ESU to launch region's only graduate program in accounting

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Greenstein approved a master’s degree in accounting for East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.
This new 30-credit graduate degree program, to will be implemented in the fall, is geared toward those interested in a professional or academic career in the field.
ESU is the third of the 14 universities in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education to offer a graduate degree in accounting, and is the region’s only program in a 60-mile radius. The program is expected to attract students not only from Northeastern Pennsylvania, but also from Morris, Warren and Sussex counties in New Jersey and Orange County in New York.
In light of the distance between ESU’s program and others, Williams sees opportunities for collaboration, especially among other State System schools with undergraduate degrees in accounting.
ESU’s master’s degree will enable students from other campuses to enroll in some or all of the advanced courses at ESU to earn the advanced degree or, at least, prepare for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination. The university's bachelor of science in accounting was approved last spring. The combination of the bachelor's and master's programs meet the requirement of 150 post-secondary credit hours of education to be considered “qualified” to sit for the CPA exam.
"The master of science in accounting allows our students to gain the required credits to sit for CPA, while allowing them to gain more knowledge and expertise about accounting profession,” said Sylvester Williams, J.D., dean of the College of Business and Management. “This additional credential will separate ESU students from others obtaining an undergraduate accounting degree."
A range of careers
The program is designed for traditional and non-traditional students, with a blend of online and face-to-face instruction. Graduates are likely to have careers as controllers, chief financial officers, government accountants, budget directors, internal or external auditors, forensic accountants, firm valuation experts, personal and corporate tax accountants, and non-profit organization accountants.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statics and U.S. News, and Money Magazine, accounting professionals are one of the top of 15 most demanded professions. Accounting is the common language business — a means by which organizations communicate vital financial information. Public and private sector institutions of every size rely on highly skilled accounting professionals to properly manage their finances and protect them from fraud.
"Accountants and auditors as a profession ranked first among the top 15 high-demand occupations aligning to bachelor's and graduate degrees," Williams said.
For more information visit esu.edu/applygrad.