Thoughts on New England College M.S. Accounting online program?

Hi, has anyone here taken courses through the online NEC Masters of Science in Accounting program?

Link: Program Overview | New England College Online

I have been looking into it because my undergrad was not in accounting, but had a few accounting/business courses. They offer the prereqs as part of the program to make it easier for a non-accounting major to enroll. One of the questions I had is if anyone knows if the exams are proctored. I have searched their site, but can't find anything. They do not require the GMAT either which is good because I have not taken that exam and it's been a while since I graduated with my bachelor's.

For comparison, I'm also looking at SNHU's graduate program in Accounting/Finance as well.

 

What's tuition like for this program?

 

Looks like around $645/credit. Not the cheapest by any means, looks like a good program though.

 

I would like to see what accounting firms would think of this degree as well. The current path I am thinking about heading down after graduation with a non-accounting undergrad is LSU certificate program then transfer into Stetson university. The only advantage is that LSU and Stetson are AACSB. Also Stetson has no proctored exams for the OP.

 

If you are interested in pursuing a CPA license, you might want to check the laws and regulation of your state, because states sometimes specify particular types of accreditation for business/accounting programs. In some states, there may be no requirements beyond regional or national accreditation. In other states, like Utah, it is easier to qualify for a license if your degree has specialized accreditation from a business school accreditor like AACSB or ACBSP.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. Hope to make a decision soon.

 

I am strongly considering going for the LSU certificate after finishing my masters next spring. That certificate (along with previous econ and business courses) would give me the required education to sit for the CPA exam. I think that it will make a good compliment to my tech degree.

 

First, what is your goal? If you just want to practice accounting, as some people have suggested, it would be cheaper to get undergraduate courses from LSU to qualify for the CPA exam. If you want the degree for teaching purposes and possibly a CPA, then the MS would be a better option but bear in mind that the degree suggested is not AACSB accredited so this will limit your opportunities when it comes to teaching.

If you want cheap and AACSB accredited, you might want to look at the CIMA qualification (UK). The CIMA qualification is a lot cheaper than a degree and can be bridged into a M.Sc in Accounting from an AMBA or AACSB accredited UK school for less than 10K. CIMA has an agreement with AICPA in the US so you can become CGMA in the US that is the equivalent of the CMA but granted by AICPA that is good enough if you want to become a corporate accountant and not a public accountant.

 

I'm currently in the UK for the next two years so this might be an interesting route for me until I can start a master program. So the CGMA is equivalent to the CMA qualification in the US? Would this mean that I would just apply through AICPA to get this switched over to CMA or what? Sorry this is a little confusing but promising!

 

The CGMA is a new designation that allows CIMA members to work in the US as management accountants. The CMA is granted by IMA and the CGMA AICPA but they are equivalent in terms of prestige and utility.

The career path for many is to do the CIMA in the UK and then top it up with a Masters by writing a dissertation. Once in the US, you can use the CGMA to work in the corporate world and you can use the Master's to gain entry to the CPA exam that requires at least 150 credits in most states. You can also use the Master's teach if you want to do so. Some also go into a PhD program after CIMA and top up Master's.

It is the cheapest way that I know to get an accounting designation and a Master's degree. Make sure to finish a Masters from an AACSB or AMBA accredited school as this will open the doors to teaching.