Hello Fellow Academics,

I have been reading this forum for a while and I believe you all can help me with my decision. I am currently a student at Grand Canyon University (GCU) looking to change schools. My major reasons are cost and not having exactly the program I need to pass Massachusetts. CPA standards. I am looking at  Western Governers University (WGU), they are cheap, have a Bach. of Science degree in accounting and I believe I will succeed in their self paced model. The only dowmside with WGU is that I would have to continue on into a masters program in accounting to get the needed courses to take the CPA exam.

The other school is Herzing University, they have a program in accounting that is for meeting guidlines of the states CPA boards and is the 150 credit program with the requiered accounting classes included. The down side is cost at $405 a credit that is alot though it does include books.

Is there anyone else out there pursuing your CPA completely online? What online schools do you recommend? Are there any students in the accounting program at WGU? Is there anyone with experience getting into a masters program after WGU?  What do you think of it? Any other comments on WGU and Herzing U. is greatly appreciated

lmanlief

In Texas it's much the same way, you have to have not only a BS but "X" amount of credits in upper division courses which would basically be a masters equivalent in coursework even if you didn't necessarily get a masters degree.  Of course Texas has this weird rule about not earning more than 1/2 of those credits online, but there you are. 

Personally were I in your position I would go for the biggest bang for buck.  Most CPAs I've met have a masters degree, it just kind of goes with the territory when licensing requirements are basically saying you have to take all those extra hours anyhow.  That being said a masters degree is much more marketable than a BS and if you could get a BS from Herzig U. for the same amount as  BS from WGU AND an MS from somewhere else, I'd take the masters degree 10 out of 10 times.  But that's just me. 

Hi Cajun,

You are right about the MA program needing sespific number of Grad classes in accounting and what course for the business core. I also found that the graduate program must be accredited by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Any suggestions of schools that have that? Is it common? I am still wondering if a Bach. degree from WGU will get me into a Grad school. There also is the issue of how many credits WGU will give me in transfer. Right know I have 70 credits in General Ed. Does that seem high to transfer?

lmanlief

manlief:

You are right about the MA program needing sespific number of Grad classes in accounting and what course for the business core.

I'd rather take 150 credits and get both a Bachelor's and a Master's than do the same amount of work and just get a Bachelor's.  Accounting is unique in that there are 150 credit Bachelor's degree programs, they only exist because so many states require that and schools that can't offer Master's degrees still want in on the action.

I also found that the graduate program must be accredited by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Any suggestions of schools that have that? Is it common?

Unfortunately, it's not yet common for schools that have AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs to have an online Master's like the one you need.  Here's the list of schools that have AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs:

http://aacsb.edu/General/InstLists.asp?lid=4

You might check their web sites to see which of them has a distance program.

I am still wondering if a Bach. degree from WGU will get me into a Grad school. There also is the issue of how many credits WGU will give me in transfer. Right know I have 70 credits in General Ed. Does that seem high to transfer?

I'd think a Bachelor's from WGU would be fine to get into grad school.  Why not?  They're regionally accredited.

70 credits is unusually high, but it's not crazy high, and many schools will accept up to 90 credits in transfer.  But schools vary widely on how much they'll take in transfer, even when you'd think things would be fairly straightforward.  Unfortunately, this is one where the only way to know is to try it.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

Ouch, that AACSB thing is a real stinker.  What a bummer too since there are some darn fine accounting programs out there that are not AACSB.  There's UConn, not a bad choice http://www.business.uconn.edu/msaccounting/index.html

Cajun:

Ouch, that AACSB thing is a real stinker.

That they require it just shows that the politicians or bureaucrats who made that rule don't understand what AACSB is.  It's an accreditation organization for business and accounting schools, yes, but it's focused on academic research, not teaching.  If you want to hire business researchers, e.g., faculty for a business school, great, then looking for AACSB accreditation makes sense.  But if you want to ensure that your accountants understand how accounting works, then it doesn't fit.  It sounds like someone told a decision maker that AACSB is "the best" and they just threw it in there to try to look serious.

I realize that none of that helps Manlief, but I felt like it just needed to be said.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

Cajun, Steve thanks for the input. it looks like I have a real challenge in front of me to try to get what I need via distance learning. I am disabled so going to brick and mortar schools are not a choice for me. I noticed two of the schools on the AACSB list are in my state and one (Bentley) is in a town near me. I am hoping by the time I get my Bach. that the situation will have changed, new online programs are starting all the time! Now I know why I am not hearing from accountants. Does anyone know is there a state where one can test for CPA without getting their degree at a AACSB accredited school? I'm still goning to go for the Bach. in accounting and hopefully get some bookkeeping work while I decide what to do next.

manlief

manlief:

Cajun, Steve thanks for the input. it looks like I have a real challenge in front of me to try to get what I need via distance learning. I am disabled so going to brick and mortar schools are not a choice for me.

Are you sure that's impossible?  By law they're required to accommodate you.  At one university where I worked, weset up a computer lab full of Macs in a different building just to accommodate a wheelchair-bound student who was entering our graphic arts program.

I noticed two of the schools on the AACSB list are in my state and one (Bentley) is in a town near me. I am hoping by the time I get my Bach. that the situation will have changed, new online programs are starting all the time!

That's very true -- maintaining a list of distance learning programs is definitely a moving target!

Now I know why I am not hearing from accountants. Does anyone know is there a state where one can test for CPA without getting their degree at a AACSB accredited school? I'm still goning to go for the Bach. in accounting and hopefully get some bookkeeping work while I decide what to do next.

I think most states don't require this, actually, but I'm not sure which would be which.  If you're in the Boston area you're reasonably close to New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island, right?  I suppose I'd check with those states first.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

I know Texas doesn't require it, but then Texas says you have to earn a minimum of 15 credit hours in a classroom at the upper division.  Why?  IMHO it's because there aren't any state schools with fully online accountancy masters programs...but then Texas isn't cutting edge in distance learning.

Any undergrad online degrees there(UConn)? How about any online , 150 credit, AACSB approved for accounting degrees anywhere? I too am at WGU and live in MN. It seems most firms just want the degree so thats what I'm getting, and eventually will need to find a school to get the other credits for the CPA. I would hope that what ever firm hires an accounting grad would help them along the process of CPA requirements? Maybe I am being a little niave(?), but cant find a perfect college choice for what I need. Would be nice if there was an AACSB school that had an online, 150 credit CPA approved class for a bachelors degree in accounting out there, we are waiting.

engs15:

Any undergrad online degrees there(UConn)? How about any online , 150 credit, AACSB approved for accounting degrees anywhere? I too am at WGU and live in MN. It seems most firms just want the degree so thats what I'm getting, and eventually will need to find a school to get the other credits for the CPA. I would hope that what ever firm hires an accounting grad would help them along the process of CPA requirements? Maybe I am being a little niave(?), but cant find a perfect college choice for what I need. Would be nice if there was an AACSB school that had an online, 150 credit CPA approved class for a bachelors degree in accounting out there, we are waiting.

Personally, if I were going to take 150 semester-hours, I'd rather 120 of them applied to a Bachelor's and the other 30 applied to a Master's, and that the programs were designed to be single admission and to run seamlessly in sequence!  Although I don't know offhand of any AACSB accredited school that does things that way.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress