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Hi all. I am looking to change my career to accounting and get a bachelors of accounting degree in at most 6 months. I need help degree planning.
I already have around 60 credits that can transfer into any degree program and wave my general education requirements. I heard about the changes at UMPI, So I don't know if that's the best option for speed and finances.
I want to spend at most 5K and about 6 to 7 months getting the degree. Which one is the best option between UMPI, TESU and WGU? My issue with WGU is that it's pass and fail and that I need a grade point average for the graduate schools and the graduate programs and accounting that I want to apply to. However, after looking through the forum diligently, I've seen that quite a few people have mentioned that the education quality for the accounting degree at UMPI is lacking.
Since UMPI gutted most of the transferable ACE credits, would TESU be a better option so that I can take advantage of study.com and Sofia.com and transfer those credits? Does TESU allow for credit city transfer during the term? Or do they have to all be transferred in before the start of the ter?
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Welcome to the board, great initial post with some info on what you're looking at, but you're missing the entire addendum and template right above your post! Without knowing anything about you other than what you want, it's going to be hard to decipher which route would be better for you. It's like asking for a coffee but not telling us what you need and want in the coffee, update us with the info here and we'll be better equipped to assist you: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works
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05-06-2025, 08:48 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2025, 11:21 AM by anon_grape.
Edit Reason: more info
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Sorry about that!
Your Location: NYC
What kind of degree do you want?: BA in Accounting
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 65 general education credits (from previous BA degree)
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 0
Any certifications or military experience?: 0
Budget: 5k
Commitments: medical appointment & freelance work
Dedicated time to study: 6 hours a day
Timeline: 6-7 months max
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: 0
I want to sit for the CPA exam but New York State doesn't allow for credits from STDC or Sofia to satisfy the licensure or exam requirements
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No worries, you're selectively leaving things out, it may seem minor or trivial information, but it may sway others into providing different advice altogether. You didn't indicate your age, nor that you have a BA already. When I read the 60 credits, I thought you have 60 or so credits or even up to an Associates. That info sways people into providing different advice. Here's an example where I mentioned an age difference: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid438769
Because you have a bachelors already, you can go for the WGU MAcc for the Masters and be on your way, skip the Bachelors altogether. If you need to get into a better ranked or recognized institution, you can go for MBA or something instead at that institution of choice. You don't need to go for a Bachelors, but I would still check your state requirements for people who already have a degree, they may just need 30 accounting credits and that's it...
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05-06-2025, 11:43 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2025, 11:57 AM by anon_grape.
Edit Reason: typo
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(05-06-2025, 11:30 AM)bjcheung77 Wrote: No worries, you're selectively leaving things out, it may seem minor or trivial information, but it may sway others into providing different advice altogether. You didn't indicate your age, nor that you have a BA already. When I read the 60 credits, I thought you have 60 or so credits or even up to an Associates. That info sways people into providing different advice. Here's an example where I mentioned an age difference: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid438769
Because you have a bachelors already, you can go for the WGU MAcc for the Masters and be on your way, skip the Bachelors altogether. If you need to get into a better ranked or recognized institution, you can go for MBA or something instead at that institution of choice. You don't need to go for a Bachelors, but I would still check your state requirements for people who already have a degree, they may just need 30 accounting credits and that's it...
Based on my evaluation from WGU only 60 credits what transfer to fulfill the bachelors of accounting degree, the rest of the credits I would have to take at WGU.
My conundrum with WGU's Masters program is that they require 24 credits in accounting. Based off of what you've shared so far does it make more sense to complete certificate program and accounting online somewhere and then go straight for the masters? My concern with going for a masters is that my bachelor's degree is in a completely unrelated subject. I was told, although I'm not sure of the validity of this person's claim, that a lot of companies want to see someone with a bachelor's in accounting rather than a unrelated bachelor's degree+masters. I was also told that by going for a master's in accounting I would miss out on a lot of foundational knowledge. That's my main reason for considering to go back to do the bachelors degree entirely.
if you do recommend a certificate program and then going straight for the Masters what certificate program would you recommend most certificate programs don't offer 24-30 credits in accounting. For example TESU's certificate program in accounting only provides 18 credits and I believe Lone Star's certificate program only provides 24 credits.
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Most masters of accounting degrees are for career changers who have an undergrad in a different subject. So you can double check that at WGU. The 24 accounting credits are likely the required subjects that you would need in order to either sit for the exam or apply for the license after you pass exam, depending on your particular state's requirements.
BSBA/Accounting TESU (2016). MSA UIUC (2018).
Need help with portfolios? I earned 18 credits at TESU through portfolio evaluations. Nine of those were for upper level accounting courses. My advice for PLA/portfolios: TESU portfolio tips The first post has the Portfolio Checklist I created. Page ten has the actual narrative I wrote to receive credit for ACC-440.
Using Straighterline's Financial Accounting as a substitute for TESU's Intermediate Accounting I? Don't do it if you are an accounting major and/or want your CPA license. They are not the same course and I think TESU has erred in accepting the SL course as Intermediate I. I made this discovery here: Intermediate Accounting II.
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(05-06-2025, 11:43 AM)anon_grape Wrote: (05-06-2025, 11:30 AM)bjcheung77 Wrote: No worries, you're selectively leaving things out, it may seem minor or trivial information, but it may sway others into providing different advice altogether. You didn't indicate your age, nor that you have a BA already. When I read the 60 credits, I thought you have 60 or so credits or even up to an Associates. That info sways people into providing different advice. Here's an example where I mentioned an age difference: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid438769
Because you have a bachelors already, you can go for the WGU MAcc for the Masters and be on your way, skip the Bachelors altogether. If you need to get into a better ranked or recognized institution, you can go for MBA or something instead at that institution of choice. You don't need to go for a Bachelors, but I would still check your state requirements for people who already have a degree, they may just need 30 accounting credits and that's it...
Based on my evaluation from WGU only 60 credits what transfer to fulfill the bachelors of accounting degree, the rest of the credits I would have to take at WGU.
My conundrum with WGU's Masters program is that they require 24 credits in accounting. Based off of what you've shared so far does it make more sense to complete certificate program and accounting online somewhere and then go straight for the masters? My concern with going for a masters is that my bachelor's degree is in a completely unrelated subject. I was told, although I'm not sure of the validity of this person's claim, that a lot of companies want to see someone with a bachelor's in accounting rather than a unrelated bachelor's degree+masters. I was also told that by going for a master's in accounting I would miss out on a lot of foundational knowledge. That's my main reason for considering to go back to do the bachelors degree entirely.
if you do recommend a certificate program and then going straight for the Masters what certificate program would you recommend most certificate programs don't offer 24-30 credits in accounting. For example TESU's certificate program in accounting only provides 18 credits and I believe Lone Star's certificate program only provides 24 credits.
I can chime in here as I was in your exact same situation a couple of years ago before I started. I had BS in Biotechnology from UMGC, but I wanted to career change into accounting by obtaining the MAcc from WGU specifically. However, for a really good reason, WGU requires all MAcc students to either have a Bachelors in Accounting or CPA Licensure in order to matriculate into that degree program. At the time, there wasn't a lot of info out there about the UMPI Accounting program, so I took a chance on it as they took more ACE credit than WGU for the undergrad accounting degree. I was already halfway through the Post-Bacc CPA Prgram at CNM Community College, so UMPI took most of that coursework towards the UL Accounting courses that weren't available elsewhere (specifically Fed Tax I and II). I did the whole accounting sequence on SDC for transfer, so I only had to do 2 actual accounting courses at UMPI (Independent Auditing and Govermenetal and Not-For-Profit Accounting), and the rest were general business courses.
Regardless, I completed the BA Accounting at UMPI and then the MAcc (old program) at WGU. I will tell you that if you shortcut the coursework like I did (using SDC/Saylor Academy), it will catch up to you in the MAcc without a doubt. If you plan on doing the MAcc at WGU, then please do yourself a favor and do the BSAcc at WGU as well. It'll make things a LOT easier for you. So many courses are just harder and more intense versions of the BSAcc courses (according to fellow Master's students that I interacted with on the WGU Discord), but I did not have those courses or that solid foundation, so it was a stuggle for me to catch up to thier level. I can only imagine it would even be worse in a B&M type situation.
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