Rocky Mountain College launches integrated accountancy path

Rather than separating a bachelor’s degree and a later graduate decision, Rocky’s Bachelor’s + Master of Accountancy path connects undergraduate and graduate study from the beginning. In total, the path is 120 credits over four years: 90 undergraduate and 30 graduate.

Students:

• Start as first-year undergraduates in a business-focused curriculum
• Move through a tightly sequenced set of core business and accounting courses
• Transition into graduate-level Master of Accountancy coursework
• Graduate with both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy

For students who already know accounting, or quantitative business, is likely in their future, the integrated structure offers a more coherent academic experience and can save a full year of additional graduate tuition compared to a traditional five-year route.

Efficiency without reduced rigor

Students complete:

• Core business courses in management, marketing, finance, economics and business law
• Foundational and advanced accounting courses
• Supporting quantitative work such as statistics and data-driven decision-making
• General education courses that strengthen writing, communication and critical thinking
• Graduate-level Master of Accountancy courses that deepen technical and professional practice

That rigor shows up in the results. According to 2024 data from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), Rocky’s Master of Accountancy students posted the highest first-time CPA exam pass rate of any college or university in Montana, and ranked 12th out of 291 small-program institutions nationwide.

From 2022 through 2025, every graduate who responded to Rocky’s Career Services survey, 17 of 17, was employed in the field or continuing their education.

Internships that lead to offers

Every student in the integrated path completes an internship for academic credit, connecting directly with employers such as Eide Bailly, Wipfli and Anderson ZurMuehlen in Billings and across the region.

Those experiences often turn into full-time roles.

• One recent graduate, Wesley Harshbarger ’22, began in public accounting at Anderson ZurMuehlen (now Pinion), moved into a controller role and most recently transitioned into wealth management as a lead financial planner.
• Other alumni have become bank presidents, certified financial planners, insurance agency owners, college professors and marketing managers, all with the same underlying degree.