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I have a question for anyone who is familiar with or is in the field of Accounting. I have a BS in Management (not a smart decision I know) and am trying to decide whether to get a Masters in Accounting or an MBA with a focus in Accounting. Which would be the best option if I am trying to start a career in Accounting? Or if this is not the best way to go about getting into Accounting, how should I start?
If you want to become a CPA, the rules vary by state. My daughter took some required courses above her bachelor's degree and received her CPA. other states have different rules.
If you want to become a CPA, the rules vary by state. My daughter took some required courses above her bachelor's degree and received her CPA. other states have different rules.
Thank you for your reply! I looked at Illinois guidelines and it says that you need to have work experience in accounting along with their other requirements to sit in on the CPA. How many credit hours did she take of accounting classes, and did she have a job in accounting before she took her CPA?
After graduating from college with a degree in Economics, I went to night school to obtain the accounting credits I needed to meet the requirements to take the CPA test. I then went to grad school and obtained an M.S. degree in Taxation. From there I got a job as an IRS revenue agent.
Thank you for your reply! I looked at Illinois guidelines and it says that you need to have work experience in accounting along with their other requirements to sit in on the CPA. How many credit hours did she take of accounting classes, and did she have a job in accounting before she took her CPA?
Did you look at how many accounting credits are required by your state? That can give you an idea of whether or not the MBA with an accounting concentration will give you enough accounting credits.
Here's the deal. First of all, if you can get into an elite MBA program (i.e. top 10-15), I'd probably do that because they are feeder programs top employers. The problem is that they are very difficult to get in and most won't be able to.
If not, then you really need to decide whether you want to be an accountant or if you just see accounting as a path to other jobs in the business world. This makes a big difference. A lot of entry level accounting positions don't like hiring MBAs that don't have an undergraduate accounting degree or accounting experience. The reason is that they think you'll stick around for a couple of years and then quit.
If you are sure that you want to be an accountant, I think a Master's in Accounting or Tax is probably the way to go. The reason is that you should be able to complete it in a year or a year and a summer if you have already taken your introductory accounting and statistics classes that most business major do. The recruiting at those programs will be much more accounting focused and your professors will have ties in the local business community in accounting. You'll be around a lot of accountants (some who are already working as accountants and could put a good world in for you if they are hiring).
If you don't really think Accounting as a long term career, a MBA is probably a better route. It is more flexible, though you'll have to stack your electives with accounting classes to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam.
After graduating from college with a degree in Economics, I went to night school to obtain the accounting credits I needed to meet the requirements to take the CPA test. I then went to grad school and obtained an M.S. degree in Taxation. From there I got a job as an IRS revenue agent.
Thank you for replying! I was thinking a waiting a few years though to get my CPA and wanted to just start out as an Accountant. In Illinois you have to have at least 1 year experience in Accounting as part of the requirement. So do you think that a M.S. in Taxation, Accounting, or an MBA in Accounting would be the best avenue to do so?
Did you look at how many accounting credits are required by your state? That can give you an idea of whether or not the MBA with an accounting concentration will give you enough accounting credits.
Yes, in Illinois you need at least 30 credit hours of Accounting courses. My predicament though is that I need at least one year of supervised experience to get my CPA license (and since I do not have the necessary Accounting education to obtain an Accounting job, I need to find out what certification or Masters Degree I should pursue to be able to be hired as an Accountant). I was hoping to be able to get a job with an MBA in Accounting, but I have heard mixed things about that.
Thank you for replying! I was thinking a waiting a few years though to get my CPA and wanted to just start out as an Accountant. In Illinois you have to have at least 1 year experience in Accounting as part of the requirement. So do you think that a M.S. in Taxation, Accounting, or an MBA in Accounting would be the best avenue to do so?
It depends on what you want to do. I took a liking to tax accounting; so I got a graduate degree in that field. In a prior work life, I worked as a budget analyst and hated it. I have friends that work as internal auditors. I also know a comptroller and have worked with former comptrollers. You can pursue a career as a financial analyst. There are a lot of options. You should find your niche within the field of accounting before pursuing a graduate degree. Otherwise your may end up wasting your time and money.
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