CPA Reqs and Coopersmith/Study.com

[Sunnydaze]

I am lining up my credits to take and then turn into EU.   I need a bunch of accounting courses and am thinking about taking them from Coopersmith and SDC.  

NYS has this on their site: 

In order to be acceptable, studies must be credit-bearing (not continuing education, or non-credit, courses). Credits must be taken at an accredited (or non-U.S. government-recognized), degree-granting, postsecondary institution acceptable to the Department. Only the following assessment credits can be used to award college credits: CLEP, DSST or UExcel exams. Assessment credits are college credits earned for taking examinations. Credit bank transcripts will not be accepted.

I need a few courses on my transcripts to be able to get into a $10k Master's program that will make me eligible to take the exam after I complete it. But I just wanted to make sure i had a back up just in case I can't finish or don't get in.    So, I was just wondering how they show up on the transcript? Like do they show up as P/F or maybe as the course that they transfer in as?

If they show up as regular courses somehow, I'd just take all Coopersmith classes because all of the required courses are about $1400!  I just have to take Taxation from LawShelf. 

If they don't show up as classes, I was just going to take the requirements for the MS, complete my corner and capstone and graduate!  My job is waiting for me to graduate before promoting me to staff accountant.  Currently, I'm an accounting assistant and the promotion will bump me up to salaried and an extra $15k/year. From what the recruiter tells me, it's the same position but they have the requirement of being CPA eligible.


Thanks!

[ss20ts]

They will show as transferred courses on your transcripts. Courses from Coopersmith are NOT RA credits.

[rachel83az]

If the classes are going to cost $1400... and they should be RA credits...

I would just sign up to take classes at UMPI. All-you-can-finish in 2 months for $1500 and they're RA credits! Plus, you can get an actual Accounting degree with UMPI. Unless you have tuition a reimbursement/discount that only applies for Excelsior, $519 per credit x 3 credits each for cornerstone & capstone + $1400 for classes is waaaay more than you'd spend on a UMPI degree.

[Sunnydaze]

If the classes are going to cost $1400... and they should be RA credits...

I would just sign up to take classes at UMPI. All-you-can-finish in 2 months for $1500 and they're RA credits! Plus, you can get an actual Accounting degree with UMPI. Unless you have tuition a reimbursement/discount that only applies for Excelsior, $519 per credit x 3 credits each for cornerstone & capstone + $1400 for classes is waaaay more than you'd spend on a UMPI degree.

I wish I could do this!  I'm in a weird place right now.  I'm 40 now, but in my 20s I changed my major a lot, took out extra student loans for housing, etc. I returned to school recently and I used the little bit I had left at WGU. GenEd classes were easy to accelerate, but I need about a month per class especially now since the classes are a bit harder and I have many other obligations. At my current pace, I need about 2-3 more terms. If my credit wasn't bad, I'd apply for a private student loan or private loan for those terms.

That $1400 is about 7 courses and going to be spread out over the next year and when I get to Excelsior, that will be paid for with the payment plan. If I eat ramen and talk my ex-husband into keeping the kids more, I may be able to afford doing this concurrently so I can finish faster. I would go UMPI but there's no way I'll finish all my courses in 2 months either. For a tougher course, I think the longest I took at WGU was about 3 weeks. But if i go to work early or stay late to study there, I may be able to knock that down a bit.

Edited to add my options. I'm coming in with about 100 credits: about 60 Arts and Science LL credits from CC/WGU and about 40 Business from WGU:

• A: As above. Spend $1400 on Coopersmith and Lawshelf classes. Transfer to EU to complete degree. Graduate CPA ready. (I did some digging and correspondence courses and P/F courses are OK as long as they appear on a RA transcript!)
  
• B: Only take the required courses for a $10k MS at Emporia State: Int Accounting 1 and 2, Taxation and Audit. Transfer into EU, graduate.  
  
• C: I haven't put too much thought into it, but another option I was thinking about was going a NA route just to get a degree. Then find a school that I can get a RA Masters from that will accept it. That way I can get my promotion soonish and then be able to use student loans for the MS.
  

[ss20ts]

• A: As above. Spend $1400 on Coopersmith and Lawshelf classes. Transfer to EU to complete degree. Graduate CPA ready. (I did some digging and correspondence courses and P/F courses are OK as long as they appear on a RA transcript!)
  
  

Just because a course appears on a transcript does NOT make it RA credit!!! Those courses from Coopersmith and Lawshelf will be listed as TRANSFER credit. Typically with transfer credit, you are require to submit the transcript where those courses where completed.

[bjcheung77]

@OP, It's a bit confusing on what you're trying to do in the first post, so I viewed your previous thread here to see what the Masters was for 10K: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ta-Science | Then I noticed your post #4, you really need to decide on how to play things out. This is what I would do, get a degree plan in place, example: UMPI Bachelors, get the 90 credits from Sophia.org and save up the cash for the session or two.

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Edit to Add: Then you can ladder up to a WGU MS Accounting instead for a cheaper CBE program than the EU MS Data Science or Emporia MS, the UMPI Bachelors and WGU Masters combined would be cheaper than just one of these MS options. Heck, you can add the HAU MBA and still come out on top! You just need to make sure all your state requirements are checked off with the UMPI/WGU degrees, the NA degree you mentioned would not.

[rachel83az]

That $1400 is about 7 courses and going to be spread out over the next year and when I get to Excelsior, that will be paid for with the payment plan. If I eat ramen and talk my ex-husband into keeping the kids more, I may be able to afford doing this concurrently so I can finish faster. I would go UMPI but there's no way I'll finish all my courses in 2 months either.

Since it's going to take 1+ years anyway, you might want to just save up the money instead for UMPI. I think that they offer payment plans as well, so if you finish in 2 sessions then you're still going to save money compared to Excelsior. This is NOT for YourPace, but I think I remember at least one student here did set up a payment plan for their YourPace degree: https://www.umpi.edu/offices/student-fin...ent-plans/

[Sunnydaze]

@OP, It's a bit confusing on what you're trying to do in the first post, so I viewed your previous thread here to see what the Masters was for 10K: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ta-Science | Then I noticed your post #4, you really need to decide on how to play things out.  This is what I would do, get a degree plan in place, example: UMPI Bachelors, get the 90 credits from Sophia.org and save up the cash for the session or two.

---

Edit to Add: Then you can ladder up to a WGU MS Accounting instead for a cheaper CBE program than the EU MS Data Science or Emporia MS, the UMPI Bachelors and WGU Masters combined would be cheaper than just one of these MS options.  Heck, you can add the HAU MBA and still come out on top!  You just need to make sure all your state requirements are checked off with the UMPI/WGU degrees, the NA degree you mentioned would not.

From the last post, I took that advice and planned out a graduation from Excelsior.  I enrolled got and got evaluated and made a plan. I have been using Sophia and Study.com on and off for the last few credits that I needed to transfer in.  Since that thread, I have been working at an accounting firm and am doing very well. I have a really good work:life ratio and good upward trajectory, so I switched gears from Data Science to Accounting.  

At this point in time, the only thing I need for Excelsior graduation is 12 UL credits and the Corner and Capstone. The purposed of this thread was to try to figure out how I could make those UL credits work double time for me. As in count for graduation and allow me to at least get started on the CPA exam. Since being CPA ready will get my promotion.

UMPI could be a great option, but someone from that last thread said my pace would be too slow and I kinda agree. I'm pretty sure some of you could do it, but I don't think I could.  I already wasted a term at WGU behind stress and depression and I don't have the cash to waste another term.

WGU MS Accounting is out because for admissions you need a CPA or a BS Accounting. 

NYS has 3 paths to the CPA Exam and completing one of listed MS programs is one of them. That's how I found Emporia. Their admission pages said that you need a few accounting credits on your transcript (Int Accounting 1 and 2, etc)

I hope I made things clearer, but from our previous interactions I don't think I have.

---

• A: As above. Spend $1400 on Coopersmith and Lawshelf classes. Transfer to EU to complete degree. Graduate CPA ready. (I did some digging and correspondence courses and P/F courses are OK as long as they appear on a RA transcript!)
  
  

Just because a course appears on a transcript does NOT make it RA credit!!! Those courses from Coopersmith and Lawshelf will be listed as TRANSFER credit. Typically with transfer credit, you are require to submit the transcript where those courses where completed.

I guess that's where I'm not understanding.  I think I am able to send it the sylabus if there is an issue with the course. Also https://nasba.org/exams/cpaexam/newyork/ says:

• Correspondence, CLEP credit, CPA Review courses and online courses are acceptable when you receive credit for the courses at a regionally accredited college or university. These courses must appear on an official transcript.
  

If they are transferring in to a RA program, aren't I receiving credit for and it is on the official transcript? I'm not being trying to be argumentative. I'm just curious and a bit confused. (Edited to add: Actually nevermind. I was looking at the sites again and I'm going to err on the side of caution and just not use credit by exam for accounting courses.)

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That $1400 is about 7 courses and going to be spread out over the next year and when I get to Excelsior, that will be paid for with the payment plan. If I eat ramen and talk my ex-husband into keeping the kids more, I may be able to afford doing this concurrently so I can finish faster. I would go UMPI but there's no way I'll finish all my courses in 2 months either.

Since it's going to take 1+ years anyway, you might want to just save up the money instead for UMPI. I think that they offer payment plans as well, so if you finish in 2 sessions then you're still going to save money compared to Excelsior. This is NOT for YourPace, but I think I remember at least one student here did set up a payment plan for their YourPace degree: https://www.umpi.edu/offices/student-fin...ent-plans/

I will look into the schedule.  I had a hard time with UMPI admissions.  They kept calling me even though I told them that I was waiting on transcripts and no one would give me good answers because they were just sales people not actual advisors/admission counselors.

I'm also a bit nervous about my pace and how it may be too slow.  I have just over 100 credits so it may not be too bad if I focus on the Liberal Arts degree and not the accounting one.

[bjcheung77]

I hope I made things clearer, but from our previous interactions I don't think I have.

I will look into the schedule.  I had a hard time with UMPI admissions.  They kept calling me even though I told them that I was waiting on transcripts and no one would give me good answers because they were just sales people not actual advisors/admission counselors.

I'm also a bit nervous about my pace and how it may be too slow.  I have just over 100 credits so it may not be too bad if I focus on the Liberal Arts degree and not the accounting one.

It's pretty clear and we know what you want from this, good work in giving us an update. Since you already have 90+ credits to transfer into UMPI, I would apply and get it all done there in a session or two, just make sure the degree requirements are met with the 90 credits, finish the final 30 there when the time comes. You can probably finish in a couple of sessions at the slowest. You don't rush yourself, but pace yourself...

[dfrecore]

"Credits must be TAKEN at an accredited (or non-U.S. government-recognized), degree-granting, postsecondary institution acceptable to the Department." That means, the courses must be taken at a school, not from anywhere else. If ACE credits were acceptable, it would say something like "credits must be on an accredited postsecondary institution."  So I don't think this is going to work for your purposes.  SDC and Coopersmith come in as courses that have been transferred, and they have a P for Pass or CR for Credit depending on the school. It will be obvious that they were not taken at the school, and then if they ask for the original transcript, you'll get caught.

If you take Coopersmith courses, and use those for the pre-req for the MS program only, then does the MS program provide the needed credits that will be taken at a school?  It doesn't say how many credits are needed.

Also, I would not do a NA program - that makes no sense.  There are VERY few RA schools that will take an NA degree, and either way, there are no NA schools that are cheaper than our cheap RA options here.

Any reason you're doing EU over TESU?