Quick Highlights
The FP&A concentration is ideal for an accountant who wants to move from reporting results to building forecasts and partnering with leadership. A CPA is not required for FP&A work or admission. The A-State’s online MBA – Financial Planning & Analysis program is AACSB-accredited, 33 credits and $17,292 with all fees included, as of 2026. Students can complete the program in as few as 12 months.
You already close the books. The question is whether the next move is a credential designed around the forecast instead of the report. The online Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Financial Planning & Analysis program at Arkansas State University (A-State) enables this exact transition: from the accounting side of the house into corporate finance leadership, in as few as 12 months, with no GMAT.
What You Already Have, and What FP&A Adds
An accountant already owns the close, the reconciliations and the audit binder. Financial planning and analysis (FP&A) is a different discipline inside corporate finance: it takes the numbers an accountant produces and turns them into a forecast, budget and story the CFO can act on. The concentration does not replace accounting skill. It adds to it.
| What accounting gives you | What FP&A adds |
|---|---|
| Historical reporting and reconciliations | Forward-looking forecasts and budgets |
| Compliance and close discipline | Variance analysis and business partnering |
| Knowledge of the chart of accounts | Scenario modeling and strategic planning |
| Credibility with auditors | A seat in the planning meeting with the CFO |
That shift from the left column to the right is what the concentration is designed to teach: an accountant already has the credibility and discipline the left side represents, and the right side is what turns that into real influence over what the company does next. A-State builds that shift into two required finance courses, Financial Statement Analysis and Seminar in Finance, layered onto the standard MBA core, so the move from reporting to forecasting is a structured 33-credit plan rather than something picked up informally on the job.
Do You Need a CPA Before an MBA in Financial Planning and Analysis?
No. Students do not need a CPA to apply to this concentration or to work in FP&A, and the two credentials answer different questions.
A CPA license proves technical mastery of accounting and compliance, built on required coursework, a qualifying exam and supervised experience. The FP&A concentration proves something else: that you can take accounting’s output and plan with it. Accountants who already hold a CPA often add the concentration to move from technical depth into forecasting and leadership. Accountants weighing a CPA can pursue the concentration first, since neither the program nor the roles it targets require one.
Important Note
This concentration does not say whether a CPA is right for your next step. It states plainly what the MBA requires (no CPA) and leaves the sequencing choice to you and your employer.
What the FP&A Concentration Covers
The concentration sits inside a 33-credit, AACSB-accredited online MBA – Financial Planning & Analysis program at the Neil Griffin College of Business. The core (24 credits) covers the standard MBA foundation: graduate business fundamentals, accounting for planning and control, managerial economics, corporate financial management, strategic marketing, business analytics, project management and strategic management. The concentration itself adds two finance courses, plus a choice between two electives:
- Required: Financial Statement Analysis
- Required: Seminar in Finance
- Electives (choose one): International Financial Markets or Data Mining
Those courses are the only required additions beyond the core MBA curriculum, and the numbers below show exactly what the full 33-credit path costs and how long it takes to finish. Note that program tuition, timelines and application requirements are current as of 2026.
| Program fact (2026) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total cost | $17,292, all fees included, the same price in every state |
| Credits | 33, at $524 per credit |
| Length | As few as 12 months, 7-week courses in fall and spring, 5-week courses in summer |
| Admission | Bachelor’s degree, 2.5 cumulative GPA (or 2.75 over the last 60 hours), $30 application fee; no GMAT, GRE or letters |
| Accreditation | AACSB-accredited Neil Griffin College of Business |
The Neil Griffin College of Business has carried AACSB accreditation since 1979, with the MBA itself accredited since 1985, per A-State’s AACSB accreditation history. That seal is rare: only 6% of business schools worldwide hold it, according to AACSB. Its dean, Dr. Jim Washam, holds corporate financial planning and analysis (FPAC) and corporate treasury management (CTP) credentials and has taught treasury management seminars for organizations including JPMorgan Chase, Google, Harvard, General Electric and NASCAR, per the dean’s appointment announcement.
FP&A vs. Treasury, Controller and General Finance
FP&A is a lane, not a label, and it is easy to confuse with the other finance tracks an MBA can offer. The table below lines up FP&A against the three tracks it’s most often mistaken for, so the distinction is explicit instead of assumed.
| Track | What it does | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| FP&A (this concentration) | Forecasts, budgets and business partnering with operating leaders | An accountant or analyst who wants to shape what happens next, not just report what happened |
| Treasury | Cash management, banking relationships and investment of company funds | Someone focused on liquidity and capital, not operating forecasts |
| Controller | Financial statements, internal controls and regulatory compliance | Someone staying close to the accounting function and its accuracy |
| General MBA Broad management across functions, no finance concentration | Broad management across functions, no finance concentration | Someone targeting general management rather than a finance specialty |
If your goal is the forecast and a seat in the planning meeting, the FP&A concentration is designed for that.
Is This the Right Move for You?
The list below is a self-check, not a sales pitch. If most of these already describe your situation, the FP&A concentration is a more direct path than a general MBA or a stand-alone CPA, since it’s aimed at the move from reporting into forecasting.
- You already own the close and the reconciliations, and you are being asked, informally, to predict what comes next.
- You want to present the forecast to the CFO, not only supply the numbers behind it.
- You do not need a CPA first. You can pursue one before, after or instead of this concentration.
- You want a program built around a working week, not a two-year residential MBA.
Justin Lawson, president of Centennial Bank’s Searcy branch, made this move while working full time. Read more: Justin Lawson’s story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What MBA concentration fits an accountant who wants to move into corporate finance leadership?
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) is the concentration suited for that move. It takes the reporting and compliance skill an accountant already has and adds forecasting, budgeting and business partnering, the skills commonly associated with financial planning, forecasting and financial leadership responsibilities.
Do I need a CPA before pursuing an MBA in financial planning and analysis?
No. A CPA is not required for admission to the concentration or for most FP&A roles. The two credentials serve different purposes, and many students pursue them in either order or hold only one.
Is FP&A the same as treasury or controller work?
No. FP&A builds forecasts and partners with operating leaders on next steps. Treasury manages cash and banking relationships. Controller work maintains financial statements and compliance. The concentration is financial planning and analysis specifically, not the other two tracks.
What courses are in the FP&A concentration?
The concentration requires Financial Statement Analysis and Seminar in Finance, plus one elective from two options: International Financial Markets or Data Mining.
Is the GMAT required for A-State’s online MBA?
No. Admission requires a bachelor’s degree and a 2.5 cumulative GPA, or 2.75 over the last 60 hours, with no GMAT, GRE or letters of recommendation.
How long does the online MBA with an FP&A concentration take?
As few as 12 months, taking one 7-week course at a time in fall and spring, with 5-week terms in summer.
What can you do with an MBA in financial planning and analysis?
The concentration positions accountants and analysts for roles focused on financial planning, forecasting and analysis, such as FP&A analyst or financial planning manager. See A-State’s article on corporate finance career paths for the full list of roles you can pursue with this degree.
Key Takeaways
- The FP&A concentration is built for accountants and analysts who want to move from reporting the past to planning the future.
- Sequencing a CPA is a personal choice, not a program rule: the concentration does not require one before, after or at all.
- The concentration adds two courses, Financial Statement Analysis and Seminar in Finance, plus an elective, to a 33-credit AACSB-accredited MBA.
- FP&A is distinct from treasury, controller work and general management.
- The program costs $17,292, takes as few as 12 months and requires no GMAT.
Justin Lawson’s path shows what this looks like in practice: real banking experience, paired with a flexible, finance-focused credential, completed while still working full time. The same move is available to any accountant who already owns the numbers and wants more say in what they mean for what comes next.
Ready to see the full curriculum and current start dates? Explore Arkansas State University’s online MBA with a Concentration in Financial Planning & Analysis Program.