Accredited accounting degree programs in New York prepare those interested in taking the New York Certified Public Accountant examination. Prior to taking the test, applicants must complete a certain number of credit hours and courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The license they receive after passing the test lets accountants work as CPAs all across the state. Other programs in the state help those interested in forensic accounting or another area of accounting gain more knowledge and expertise that will assist them long into the future. Before picking a program, look at the schools in the state that offer graduate accounting programs.
University at Albany, State University of New York
School of Business
The State University of New York school system, better known as SUNY, refers to the public colleges that share the same endowment and system in the state. The University at Albany is just one of those schools. Located in the town of Albany, its gorgeous campus spans across more than 580 acres of land, which gives its population of more than 17,000 students plenty of places to relax after a long day in the classroom. Founded in 1844, it added its School of Business in 1970. The university added a new state of the art building for its School of Business in 2013.
Master of Science (MS) in Accounting
The School of Business at the University of Albany offers several different accounting programs for graduate students. Its MS in Accounting is a program designed to let students gain the experience needed to pass the CPA examination in two years or less. Though other programs require that students have an undergraduate degree in business or accounting, this program is open to those who studied another topic, and applicants do not need to take any accounting courses prior to starting the program. Graduates must complete a total of 60 credit hours of courses. Thirty of those courses must come from the business department and the remainder come from accounting courses. Organizational behavior and managerial skills, financial management, marketing management and operations management are some of the business courses open to students. Accounting classes available in the program include introduction to cost analysis, auditing, survey of taxation and a research seminar in accounting.
Professional Accountancy, Master of Science (MS)
Designed for students with a strong background in business, accounting and math courses, the Professional Accountancy MS program at the University of Albany, SUNY lets students graduate in just one year. Students can enter the program on a full-time or part-time basis, but students must show that they have at least three years of experience working in the accounting field first. Students can work as bookkeepers, in the financial department of a company or run a business themselves. As a 30 credit hour program, it requires that students take courses from several disciplines, including finance, accounting and business. Some of those courses include statistical methods for forensic accounting and assurance, financial statement analysis, advanced cost management, financial statement fraud and corporate governance and corporate financial problems. Students must also take one accounting elective and one business elective, but they can choose their electives from almost any upper level courses.
Master of Science (MS) in Forensic Accounting
The MS in Forensic Accounting at the University of Albany is one of the only programs of its type in the state. Designed to help those hoping to work for the state or federal government and for those who hope to work with law enforcement, it teaches students the basics of researching accounting errors and how to look for signs of fraud. Forensic accountants might help local police officers find errors during a criminal case, or they might work with a governmental agency to locate missing money hidden in an account outside the country. This is a 30 credit hour program that is available on a full-time or part-time basis. Most students work in the field and finish the program in two years on a part-time basis. Courses they take include digital forensics, auditing of advanced accounting systems, a research seminar in accounting and statistical methods for forensic accounting and assurance.
Related Resource: How Can I Become a Forensic Accountant?
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE)
Contact
1400 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12222
Phone: (518) 442-3300
Email: graduate@albany.edu
Website: http://www.albany.edu/business/
University at Buffalo, State University of New York
The Graduate School
As part of the State University of New York School System, the University of Buffalo is a public university located in Buffalo. Established in 1846, the school operated independently of that system for a number of years before SUNY finally absorbed it. Though it boasts a graduate population of nearly 10,000 students, it remains highly selective about who it admits and has a relatively low admission rate. The campus ranks in the top colleges in the country by U.S. New & World Report, Washington Monthly and Forbes. QS World University Rankings and other organizations also named it one of the top schools in the world.
Master of Science (MS) in Accounting
The University at Buffalo remains highly selective about those admitted into its graduate school. Its Master of Science in Accountancy program is only open to those who currently have an undergraduate degree in accounting or are nearing the end of an undergraduate program from an accredited college or university. The program is also only open to those who received a degree from a college in the United States and does not admit international students. The primary goal of the program is for students to learn how to work in accounting departments, use the software and tools available to accountants and develop the written and oral communications skills that they need for working with clients and other professionals in the field. Graduates can complete enough credits to sit for the CPA examination. Those enrolled in the program also have access to a variety of internships and projects that give them some real life experience.
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE)
Contact
402 Capen Hall
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14260-1608
Phone: (716) 645-3482
Email: grad-recruit@buffalo.edu
Website: http://grad.buffalo.edu/
University of Rochester
Simon Business School
Founded in 1850, the University of Rochester is best known in the community for its dedication to its students. The private university believes that students do best when they have a strong background that includes courses in humanities, communications, life sciences and behavioral and social sciences. Washington Monthly placed UR at number 21 on its list of top schools in the country. U.S. News & World Report and Forbes both named the school to its own lists. According to the QS World University Rankings, the University of Rochester ranks at number 135 in terms of best schools in the world.
Master of Science (MS) in Accountancy
The Master of Science in Accountancy program at the University of Rochester is available through its Business School. Bloomberg Business Week ranked the program as the third best program in the country, and The Financial Times of London listed it as the seventh best accounting graduate program in the world. One reason the school ranks so highly is because of the graduates that it produces. Corporate recruiters and trainers often hold sessions on campus and hire new graduates to work for some of the top companies in the world. Students take courses that not only teach them about accounting and accountancy software, but they also take classes that teach them how to work effectively with their future clients and how to stay up to date on new concepts in the field. Many students gain more knowledge through internships they do during the summer session or with other opportunities available through the program.
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of College and Schools (MSCHE)
Contact
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627
Phone: (585) 275-3533
Email: admissions@simon.rochester.edu
Website: http://www.simon.rochester.edu/index.aspx
Utica College
Business and Economics
Home to one of the top accredited accounting degree programs in New York, Utica College is is a small private university. Though it only has around 600 graduate students enrolled in its upper level programs, those students have the chance to form personal relationships with other students and with their professors. Founded in 1946, the university later built a new campus and moved there in the early 1960s, but it continues renovating and restoring its buildings to provide students with the best places to study. Several fellowship winners and politicians studied at Utica College before finding fame and success.
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Professional Accounting
Though Utica College doesn’t offer an MS in Accounting, it does offer a Master of Business Administration in Professional Accounting. This is a 30 credit hour graduate program that requires all students take five core business courses, including core topics in management, managerial economics and financial reporting analysis. The management capstone course, listed in the course catalog as strategic management and leadership, is a course that shows students how to effectively lead others and the types of management techniques they can use in their careers. While this program doesn’t require the completion of a thesis, it does require that students take a seminar in professional accounting practices and a seminar in advanced managerial accounting. These seminars ask students to attend classroom sessions with their professors and working professionals leading the courses. At the end of each course, they must submit a paper or project that relates to the topic to gain credit.
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of College and Schools (MSCHE)
Contact
1600 Burrstone Rd.
Utica, NY 13502
Phone: (315) 792-3006
Email: admiss@utica.edu
Website: http://www.utica.edu/academic/ssm/business/index.cfm
Wagner College
Business Administration Department
The campus of Wagner College, which dates back to the 1880s, is so beautiful that several film and television studios chose it for major productions. It appeared in a series of commercials for American Express, on shows like Law & Order and Rescue Me and as a backdrop for the film School of Rock and other movies. All students must take research and writing classes that teach them how to investigate topics from different sources and compile their data is a readable format. With only a few hundred students enrolled in its graduate school, WC manages to keep its class sizes low.
Master of Science (MS) Accounting
Wagner College has several goals in mind for students entering its MS Accounting program:
- Teaching students how to better identify the connection between accounting and the business world
- Developing strong research skills in its students, which will help them communicate more effectively
- Instilling in its students a firm grasp of the skills and methods used in accounting
- Helping students understand that the skills they develop today will help them years down the road
Though this is a 30 credit hour program, it features a unique design that lets students take the required 10 courses in just one year. Full-time students take five classes each semester, but students also have the option of taking classes part-time or taking courses during the summer session. Advanced auditing, advanced accounting, international accounting and governmental and not for profit accounting are a few of those required courses.
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of College and Schools (MSCHE)
Contact
One Campus Road
Staten Island, NY 10301
Phone: (718) 390-3437
Email: phoran@wagner.edu
Website: http://wagner.edu/business-admin/
Yeshiva University
Sy Syms School of Business
Yeshiva University is a series of campuses located around New York City. It educates undergraduate male students on its Yeshiva College campus and female students attend its Stern College for Women. Best known for its traditional Jewish architecture, its Sy Syms College of Business is home to one of the top accredited accounting degree programs in New York. Though its business school was only founded in 1987, it quickly developed a strong reputation for the graduates it produced and the classes that it offered. Students leave its programs with a strong entrepreneurial foundation that assists them well in the business world.
Master of Science (MS) in Accounting
Yeshiva University has a large Career Development Center that helps students gain skills and find jobs prior to graduation. Students can get help writing resumes and cover letters, practice interview skills in mock interviews and attend career fairs that boast some of the top companies in the world. Students entering the MS in Accounting program with an accounting undergraduate degree only need to take 24 credit hours of courses to graduate. Those courses include accounting information systems, business ethics, business leadership, contemporary topics in accounting and government and not for profit accounting. Those entering the program with a degree in another topic, including those who minored in accounting, will need to take additional classes. Advisers will talk with students about their career goals and backgrounds to determine those courses. Those who did not attend Yeshiva for their undergraduate studies will also need to take three classes on business tax, individual taxation and state income tax.
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE)
Contact
500 West 185th Street
New York, NY 10033
Phone: (212) 960-5400
Email: admissions@yu.edu
Website: http://www.yu.edu/syms/grad/
Accredited programs have the backing of the AACSB, which ensures that graduates leave the program with both the knowledge and experience that employers need. The top programs in the state are available in cities all across New York, and you may even find accredited accounting degree programs in New York near you.
