What is now known as the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) first began in 1936 as the Birmingham Extension Center, an institution established by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa following the rapid growth of the Birmingham metropolitan area. The extension center continued to grow, and by the 1960s, it was quickly becoming its own university. In 1966, the UA's School of Medicine and the Extension Center combined to form the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In 1984, the school's name was changed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, simply moving from the "in" preposition to "at."
University of Alabama at Birmingham Accreditation Details
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the body responsible for the accreditation of the University of Alabama, and this distinction allows the school to award doctorate, master's, bachelor's, and professional degrees to its students. The UAB Collat School of Business is separately accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the highest honor an academic institution can achieve for its accounting degree programs.
University of Alabama at Birmingham Application Requirements
In order to receive admittance into UAB's Master of Accouting (MAc) program, students must hold a bachelor's degree in accounting from an AACSB-accredited institution, and this degree must have been earned within the five-year period immediately preceding the desired enrollment term. Individuals who do not have this undergraduate accounting degree will be required to successfully complete up to nine additional courses as well as the classes required for the degree.
Students must also earn a minimum score of 500 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) within five years preceding the term of enrollment. However, the GMAT requirement is waved for graduates of UAB's accounting program and for other students who successfully complete all foundational coursework in the accounting program at the undergraduate level at UAB.
In order to apply, interested students are required to complete the application form, including the student's contact name and two references' email addresses. Students must make sure that all official transcripts from universities and colleges attended prior to UAB as well as students' GMAT scores are sent directly to the school.
How Is The GMAT Exam Structured?
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students seeking a MAc at UAB can expect to pay $606 for the first semester hour of coursework and $383 for each additional hour of coursework for state residents. Non-residents are charged $1,122 for the first semester hour of coursework and $899 for each additional hour of coursework. In total, degree-seeking residents pursuing education in UAB's business programs can expect to pay $7,340 per 18-credit semester, while non-resident graduate students will pay $16,628 each 18 credit-hour semester.
However, UAB does offer several financial aid options for those who qualify. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before submitting the Title IV Authorization Form that allows the school to use your federal aid award to pay for non-mandatory charges. Finally, students can complete the Resource Form if they are receiving any financial assistance in the form of tuition assistance, VA benefits, or scholarships.
Academic-based scholarships are available as well as Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (Federal Direct PLUS).
Online Master of Accounting
The online Master of Accounting program is offered through the school's Collat School of Business, and the program is technology-driven with an instructional approach that provides students with advanced skills and knowledge that can be put to immediate use. The school believes in continuous improvement and growth through learning that is timely, topical, and relevant.
Students attending UAB can pursue a general Master of Accounting degree (MAc) or opt instead for a concentration in Internal Auditing. The school offers a Fast-Track Master of Accounting program that is open to students pursuing a BS degree in accounting. In addition to standard coursework, students may also take courses to prepare themselves for the CPA exam and other applicable certifications. Each of the school's online business degrees expose students to the study of:
- Quantitative Analysis
- Management Processes
- Legal Issues
- Information Systems
- Financial Management
- Economic Fundamentals
- Business Foundations
- Business Communications
- Basic Marketing
- Accounting Principles
Specifically, the online Master of Accounting is designed for professionals with a knowledge base in business and accounting. As such, the school has developed a degree program that meets students' goals by offering a bridge program for individuals from non-accounting backgrounds who wish to pursue more formal accounting knowledge without pursuing an additional bachelor's degree. The program also helps students to focus on broadening applied research, technological, interpersonal, and communication skills, and the degree is grounded in advanced accounting concepts such as fraud, corporate governance, advanced auditing and attestation, forensic accounting, not-for-profit and governmental accounting, and business law.
Upon completion of the online MAc, students are prepared to sit for their Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams. After certification, students are prepared for managerial-level careers in a variety of financial fields, and ambitious professionals might find opportunities in corporate executive roles or as chief financial officers, financial vice presidents, treasurers, or controllers.
UAB is internationally and nationally recognized for the quality of its online MAc program. For four consecutive years, the Princeton Review named the school among the "Top 10 Universities in the United States for Diversity" and the Collat School of Business as one of the best in the nation in the 2014 edition of "Best 295 Business Schools." In addition, UAB was ranked by U.S. News & World Report in its 2015 "Best Online Programs" rankings for having the "Best Online Bachelor's Programs" and mentions the Collat School of Business as one of the "Best Online Graduate Business Programs."
At UAB, students can earn an accounting degree completely online, in the traditional classroom mainly in an evening format, or a combination of both. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, students gain practical hands-on learning experiences, and year-round internships are available should students seek opportunities to gain valuable experience and explore career options.