Accounting for Government Contracts – Certificate

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must have at a minimum, a U.S. equivalent bachelor’s degree from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency, or international equivalent. Furthermore, you must either be an accounting major or have completed specific coursework in accounting, including 6 credits in Principles of Accounting, 6 credits in Intermediate Financial Accounting, 3 credits in Managerial/Cost Accounting, 3 credits in Audit, 3 credits in Tax, and 3 credits in Accounting Analytics. Non-accounting majors should refer to the NVCC pathway provided below to complete the required accounting coursework.

Fall Deadlines:

• Priority: February 1
• Standard and F1/J1: May 1
• Final: August 1

Application Link & Fee:

• College of Business Graduate Program Application
• $75.00 application fee

College Transcript Requirement

• We require unofficial copies of your transcripts from earned degrees for application review. You can upload these to your online application. If admitted, you must submit official transcripts prior to the last day to add/drop courses in your first term. Please refer to the “Additional Requirements for International Degree Holders” section for degrees earned outside of the U.S.

Current Resume

Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) Pathway

• This pathway is tailored for individuals with non-accounting bachelor’s degrees who need additional coursework to meet the eligibility requirements (mentioned above) for the Government Accounting Certificate at George Mason University. It allows students to complete pre-approved accounting courses offered at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) to fulfill the necessary course requirements for admission. For more information about the NVCC pathway, please contact the College of Business Graduate Admissions team at sbusgrad@gmu.edu.

Learn more about the graduate certificate in government accounting program here.

Tuition and Fee Structure

• Tuition: Tuition is billed per credit hour with additional fees as appropriate. If a student is a resident of Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, D.C., in-state rates will apply. For all other students, out-of-state rates will apply. Rates and fees are subject to change.
• Fees:
  • Mandatory Student Fee: This is a mandatory fee based on credit enrollment. The Mandatory Student Fee supports the maintenance of facilities and buildings, auxiliary services, intercollegiate athletics, campus shuttle, academic services, student activities, and health services.
  • Enrollment Deposit: All new masters and certificate students must pay a $500 non-refundable enrollment deposit, which is used to reserve your seat for the term to which you applied and is applied toward your tuition. All applicants under the following categories will automatically have their enrollment deposits waived: Bachelor’s/Accelerated Masters (BAM), George Mason Employees, Refugees, Student/Athletes, and US Military Active Duty & Veterans.
  • Graduate New Student Fee: This is a mandatory, non-refundable, one-time $60 fee. The fee is charged to the account of every newly admitted, degree-seeking student at the time of registration, regardless of orientation attendance or enrollment status.
• Potential Additional Costs: 
  • Books: average is $150 per course
  • Airfare to and from the country of your global residency (depends on graduate program)
• Health Insurance: George Mason University makes health insurance available to eligible students through Aetna Student Health. George Mason University requires J-1 and F-1 visa status students to have health insurance coverage under University Policy. The Insurance Office will automatically enroll F-1 and J-1 visa students into the school selected health plan. Visit the Student Health Services webpage for more information.
  • Domestic student premiums can be found here.
  • International student premiums can be found here.

For more information on current tuition rates and fees, visit the Student Accounts website.

The Accounting degree (ACCT) prepares students for professional careers in the private and public sectors. The accounting major is designed to produce accounting professionals who can both generate and apply financial information to solve business problems.

Our students learn principles of business and accounting as well as the specific skills and specialized technical knowledge necessary for success in the dynamic field of accounting. Our program emphasizes ethics, critical thinking, written and verbal communication, and effective use and understanding of technology.

Our graduates are employed by the assurance, tax advisory, and consulting groups of the top accounting firms as well as Fortune 100 companies. Our proximity to the nation’s capital provides unique opportunities for our graduates to work in government and in the federal practices of public accounting firms.

sbusgrad@gmu.edu

https://business.gmu.edu/programs/graduate-certificate-programs/accounting-for-government-contracts