete the baccalaureate degree before entering the MAcc program AND
2. If you do not have an accounting undergraduate degree, you must have completed or be in the process of completing these courses (or approved equivalent):

• ACCT 2051 Introduction to Financial Reporting;
• ACCT 3001 Introduction to Management Accounting;
• ACCT 5101 Intermediate Accounting 1

We will consider and potentially admit you before you've completed all of these courses, but you must fully complete the above courses before you are eligible to enroll in MAcc program courses. 

You must submit a completed application. 

Additional application information can be found on the Graduate School website, view application instructions.

To be considered for admission, you must have a first university degree that is equivalent to a 4-year U.S. bachelor's degree. Students with a 3-year degree from India do not satisfy this minimum requirement and must complete an additional year of accredited post-baccalaureate study before submitting an application to the program. Visit the Graduate School website for additional information. 

Unofficial transcripts must include your name and the name of the institution and can be uploaded in the online application or emailed to [email protected] for attachment to your application file. Please do not mail in paper copies of your transcript. 

You will need to submit a transcript from each college or university where you have completed coursework before your application will be considered complete and reviewed by the admissions committee. This includes institutions where you have earned credit that transferred towards degree credit at another college/university. Third Party credential evaluation reports and degree planning documents are not accepted as equivalent to a transcript. 

If you have previously enrolled at any University of Minnesota campus, you can obtain electronic copies of your transcripts from OneStop Services. 

There is no need for official transcripts or academic records for initial admissions review. Official transcripts will be required if you are admitted to the program.

The University of Minnesota reserves the right to require the submission of official transcripts or credentials any time during the admission review process.

Your personal statement should be no more than 1000 words (2 pages), that address the following questions:

• Why are you choosing to pursue a MAcc degree at this time in your career? What are you hoping to accomplish by doing so? Briefly describe your work experience, if any, and short-term (upon graduation from the program) and long-term (5-10 years after the program) career goals. Please be as specific as possible with roles, companies and/or industries.
• What excites you about being part of the Carlson MAcc program?
• Describe your current thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion. How has your thinking changed over time?

The video essay is a required component of the application that provides candidates with an opportunity to show the admissions committee the authentic you. Think of this video essay as if you were answering an interview question with a member of our admissions committee.

• You will need to use a computer with camera and microphone capabilities. You will have the ability to test your technology before starting the video essay and submit a practice video essay.
• You can test your technology and run the practice simulation as many times as you wish to be comfortable with the format and technology. You will be able to review your practice video essay(s) and your recording(s) will not be saved beyond the testing phase and will never be reviewed.
• You can also practice responding to impromptu questions offline with a friend or colleague before completing the video essay portion of your application. You will be prompted to click "Ready" once you are prepared to submit an official video essay. You will be asked one impromptu question from a bank of imaginative or behavioral questions selected by our admissions team.
• Two minutes (120 seconds) will be provided to prepare an answer and two minutes (120 seconds) to record an answer. The recording will automatically stop after two minutes. You are not required to use the full two minutes. If you have time remaining once you complete your response, click the "Stop Recording" button to end the recording.
• You will only be provided one attempt to record your official video essay.

Prepare a current resume that includes a detailed education and employment history in no more than 3 pages.

Resume guidelines:

• List both employer(s) and official position(s) held.
• Specify both month and year for dates of employment in each role.
• Detail job responsibilities and accomplishments in approximately 3-5 bullet points.
• You may include a separate section for academic projects with significant quantitative and/or technical components.
• Do not worry about exceeding 1 page.

For additional guidance, visit our Carlson Business Career Center's resume advice webpage, and feel free to use their resume template to simplify the process.

Upload your completed resume in the online application where prompted for your Resume or CV.

Two (2) letters of recommendation are required from persons qualified to evaluate your most recent work and potential for graduate study. These recommendations can be from any combination of academic and professional recommenders.

Please note that you personally do not need to solicit letters of recommendation. However, we do recommend that you contact them ahead of time and ask if they would be willing to provide a recommendation. In the online application, you simply provide their names and contact information and a link will be automatically routed to them via email for completion. When they submit their recommendation using that link, it will be uploaded into your application.

More information about recommendation letters including waiving your right to view recommendation letters.

Applicants to the Master of Accountancy program are not required to submit a GMAT or GRE test score to be considered for admission. However, if an applicant has an existing or scheduled GMAT or GRE test score they would like to include in their application, they may do so. 

Applicants who would like to include a GMAT score in their application should arrange for the testing service to send an official score report to code D2N-VJ-05, Carlson Master of Accountancy. Results arrive 2-3 weeks after the test.

Applicants who would like to include a GRE score in their application should arrange for the testing service to send an official score report using institution code 6874, U of MN graduate school. Results may take up to 8 weeks to arrive.

International and domestic applicants whose first language is not English must provide proof of English language proficiency. Proof of English language proficiency is measured according to the categories detailed below. You are not exempt if you have lived in an English-speaking country for several years, but have not completed any prior education in English.

• Applicants providing an exam score must have an exam date within two years of the graduate program start date. Exams exceeding two years will not be accepted.
• We do not offer an option for the English language ability to be assessed upon arrival on campus.

For additional details regarding this requirement, please visit the Office of Graduate Admission's website or contact them at [email protected].

The application fee is:

• $75 (non-refundable) for U.S. citizens
• $95 for international applications and U.S. residents with foreign credentials

Your application fee will be automatically waived if you have served in the U.S. Armed Forces for any length of time prior to submitting an application. We are unable to offer application fee waivers to any other applicants.