creighton-university

Finance and Accounting Programs at Creighton University

Creighton University appears in our ranking of the 50 Best Online Master of Finance Degree Programs.

The Heider College of Business at Creighton University has full accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for all the business programs available today. Those programs include emphasis areas in both accounting and finance. Students will find programs that help them prepare for any of the professional tests they want to take and programs that will help them work with all their future clients.

Programs for undergrads include a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with an accounting concentration. Also called the university’s Accounting BSBA, it requires that students take general education and business courses in their freshman and sophomore years. If they have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 and received grades of C or higher in all their accounting classes, they can enroll in the full program. Undergrads will take classes such as Managerial Accounting for Decision Making, External Financial Reporting Issues, and Federal Tax Accounting.

BSBA students can also choose a concentration in either economics or finance. The finance concentration prepares students who want to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam and those who want to work in finance positions. Students can add a specialization track in insurance and risk management, financial analysis, financial planning or financial services. Though the courses they take will vary based on this track, they’ll typically take Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Modeling, Investment Analysis, and Advanced Managerial Finance in addition to their required business courses.

Accounting and finance majors will find three programs available at the graduate level, which includes a Master of Accounting. Students will take 11 courses that include Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Research Appreciation, Technology for the Professional Accountant and Business, Ethics and Society. They can also choose from different electives such as Special Managerial Accounting Issues, Corporate Governance, Financial Statement Analysis, Economics of Investment Management and Marketing Management.

The university’s Master of Finance also includes 11 classes that are worth 33 credits. There are eight classes in the finance core, including Business Policy and Managerial Action, Fixed Income and Derivatives, Portfolio Management and Equity Analysis. Creighton University asks finance majors to pick finance electives from two different groups of courses too. This degree can be earned entirely online.

Also available is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with concentrations in finance and accounting. Students can choose from these and other concentrations or enroll in a traditional/general MBA program. Though they will take electives from either field, they’ll also take required courses in the business core. Those classes include Business, Ethics and Society and Financial Reporting for MBAs. Creighton University asks students to list the concentrations they want to study when filling out their MBA applications.

About Creighton University

Creighton University is one of the only universities in Nebraska affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Founded in 1878, it opened after Mary Lucretia Creighton donated a large amount of money to establish a college named after her husband, Edward. John A. Creighton, the brother of Edward, worked with the college to establish its policies and to help it grow and develop. Though it once consisted of both a prep school and a college, the prep academy became its own school in 1958. To show that it now offered full degree programs, the college became Creighton University. Both Forbes and Times Higher Education included the university on their lists of the best American universities. U.S. News and World Report ranks Creighton University, which has an enrollment of more than 8,000 students, as the best university in the Midwest.

Creighton University Accreditation Details

In addition to accreditation for its business school, Creighton University also has Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation. As the U.S. Department of Education recognizes this organization, the university can accept federal and state funds from the government that it uses to create financial aid packages for students. HLC accreditation also lets Creighton accept the credits that students earned from another regionally accredited school.

Creighton University Application Requirements

Students who want to earn a BSBA degree from Creighton University must meet all admissions requirements for incoming freshmen. Creighton looks for the brightest and best students around and typically only accepts those with a high school GPA of 3.7 or higher. Students can use the Creighton Application or the Common Application, neither of which charges an application fee. Creighton also asks for a high school transcript, ACT or SAT score, evaluation form completed by a guidance counselor and a short essay. It will also accept letters of recommendation and/or a resume. Once accepted into the university, students can take business courses and later apply to a BSBA program.

The deadline for graduate students applying to one of the Creighton University programs is around the middle or the end of August each year. Students must meet some general admissions requirements to apply, including having a bachelor’s degree and supplying their official transcripts. The university requires two letters of recommendation, an official score from the GMAT, a personal statement and a resume. All graduate programs in accounting and finance require a minimum college GPA of 3.0 and an application fee of $50. The transcripts that students submit should show that they took courses in finance, accounting and business in college.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The Heider College of Business at Creighton University charges full-time students $38,200 a year. Students also pay fees of more than $1,700 a year and spend more than $1,000 on their textbooks. Those who want to live on the Creighton campus will also pay around $11,000 a year for room and board. Grad students have the option of taking classes online for $1,100 per credit hour or taking classes on the university’s campus for $870 per credit hour. Students pay the same rate for any of the graduate programs offered through the Heider College of Business.

Creighton recommends that students look for both institutional and external financial aid. External aid comes from other sources, including corporations that offer scholarships and lenders that provide students with alternative loans. The university offers nine scholarships for graduate students that they can combine with their loans too. Undergrads can also get institutional aid in the form of scholarships and grants as well as federal and state aid. Any student enrolled in accounting and finance degree programs through the Heider College of Business can get financial aid from Creighton University.