The Best Master's in Accounting in Tennessee for 2026

Rhodes College's Master of Science in Accounting is a small, 32-credit program rooted in the college's liberal arts tradition, directed by Dr. Wendy J. Bailey, with admissions run on a rolling basis from October 1 to May 1. Coursework covers data analytics, accounting research, CPA exam review, and systems auditing, and the annual Meet the Firms event puts students in front of accounting firms and corporations ahead of internships and job offers. The program reports 100% job placement, with 75% of graduates joining a Big Four firm or another national firm.

The Hakia Score of 90.2, fourth in Tennessee, is built on an 85% graduation rate and a 50% admit rate, the loosest of the four programs here. Sticker tuition is a flat $56,300, but Rhodes discloses that average net tuition after scholarships and need-based aid ran about $24,500 for both 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, a roughly $31,800 discount off sticker for students who clear the automatic scholarship review. Enrollment across the college is 1,861. Against the national BLS median accountant salary of $94,160/year, that net tuition figure pays back in about three months. This program fits students who want small-cohort access and are counting on the scholarship discount to close the gap with UT Knoxville's in-state price.

Lipscomb University's Master of Accountancy is a 30-credit-hour program built around the CPA exam: coursework in advanced financial reporting, auditing and forensics, IT audit and risk management, and advanced taxation is sequenced to match the exam's AUD, FAR, and REG sections. Students can finish in one year, add the 12-hour Graduate Certificate in Professional Accountancy if they only need a few more hours for CPA eligibility, or combine 18 hours of MAcc coursework with 18 hours of MBA coursework in the MBA/CPA track. An optional Accounting Boot Camp covers prerequisites for students without an undergraduate accounting background, and an optional full-time internship runs during tax season's busy period.

Lipscomb carries a Hakia Score of 84.1, the highest of the four Tennessee master's in accounting programs profiled here, on a 72% graduation rate and a 68% admit rate. Tuition is a flat $37,460 whether the student is a Tennessee resident or not, since Lipscomb sets one private-university rate for all. That tuition equals roughly five months of the $94,160 national median salary the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports for accountants and auditors, useful context on program cost, not a promise of what any graduate will earn. The program fits applicants who want a compressed, CPA-focused timeline at a private school with small class sizes and an undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or higher expected.

Middle Tennessee State University's Master of Accountancy lets students choose the format: fully online, fully on campus, or a mix, with full-time completion in as little as one year or part-time study stretched to three. The Jones College of Business and its Department of Accounting are AACSB accredited, and coursework builds skill in industry tools including Tableau, Alteryx, and Excel alongside tax and assurance specialization tracks. Students can add an optional four-course CPA review series for degree credit, using Becker CPA Review content, and the GMAT is waived for applicants with an AACSB-accredited undergraduate accounting degree and a 3.0 GPA or higher.

MTSU holds a Hakia Score of 77.3 on a 54% graduation rate and a 69% admit rate, the most accessible admit rate of any public program here. The tuition gap is the number that matters most: $8,204 for Tennessee residents versus $29,512 for out-of-state students, a $21,308 difference. In-state tuition equals about one month of the $94,160 national median the BLS reports for accountants and auditors; out-of-state tuition runs closer to four months of that figure. MTSU's own data shows its M.Acc. students posted a 66.5% first-time CPA pass rate in 2019, versus 52.8% overall. This program fits Tennessee residents who want AACSB accreditation and CPA exam preparation at the lowest in-state cost among the four schools here.

The University of Memphis runs its Master of Science in Accounting entirely online through UofM Global: ten courses, completed in as little as 12 months. The curriculum covers auditing, taxation, cost accounting, and financial accounting, and it targets preparation for the CPA exam along with the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) credentials. Coursework includes forensic accounting as an area of emphasis, plus quality improvement, compliance, and risk management topics aimed at accounting roles across government, private industry, and nonprofit sectors.

Memphis holds a Hakia Score of 74.1 on a 51% graduation rate and a 72% admit rate, the most open admit rate among the programs profiled here. Tuition runs $8,856 for Tennessee residents and $13,512 for out-of-state students, a gap of just $4,656, the smallest resident-to-nonresident spread of the four schools since the program is delivered fully online. In-state tuition equals roughly one month of the $94,160 national median the BLS reports for accountants and auditors; out-of-state tuition is under two months of that figure. This program fits working professionals, in state or out, who want a fast, fully online path to CPA-exam-ready coursework without a large nonresident penalty.

Belmont University's Master of Accountancy is STEM-designated and built for CPA exam preparation, with most courses taken inside the accounting department and electives pulled from the Massey School's MBA offerings. Class sizes run small, averaging 25 students in core courses and 14 in electives, and the program can be finished full-time or part-time, in as little as one year or as many as three. Applicants without the required 18 hours of undergraduate accounting coursework can complete prerequisites through the Summer Accounting Institute, a 12-week program that also earns 10 hours toward CPA exam eligibility.

Belmont carries a Hakia Score of 73.6 on a 71% graduation rate and a 95% admit rate, by far the most accessible admit rate of the four programs here. Tuition is a flat $40,560 for residents and nonresidents alike, since Belmont sets one private rate for all students. That tuition equals about five months of the $94,160 national median the BLS reports for accountants and auditors, context on cost rather than a promised outcome. The STEM designation extends Optional Practical Training to three years for international graduates, a real advantage for that group weighing job-search runway against Belmont's flat tuition. This program fits applicants who want near-universal admission odds and a specialized, CPA-focused curriculum at a private-school price.

Based in Chattanooga, TN, The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga is a public institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #9 of the 11 ranked here, earning a 70.1 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 80.8 group average, in the lower third of the 11 ranked programs. The program graduates 50% of its students, below the 68% average across the ranked schools. The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga admits 81% of applicants, less selective than the 59% average for the group. That is more open than the 6% rate at Vanderbilt University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 48% to 94%.

On cost, The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga charges $8,458 a year in-state, versus $16,522 for out-of-state students. Over two years that is about $16,916 in tuition for residents, against $33,044 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $8,204 at Middle Tennessee State University to $65,008 at Vanderbilt University. Graduates step into a field with a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the draw here is low in-state cost paired with an online option.

Based in Athens, TN, Tennessee Wesleyan University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #10 of the 11 ranked here, earning a 68.9 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 80.8 group average, in the lower third of the 11 ranked programs. The program graduates 48% of its students, below the 68% average across the ranked schools. Tennessee Wesleyan University admits 69% of applicants, less selective than the 59% average for the group. That is more open than the 6% rate at Vanderbilt University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 48% to 94%.

On cost, Tennessee Wesleyan University charges $29,414 a year in-state. Over two years that totals about $58,828 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $8,204 at Middle Tennessee State University to $65,008 at Vanderbilt 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 11 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.

Based in Memphis, TN, Christian Brothers University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #11 of the 11 ranked here, earning a 67.1 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 80.8 group average, in the lower third of the 11 ranked programs. The program graduates 55% of its students, below the 68% average across the ranked schools. Christian Brothers University admits 87% of applicants, less selective than the 59% average for the group. That is more open than the 6% rate at Vanderbilt University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 48% to 94%.

On cost, Christian Brothers University charges $38,420 a year in-state. Over two years that totals about $76,840 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $8,204 at Middle Tennessee State University to $65,008 at Vanderbilt 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 11 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.