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Honestly, Masters is your best bet regardless. Even if you don’t want to work in public accounting it will benefit you whereas getting CPA will only benefit you in public. A masters degree will make you CPA ELIGIBLE, which is the key. If you don’t decide you want the CPA that’s fine, you’ll still have a masters which will make you more promotable in industry. You probably won’t find a director or VP of accounting who doesn’t at least have their masters. You’ll find a lot who aren’t CPAs though. It will also give you tangible technical skills, especially in research. A few classes at the community college, while cheaper, won’t benefit you in any way unless you plan to actually get your CPA and stay in public.
Honestly it’s really up to you. Like a lot of people said a masters isn’t needed so a lot of people don’t really care but if you want to do it do it!
Chief
Community college option.
I have a Master’s because I like being recognized for the time I put in but financially, it’s more wise to just take the cheap classes since we don’t need a Master’s for the job. No one will care if you have one
I will say being asked about a masters is also a state thing. Certain states require you to meet the 150 credit criteria before sitting for the exam while others allow you after 120 (given the 30 accounting credits are completed).
I noticed people from states requiring 150 to sit will be more likely to ask about a Masters since it is more feasible + useful with the criteria of their state.
Just do a few more classes at a CC. That's what my friend did. No one will care about your Masters once you are a CPA.
Where did u go then? Lol. No need to bash harvard
Some Masters included courses aligned to help study for the CPA exams, so you can take a look into that. I don't think people care if you have a Masters in Accountancy, but they will care just little bit if you have a Masters in Taxation (preferred on some job posting) or MBA (cost more and only get if you want managerial type of roles - I guess). But like others said, CPA is all that it matters. You will need that to move into Manager role for most public accounting firms.
For me, I passed all the CPA exams first before getting my 150 credit Masters in Tax on a bad advice from someone... I should have done my Masters, along with studying for CPA exam instead (which will be like another course itself). Personally, if I am paying for courses, I rather have a degree with it.
I see a lot of preference for MST too instead of MAcc on job listings.
Community college. If you really want a masters in the future, most employers have education reimbursement programs.
Look into CLEP exams for an easier route to getting credit hours!
Masters is a complete waste of time and has no value in my opinion for public accounting. For example, if you’re a tax accountant working at a CPA firm, who do you think a client would prefer to lean to? A person with a bachelors and a masters or a person with a bachelors and is a CPA?! Uhh duh, the CPA. That’s why I never got my masters. I went the Community college route to get my extras credits. I’m studying for the CPA now. My firm could care less about a masters. They just want us to be CPA’s
Problem with your plan is that since you have your degree the cpa exam will only accept upper level accrg classes to meet the 150. Community colleges would of counted if you had not graduated.
Yes doing a 2nd bacc degree is 1/2 the cost of masters. At end of thebday, people who are interested in coa should research the requirements and plan their courses accordingly. I was able to graduate with bs acctg and be cpa eligible because I didn't assume or rely on the degree automatically fulfilling state requirements.
I'm CPA eligible right now (completed a 5 year BBA for undergrad). I'm contemplating on either getting my MBA or a quick certificate from eCornell for Data Analytics if I wanna get into an investment banking firm. Right now, I'm in private. Don't plan on doing public.
Community college. I have a masters and I’ve been asked about it once in my career. Certification and where I’ve worked have been the most important
Do you think there's no need to ask because the credential speaks for itself? How I see it is employers see an MBA after your name, you've escaped the deeper end of the pool and are closer to the interview/position.
Looks like there is some really solid advice. It all depends on what your ultimate goal is. They are both great options but it depends onw hat your career goals are.