The Best Master's in Accounting in California for 2026

Loyola Marymount's College of Business Administration offers a 30-unit M.S. in Accounting that full-time students can finish in as few as 9 months, or spread across up to 5 years part-time. The curriculum draws electives from accounting, finance, taxation, and business analytics, and the program is STEM-designated. LMU also runs a separate M.S. in Taxation for students focused specifically on CPA licensure with a tax emphasis. No undergraduate accounting degree is required; the school evaluates each applicant's background and assigns prerequisite coursework as needed.

LMU's Hakia Score of 90.3 reflects a 79% graduation rate and a 45% admit rate, both stronger than CSULB's and just behind USD's. As a private school, tuition is flat at $60,970 regardless of residency, the highest sticker price of these four programs, set against a 10,179-student campus. The school's own figures show 100% full-time employment and 38% Big 4 placement for the Class of 2025 within three months of graduation, numbers worth weighing against that tuition for candidates targeting large public accounting firms. The AICPA outlines the CPA licensure path LMU's curriculum is designed to support.

Golden Gate University's MS in Accounting Data & Analytics (MSADA) runs online and hybrid out of GGU's San Francisco Financial District campus. The degree requires 30 units total, 18 in the advanced program plus 12 of electives or a concentration, and drops the GMAT/GRE requirement. Students choose from four concentrations: CPA Applied Accounting, built around live CPA exam prep; Advanced Analytics for Accountants, a STEM-designated track in Python, R, and data visualization; Essentials of Leadership; or Taxation, plus standalone graduate certificates in each area.

GGU posts the top Hakia Score of the four programs, 87, built on cost and program design rather than admissions selectivity data, which the school does not publish for this program. Tuition runs $1,090 per unit, or $32,700 for the full 30-unit degree; GGU's reported tuition figure of $11,088 applies equally to in-state and out-of-state students since it is a private nonprofit. Enrollment across GGU is 3,098. GGU cites its own WSCUC Key Indicators Dashboard data showing MSADA graduates earn 41% more than the national median for the field five years out, a figure that sits above the BLS national median of $94,160 a year for accountants and auditors. The program fits candidates who want a CPA-track credential without a standardized test, delivered in a flexible online or hybrid format.

The University of the Pacific's Master of Accounting (MAcc), housed in the Eberhardt School of Business in Stockton, is built to satisfy California's CPA education rules. Students with an accounting undergraduate degree finish in two semesters; those coming from another field finish in three to four. The curriculum layers in seven units of ethics coursework plus advanced classes in Forensic Accounting, Advanced Federal Taxation, and Financial Statement Analysis, and Eberhardt is AACSB accredited. The school's own page reports a 90% employment rate within six months of graduation, including placements at the Big Four, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC, and cites starting pay up to $72,000 within six months.

Pacific carries a Hakia Score of 83.1, second highest of these four, backed by a 69% graduation rate and a 71% admit rate. Tuition is $56,140, flat for in-state and out-of-state students since Pacific is private; enrollment across the university is 6,944. That $72,000 early-career figure sits below the BLS national median of $94,160 a year for accountants and auditors, consistent with an entry-level outcome that climbs with experience. One fact overrides the rest for anyone planning ahead: Pacific's own page states the MAcc will no longer be offered effective Summer 2026, so prospective applicants should confirm current status directly with the Eberhardt School before applying.

Mount Saint Mary's University does not run a standalone accounting master's; its accounting training sits inside the hybrid, weekend MBA program in Los Angeles as a Finance and Accounting concentration. That concentration is six units taken in the final semester, one advanced accounting course (3 units) and one advanced finance course (3 units), layered onto an MBA that runs 12 to 16 months, three to four semesters, with classes every other weekend and no GRE or GMAT required.

MSMU's Hakia Score is 80.7, third of these four, reflecting a 53% graduation rate against a 73% admit rate. Tuition is $48,104, flat for in-state and out-of-state students since MSMU is private nonprofit; total enrollment is 2,312. This path fits someone who wants a general management credential with an accounting tilt, not deep technical preparation for the CPA exam; the AICPA sets the 150-hour education requirement most California CPA candidates need, and a 6-unit concentration alone will not cover it. The national median for the field, per the BLS, is $94,160 a year.

Cal State Fullerton's Mihaylo College of Business and Economics runs two versions of its Master of Science in Accountancy, both built to clear the 150-hour CPA eligibility bar. The Traditional track offers evening classes, 2 to 4 courses per semester, fall or spring start, and finishes in 12 to 24 months depending on course load. The Cohort track is full-time only, mostly daytime classes, fall start only, and compresses the same 150 hours into 10 months, with an optional winter internship for students who want to earn while enrolled.

CSUF's Hakia Score is 79.9, fourth of these four, resting on a 70% graduation rate and a 91% admit rate, the most accessible of the group. Tuition is where CSUF separates itself: $6,084 for California residents against $18,684 for out-of-state students, a $12,600 nonresident premium, small next to the $48,000 to $56,000 private tuition at MSMU and Pacific. Enrollment across the university is 43,662, by far the largest of the four schools. For a California resident who wants the fastest, cheapest route to CPA eligibility, $6,084 versus a private program north of $48,000, this is the cost-driven choice; the national median pay for accountants and auditors, per the BLS, is $94,160 a year once licensed and working.

Based in Pomona, CA, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona is a public institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #9 of the 12 ranked here, earning a 77.2 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 83.3 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 68% of its students, below the 69% average across the ranked schools. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona admits 75% of applicants, less selective than the 67% average for the group. That is more open than the 36% rate at San Diego State University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 53% to 84%.

On cost, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona charges $6,084 a year in-state, roughly 3x the $18,684 out-of-state rate. Over two years that is about $12,168 in tuition for residents, against $37,368 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,084 at San Diego State University to $60,970 at Loyola Marymount University. Graduates step into a field with a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Based in Moraga, CA, Saint Mary's College of California is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #10 of the 12 ranked here, earning a 76.1 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 83.3 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 70% of its students, above the 69% average across the ranked schools. Saint Mary's College of California admits 87% of applicants, less selective than the 67% average for the group. That is more open than the 36% rate at San Diego State University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 53% to 84%.

On cost, Saint Mary's College of California charges $57,303 a year in-state. Over two years that totals about $114,606 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,084 at San Diego State University to $60,970 at Loyola Marymount University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its above-average completion.

Based in La Verne, CA, University of La Verne is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #11 of the 12 ranked here, earning a 75.2 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 83.3 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 63% of its students, below the 69% average across the ranked schools. University of La Verne admits 71% of applicants, less selective than the 67% average for the group. That is more open than the 36% rate at San Diego State University, the most selective program on this list.

On cost, University of La Verne charges $48,550 a year in-state. Over two years that totals about $97,100 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,084 at San Diego State University to $60,970 at Loyola Marymount University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 12 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.

Based in Northridge, CA, California State University-Northridge is a public institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #12 of the 12 ranked here, earning a 74.8 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 83.3 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 57% of its students, below the 69% average across the ranked schools. California State University-Northridge admits 93% of applicants, less selective than the 67% average for the group. That is more open than the 36% rate at San Diego State University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 53% to 84%.

On cost, California State University-Northridge charges $6,084 a year in-state, roughly 3x the $18,684 out-of-state rate. Over two years that is about $12,168 in tuition for residents, against $37,368 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,084 at San Diego State University to $60,970 at Loyola Marymount University. Graduates step into a field with a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.