California Baptist University has presented a new opportunity for online students interested in accounting.
This coming fall semester, CBU is offering a Master of Science in Accounting program, run entirely through Online and Professional Studies.
Until now, there was no graduate program devoted entirely to accounting. The Master of Business Administration with a focus in accounting will still be available.
“It’s set to begin in the fall 2014,” said Dr. Julie Browning, director of the Master of Science in Accounting program. “It requires an undergrad degree and there are some prerequisite requirements.”
Browning said four prerequisite classes are necessary for enrollment in the program. According to the MSA page on CBU Online’s website, these classes are: ACC 310 Intermediate Accounting I, ACC 311 Intermediate Accounting II, ACC 430 Federal Income Tax Accounting and ACC 470 Auditing.
The program will provide students with the educational requirements to become licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in California.
Browning highlighted ways it is different from previous programs at CBU that cover similar information.
“It’s not like the Alumni MBA that used to be on campus; you don’t have to be a CBU undergrad,” she said.
This means that any student who meets the requirements can be considered for the program.
“There are a couple of ways you can get the information you need to start the program,” Browning said. “You can take the prerequisite classes, or you can test out of certain classes. There are now two grad-level programs for accounting, the new MSA, or there is an MBA with a specialization in accounting.”
Since the program is based in Online and Professional Studies, it is possible many students enrolled will not be on CBU’s campus.
The program’s remote interactive capabilities will allow professors to impart information to students, according to the Master of Science in Accounting program page on the OPS section of the university’s CBU Online website.
The new program will use an online format to keep class sizes small and teach effectively.
