If you have a background in the military or are interested in joining the military and are wondering how an online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Accounting could help advance your military career, look no further. Like any other organization or industry, the military has a high demand for accountants to help manage everything from equipment purchases to support services for military families around the world.
How an MBA Moves Your Career Forward
The military needs accountants on bases throughout the United States and around the world. Pursuing an MBA in accounting is a great way to start working in accounting for the military, either as a member of the military or as a civilian employee. This career track can be an especially good way for military spouses to work for the military as civilians while their spouses are enlisted in the armed forces.
The military does offer training programs. But, if you are planning on advancing a career in accounting, it can also be important to seek education outside of the military. This helps give you a broader range of experience and skills with accounting processes and methods. A graduate-level education can also make your credentials more transferable if you decide to leave the military in the future.
Plus, having outside credentials can give you a competitive edge in your military job search, being that there may be fewer applicants for accounting jobs with graduate degrees in the field. An MBA in accounting can help you stand out from other job applicants and from your coworkers, even in the military.
Well-Paying, In-Demand Job
If you’re an officer in the military and you work as an accountant, you can expect to earn an average salary of $77,606, according to Today’s Military (September 2022 data). An MBA in accounting can also prepare you for a successful career as a financial manager in the military. Today’s Military reports that these officers earn an average annual salary of $92,830. And, in either role, you’ll still be eligible for all the other benefits of working for the military, such as military insurance, housing and retirement benefits.
The military spends hundreds of billions of dollars every year — its budget is larger than all but the largest corporations. Keeping track of all the money spent on personnel, equipment, supplies, support services and all the other things necessary to keep the military working is a huge job that requires specialists in finance and accounting.
For instance, here are a number of specialized finance and accounting roles in the U.S. Army and average annual salaries for those roles, according to August 2022 data from Indeed:
- Auditor: $94,980
- Budget analyst: $79,867
- Budget manager: $108,942
- Cost engineer: $80,730
- Comptroller: $124,440
The military will help train you on military accounting and some of the specifics of managing the military’s finances. But an MBA in accounting can give you a major advantage over others who don’t have specialized, non-military accounting training. Plus, students in programs like Fitchburg State University’s online accounting MBA examine accounting information systems and other technologies reshaping modern accounting, preparing them for the future of the field.
Using the GI Bill to Fund Your Education
If you’re a current or former member of the armed services, you might be able to use your GI Bill benefits to pay for an MBA in accounting. If you’re currently in the military, the flexibility and convenience of an online MBA program can allow you to advance your education no matter what your deployment or work schedule is. If you’ve left the military but are thinking about ways to work for the military in a civilian role, an online accounting MBA can help you return to the military while also advancing your career prospects in the civilian world. This may be an attractive prospect if you’re not sure you want to work for the military your entire career.
Maybe you’re ready to move into an exciting new role in the military. Perhaps you’d like to work for the military as a civilian. Or your goal might be to advance your current career in the military’s finance department. Whatever your military accounting aspirations are, an accounting-focused MBA from Fitchburg State is a smart way to get the skills and credentials you need with the flexibility to keep up with your current responsibilities.
An online MBA in accounting is an investment in a military career that pays well, can be done from the comfort of an office and doesn’t involve dangerous working conditions. The affordability of Fitchburg State University’s online MBA program — and the possibility of using your GI Bill benefits to pay for tuition — means you don’t have to take on a major upfront expenditure in order to invest in your career. And you can easily transfer your accounting skills and educational credentials to the civilian world if you decide to leave the military later in your career.
Learn more about Fitchburg State University’s online MBA in Accounting program
