Finance and Accounting Degrees Offered at Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University appears in our ranking of the 50 Best Online Master of Finance Degree Programs.
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) has a total of nine online and eight campus-based degree programs in the accounting and finance field. The most introductory program is the online A.S. in Accounting which requires a total of 60 credit hours with six required classes in the accounting, business, IT, and marketing fields. At the next level, there are both online and campus programs leading to a B.S. in Accounting with an optional online Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination concentration or a B.S. in Accounting Finance. Both of these programs begin preparing students for the CPA examinations. In addition, the B.S. in Business Administration offers individual concentrations in accounting and finance for students who want a more comprehensive business education.
For a global perspective, students might be interested in the accounting specialty of the international business degree that is available only on campus. In terms of undergraduate finance-specific programs, the online B.S. in Finance prepares students for work as financial planners. On campus, the economics/finance degree focuses on providing a well-rounded study of the field with equal emphasis on theory and practice. All of the above bachelor’s programs are part of the School of Business which means that graduation requirements include the 30-credit-hour business core with courses covering business law, accounting, economics, finance, information technology, marketing, and organizational psychology. In addition, students must complete the general education requirements, the courses in their specific major track, and a capstone final project for a total of at least 120 credit hours. The curriculum includes at least 150 hours of internship work.
Highly-motivated students can take part in one of the Degree in Three programs which allow them to finish the undergraduate coursework in three years and then start a graduate program in the fourth year. This option is only available on campus, and students can choose to pursue either an M.S. or M.B.A. Many students pair the Degree in Three with the campus-based Plus One in Professional Accountancy M.S. which prepares students for both the Financial Accounting and Reporting and the Auditing and Attestation CPA sections. Another master’s degree available is the M.S. in Finance on campus.
Online students pursuing the M.S. in Accounting can specialize in auditing, forensics, management, or taxation with finance degree options including corporate finance and investments. In addition, similar to the bachelor’s programs, students can also choose the M.B.A. route which provides a comprehensive business education with a focus in finance, forensics, quantitative analysis, or accounting. All interested distance-learning accounting students are encouraged to verify CPA requirements with their home state’s licensing board.
About Southern New Hampshire University
Accounting has long been a major focus of SNHU as the school opened in 1932 as the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science and then transitioned to New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce in 1961. As the college continued expanding, it diversified its degree offerings and now consists of six divisions with over 300 individual programs. The university is now home to more than 3000 students and is growing rapidly, both in terms of student body and new campus additions including a stadium and more dormitories. Online, there are a total of almost 90,000 graduate and undergraduate students. The platform has been undergoing improvements since its inception in the late 1990s and is a point of pride for the university. Partly due to their extensive online degree offerings, SNHU is ranked as the #1 most innovative school in the regional universities north category according to the U.S. News and World Report.
Southern New Hampshire University Accreditation Details
New Hampshire colleges and universities fall under the jurisdiction of the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accrediting body. This organization regularly evaluates schools to ensure that they continue to meet specific quality standards pertaining to the educational offerings, student outcomes, campus environment, faculty expertise, resource management, and organizational structure. These evaluations occur periodically throughout a 7-year cycle which culminates in recertification if successful. Southern New Hampshire University first received accreditation in 1973 and had its most recent comprehensive evaluation in 2018. In addition, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs is an industry-specific organization that only looks at degree programs relevant to the business and accounting disciplines. These programs at SNHU have earned accreditation since 1994.
Southern New Hampshire University Application Requirements
Freshmen applicants to SNHU must use the Common Application to apply for admission and need to include the personal essay, a letter of recommendation, and official transcripts. Students have the option of submitting scores from the SAT, ACT, or the university-specific admissions test, but none are required.
For admission to online programs, there is an application on the SNHU site, and after submission, an admissions counselor will contact each applicant to explain the rest of the process. While it is recommended that on-campus students apply by February 1st for the best chance at scholarships, there are no deadlines for online applicants due to multiple start dates.
For the graduate accounting and finance programs, prospective students must submit the completed application and transcripts showing both completion of an undergraduate degree and a GPA of at least 2.75. There is a rolling admissions process for graduate school, so applicants can apply at any time and can expect to hear a decision within a couple of weeks.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for on-campus full-time undergraduate students is estimated at $30,000 for the entire year which is about $1282 per credit hour. Graduate students attending face-to-face and online courses can expect to pay $627 per credit hour for the master’s level with doctoral costs of $1570. All students are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA at or before the time they apply for admission.
Along with federal and state programs, SNHU offers a variety of scholarships and grants based on need and achievement including the Sibling Scholarship to help families with more than one student in college at once, the Quill Scholarship for a GPA above 3.0, and the Academy of Finance Scholarship. There are more details about these awards and also many financial aid tools located on the Southern New Hampshire University website along with information about the different options for accounting and finance degrees.
