Accounting (CPA Track) Combined BS/MS

Department Mission

The primary mission of the Department of Accounting and Business Law is to provide accounting and business majors with a platform to gain the appropriate skills, knowledge, and abilities to become successful professionals. The accounting major pre­pares students for careers in public accounting, private industry, or not-for-profit accounting (government agencies, foundations and associations, hospitals, colleges and universities, libraries, museums, schools, religious organizations, and arts groups). Upon satisfactory completion of the major in accounting, the student may sit for the CPA examination. The degree requirements are registered with the State of New York. (See the section on CPA Certification for clarification.)

Internship programs that provide a guided practical experience in corporate, public, and not-for-profit accounting are available to students. Graduates of the accounting program of St. Francis College have been employed by a broad range of CPA firms (from large international firms to medium and small regional and local firms), corporations, banks, brokerage houses, manufacturing firms, retail establishments, government agencies, and not-for-profit groups.

Program Student Learning Outcomes: B.S. Track

• PLO 1: Demonstrate the ability to prepare, interpret, and analyze financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), auditing standards, and other appropriate professional pronouncements of the accounting profession.
• PLO 2: Conduct themselves in an appropriate ethical manner with honesty and integrity in their professional endeavors by demonstrating professional conduct and demeanor in business settings.
• PLO 3: Communicate accounting information effectively to a professional audience consisting of business clients, investors, regulatory authorities. 
• PLO 4: Apply their knowledge of the design and application of information technology to identify the risks and benefits associated with this technology.
• PLO 5: Think critically and develop a systemic and rational approach in their decision-making skills to successfully handle challenges that arise in the business arena.
• PLO 6: Perform tasks in a team-oriented environment and work with others to achieve a common goal.​
• PLO 7: Demonstrate specific knowledge in areas of Accounting tested on the CPA exam.

Program Student Learning Outcomes: M.S. track

• PLO 1: Interpret, analyze, and classify relevant accounting information and communicate financial results in a clear and unequivocal form.
• ​PLO 2: Research various accounting issues utilizing the Financial Accounting Standards Board Codification database and online sources of data. 
• ​PLO 3: Recognize and grasp the meanings of various accounting principles and theories and apply the use of this learned material to new situations.
• PLO 4: Identify the key principles in the fields of Economics and Finance and how they underpin the development of the financial accounting framework. 
• PLO 5: Understand the issues that pertain to professional and business ethics and what constitutes ethical behavior.

Students Seeking C.P.A. Certification

New York State requires that individuals who apply for licensure in public accountancy must complete 150 credit hours in a registered program. Accounting majors at St. Francis who seek to obtain the CPA credential can pursue the 151 credit combined BS/MS program (if acceptance criteria are met). This program fulfills the course of study required by the New York State Department of Educa­tion and the New York State Board of Accountancy. Students must qualify for entry into the BS/MS degree program. 

In order to enter the combined BS/MS program, students are required to have a minimum grade point average of 2.8 in six specific accounting courses. Students not meeting this requirement may be given reconsid­eration if a satisfactory score is achieved on the Graduate Man­agement Admission Test (GMAT).  Additionally, students in the B.S./M.S. program are required to maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in their graduate courses.

In addition to the combined B.S./M.S. program, the College also offers a stand-alone M.S. degree in Professional Accountancy.  This degree is offered to students who already possess an undergraduate degree in Business Administration/Management (e.g., Finance, IT, Marketing, Management, HR, etc.) and now want to pursue additional studies to enable them to acquire the knowledge and skills to enter careers in accounting and to accumulate the necessary credits to sit for the CPA examination.  Completion of this M.S. degree fulfills the course of study required by the New York State Education Department and the New York State Board of Accountancy.