NYU School of Professional Studies

[corpsole2]

Has anyone here taken an online course from NYU? I am looking for a good online program to do the thirty credits I need to sit for the CPA exam, and NYU School of Professional Studies has an Accounting Certificate.

Also, is it credit based? I need to take at least six credits in a semester to qualify for a student loan.

[Yanji]

AFAIK, NYU SCPS doesn't even offer an Accounting certificate, at least not a credit one. I disagree with many on this board and think that tuition should only be one factor in the decision-making process and not the sole factor, but even if SCPS did offer a credit certificate in Accounting, what would be the point? You'd be getting a certificate which would be rendered useless by your CPA from the continuing education department of one of the most expensive private universities in the country. If it was offered through Stern, I might see some value in it (albeit still not enough to justify the money/time involved), but it's offered through SCPS so it doesn't even come with the benefits of association with Stern. (among which includes AACSB accreditation, which smooths the CPA process in some states)

I recommend the conventional method of either taking the accounting courses you need at a local school/LSU Online and filling the remainder of the 150 hours with credit from wherever, or getting a MSA from an AACSB business school. (most of which require accounting/business prereqs and all of which will also become useless once you get your CPA)

[cookderosa]

Has anyone here taken an online course from NYU? I am looking for a good online program to do the thirty credits I need to sit for the CPA exam, and NYU School of Professional Studies has an Accounting Certificate.

Also, is it credit based? I need to take at least six credits in a semester to qualify for a student loan.

You could just give them your first born. Or an arm. Or a leg. Last time I looked at NYU they wanted about $1000/credit.

[corpsole2]

AFAIK, NYU SCPS doesn't even offer an Accounting certificate, at least not a credit one. I disagree with many on this board and think that tuition should only be one factor in the decision-making process and not the sole factor, but even if SCPS did offer a credit certificate in Accounting, what would be the point? You'd be getting a certificate which would be rendered useless by your CPA from the continuing education department of one of the most expensive private universities in the country. If it was offered through Stern, I might see some value in it (albeit still not enough to justify the money/time involved), but it's offered through SCPS so it doesn't even come with the benefits of association with Stern. (among which includes AACSB accreditation, which smooths the CPA process in some states)

I recommend the conventional method of either taking the accounting courses you need at a local school/LSU Online and filling the remainder of the 150 hours with credit from wherever, or getting a MSA from an AACSB business school. (most of which require accounting/business prereqs and all of which will also become useless once you get your CPA)

Well, I noticed you earned your MBA from Indiana University. How are they for graduate degrees.

Thing is, I pretty much know that I want to focus on financial planning/CPA careers, since I am halfway there as a tax preparer. I am accepted at WGU for an MS in Management, but I still am looking at options.

[Yanji]

Well, I noticed you earned your MBA from Indiana University. How are they for graduate degrees.

Thing is, I pretty much know that I want to focus on financial planning/CPA careers, since I am halfway there as a tax preparer. I am accepted at WGU for an MS in Management, but I still am looking at options.

I got my IU MBA on campus, but they do offer a few graduate degrees online. Unfortunately, they don't offer a MSA degree and their online MBA is more of a general program. They were the first top 20 business school to offer an online MBA though, so the programs are well-established and if one of their graduate degrees suits your interests, it's definitely worth considering.

If you're interested in a well-regarded online MSA program, I know that UConn and the University of South Dakota offer online MSAs. These are offered through their business schools so have AACSB accreditation. You'd probably need somewhere between 39-45 credits to complete either program including the prereq courses, but that should make you eligible to take the CPA in most states. (some particularly draconian states such as Texas require you to take a certain number of accounting credits on-campus) If you're considering direct substitutes for WGU's MS Management, the University of Alabama offers an online MA in Management that I think is one of the best buys in online education.

My MBA is more of a Finance degree so I took Auditing through LSU Online and I'm glad I did. They're one of the most popular sources of accounting credit for prospective CPAs and while taking their courses won't really add any brand name appeal to your resume, they're great for "checking the box".