Six Online Accounting and Finance Degrees From Penn State
Pennsylvania State University World Campus appears in our ranking of the 50 Best Online Master of Finance Degree Programs.
Ranked 39th overall by Poets & Quants, the Smeal College of Business led by Dr. Charles Whiteman uses Canvas to deliver a 60-credit A.S. in Business Administration online with an entry-level Accounting emphasis for Pennsylvania State University World Campus undergrads. Chaired by Dr. Jeff Coy, the B.S. in Finance builds a 120-credit, AACSB-accredited curriculum online at $7,297 per semester for engaged Certified Financial Planner or Chartered Financial Analyst preparation. The B.S. in Accounting advised by Dr. Thomas Amlie boasts a 75 percent Uniform CPA exam pass rate after 120 online credits, such as Macroeconomic Analysis and Federal Taxation, of master’s prerequisites.
Named Forbes’ 29th best, the Master of Business Administration is a 48-credit, Web-based sequence overseen by Dr. Vilmos Misangyi for Advanced Accounting and Finance tracks starting at five-day University Park orientations with an Online MBA Networking Program. Headed by Dr. Ashutosh Deshmukh, the Master of Professional Accounting shapes a 30-credit, 12-month plan online for full CPA certification in 55 jurisdictions after 500-level classes like Commercial Transactions and Forensic Accounting plus a capstone project. The 30-credit Master of Finance directed by Dr. Karen Duhala is also available online with one five-day Great Valley residency in April for 91.5 percent job placement at Novartis, B. Riley & Co, Nestle, McKinsey, Citigroup, Deloitte, Citizens Bank, and others.
About Pennsylvania State University World Campus
Pennsylvania State University originated on February 22, 1855, when the General Assembly passed Public Law 46-50 to create the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania. In 1861, it celebrated America’s first agricultural baccalaureate grads on James Irvin’s donated land. In June 1862, the Morrill Land-Grant Act was passed, renaming it the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. Coeducational since 1873, it became Pennsylvania State College in 1875. In 1886, President George W. Atherton expanded the liberal arts offerings. By 1953, Dr. Ossian MacKenzie had started the College of Business. In 1970, PSU joined the Commonwealth System of Higher Education. Two decades later, the College of Business was named for Goldman Sachs partner Frank Smeal and his wife Mary Jane. In 1998, the Pennsylvania State University World Campus was launched for fully online education options.
Budgeting $6.5 billion yearly, Pennsylvania State University now employs 31,027 full-time staff who serve 97,136 Nittany Lions from 130 nations at 24 locations and on the World Campus with 1,000+ clubs like Accounting Society. In 2017, the PSU World Campus received the UPCEA Mid-Atlantic Region Partnership Award for Student Coaching. In 2015, the Online Learning Consortium bestowed the Best-in-Track Award for Faculty Development on Penn State. The Wall Street Journal placed PSU #1 for the most prepared graduates. The U.S. News & World Report honored the World Campus for America’s fifth best bachelor’s, eighth best business, and ninth top MBA programs online. On Niche, PSU has the 23rd best accounting and finance degrees. The Smeal College was ranked 19th by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Financial Times also named Penn State 63rd globally.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus Accreditation Details
On June 25, 2015, Pennsylvania State University was found compliant to the 14 Standards of Excellence required by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) to reaffirm the Level VI accreditation through 2023-24 under its 18th president, Dr. Eric Barron, who earned the Martin Luther King Foundation’s Bridge Builders Leadership Award. Located 193 miles east via Route 322 in Philadelphia, this superb six-state Northeast Region accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Education Department to evaluate the PSU World Campus’ seven associate, 36 bachelor’s, and 54 graduate degrees. Particularly, the Smeal College maintained Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation in 2018. The B.S. in Finance is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute member with approval by the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board of Standards.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus Application Requirements
Admission to Pennsylvania State University is classified “very selective” by Peterson’s because only 28,233 of the 56,114 total Fall 2017 applicants were okayed for 50 percent acceptance. First-year Nittany Lions seeking the B.S. in Accounting or Finance need to conclude a high school curriculum or its GED equivalent. The middle 50th percentile of freshmen have GPAs of 3.55-3.97. Mid-range SAT composite scores are 1250-1430. Further, most undergrads land in the 28-32 ACT range. Direct Smeal College major entry requires transferring 27+ credits with a minimum 2.5 GPA though. Entrance prerequisites include English Composition, College Math, and Introduction to Accounting. Non-U.S. residents often need a 6.5 IELTS, 24 ACT English, or 80 TOEFL iBT score. Master’s World Campus entrants must have graduated from regionally accredited, four-year institutions. The Master of Professional Accounting has prerequisites, such as Auditing and Cost Analysis. GPAs above 3.0 and GMAT scores over 500 are expected. Beta Gamma Sigma members qualify for a GMAT waiver though.
The Pennsylvania State University World Campus has first-year priority deadlines of April 15th for Fall, March 1st for Summer, or November 1st for Spring. Smeal College transfers have until July 31st, June 1st, and November 30th respectively. The Master of Professional Accounting admits cohorts through July 15th, November 15th, and March 15th. Master of Finance entrants must file before July 15th yearly. Priority dates for the Online MBA are March 1st, September 1st, and January 15th. Accordingly, submit the World Campus Application digitally with $65 ($75 if international). Forward official transcripts to 201 Shields Building at University Park, PA 16802. For testing results, select SAT/GRE code 2660, ACT code 3656, or GMAT code ZZ8-JW-99. Supplemental program materials include the military fee waiver, transfer evaluation, English proficiency exam, two references, one-page résumé, and purpose statement. Contact (814) 863-5386 or wdadmissions@outreach.psu.edu with further questions.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, the Pennsylvania State University World Campus billed lower-division undergrads $6,742 each semester full-time. Taking fewer than 12 credits incurred $555 apiece. Upper-division online learners paid $7,297 by term. Part-time B.S. in Accounting or Finance students spent $596 per credit. Online tuition automatically inserted a $252 information technology fee each semester. The Master of Professional Accounting charged $930 per credit for $27,900 total. Online Master of Finance study was priced $1,025 per credit for $30,750. Please note the BADM 834 course adds a $100 fee for Morningstar Direct software. The Online MBA cost the most at $1,185 per credit or $56,880 overall. The Graduate Certificate in Accounting Foundations was the cheapest at $11,160.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the World Campus connects 67 percent of its 14,301 Penn State Nittany Lions to financial aid packages averaging $3,042 each for $17.93 million combined. Business funds include the Dean’s First-Year Merit Scholarship, Martha Barnhart Jordan Diversity Outreach Scholarship, Mildred Bunton-Calvin Walker Fellowship, Powerful Women Paving the Way MBA Fellowship, Maimuna Mijindadi Anyene Fellowship, Renaissance Scholarship, Frank Sinon Scholarship, and Henrietta Fisher Memorial Scholarship. The World Campus Student Fund has a March 31st deadline for adult learners with 24+ transfer credits at GPAs above 3.2. The Alpha Sigma Lambda Chapter grants 13 annual scholarships of $3,500 for World Campus associate or bachelor’s students. Filing FAFSA forms coded 003329 judges Federal Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan, and Grad Plus Loan eligibility. Since 2018, the Pennsylvania State Grant has accepted online education for in-state residents to receive up to $3,772 each year.
Learn more about the Pennsylvania State University World Campus at the Smeal College of Business website.
