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First in SUNY Accredited Online Accounting Program Launched, Enrolling for Fall 2017 | SUNY Plattsburgh

“Not everyone needs to get a CPA,” Gaber said. “But students enrolling for the online major will have the same educational experience that will set them up for the CPA exam in the same way our on-campus students are.”

SUNY Plattsburgh’s School of Business and Economics is now offering an entirely online accounting degree.

The online program is the first such undergraduate accounting-degree completion program in the SUNY system offered by an AACSB-International-accredited school of business and economics. It’s designed for students and professionals who have earned their associates degree in accounting and transfer students who have the equivalent in coursework from other institutions.

Dr. Mohamed Gaber, professor and chair of accounting in the SBE, said it’s the ideal bachelor’s degree program for “people who for whatever reason can’t come to campus — either in Plattsburgh or at the branch campus in Queensbury —or who have not taken the traditional collegiate path.”

“This program will help advance their professional careers,” Gaber said. “It’s perfect for people who are working, who have a family or who live a distance away.”

Classes Taught by SBE Faculty

Dr. Rowena Ortiz-Walters, dean of the SBE, agreed, adding that it’s also a good option for students who are self-motivated and comfortable with online learning.

Ortiz-Walters noted the 2012 National Center for Education Statistics — the most recent available — reported that 5.5 million students, or 26 percent of all college students, took at least one online course, and 2.6 million, or 13 percent, studied fully online.

The most popular online major nationally is business, with accounting ranked No. 8, according to the center.

At SUNY Plattsburgh, students enrolling in the online accounting major with an associate’s degree under their belt will have many SUNY general education classes waived.

First Accredited Program in State University System

“Classes will be taught with our SBE faculty using the same curriculum,” Ortiz-Walters said. “And it is the only SUNY college accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business — AACSB-International to offer an online-only accounting major.”

Other benefits to the online accounting major include:

  • SUNY tuition rate
  • Flexible web-based curriculum
  • Full-time accounting faculty assigned as advisers and mentors
  • Assistance with internship placements in CPA firms, non-profit organizations, and corporations
  • Strong alumni networking opportunities
  • Job-placement rate of 90-95 percent of qualified accounting graduates

And SUNY Plattsburgh accounting graduates have enjoyed passing rates on the CPA exam that have been consistently higher than the national average.

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