Finance and Accounting Degree Programs at SUNY Empire State College
SUNY Empire State College appears in our ranking of the 50 Best Online Master of Finance Degree Programs.
Accounting professionals learn how to work with their clients and how to handle financial documents while in college. SUNY Empire State College offers a Bachelor of Science in Accounting that the New York State Department of Education lists for those who want to work in the finance sector. It requires that students take 16 credits of classes over the course of four semesters and can prepare them for studying accounting at the graduate level. The accounting core in this program is worth 40 credits and includes courses such as Introductory Accounting I, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Intermediate Accounting I and II and Legal Environment of Business.
Some of the other programs offered by the college have a concentration in business. One example is its Bachelor of Science in Business, Management and Economics. Designed to help students learn how management, economics and business principles work together, it features courses such as Marketing Principles, Communications for Professionals and Contemporary Global Social Issues. Majors will also take Corporate Finance, Legal Environment of Business, Cost Accounting and other accounting courses.
A Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) in Business, Management and Economics with a concentration in accounting is also available. This program allows transfer students to bring credits from a community college or another junior college into the program. Most students have at least 30 to 45 credits when they enter the program. They can take some business and accounting classes at those schools, but they must take some classes at SUNY Empire State College, including Introduction to Business Management, Marketing Principles, Federal Income Tax and Intermediate Accounting I and II. Though the college does not offer a bachelor’s degree in finance, it does offer both of these programs with a concentration in finance rather than accounting. Students with questions about finance courses and business degree requirements can attend one of the college’s information sessions.
The fully-online Master of Science in Finance is a 36 credit program that can be completed part-time or full-time. Students can specialize in Corporate Finance or International Finance, but it is not required.
About SUNY Empire State College
SUNY Empire State College is a public college that offers 12 degree programs for undergrads and a small number of graduate programs. Also known as Empire State College and SUNY ECU, it is part of the State University of New York system and one of the only schools in that system with a focus on vocational training and distance learning. Not only can students earn their degrees through SUNY ECU online, but they can finish associate programs at the college. Many of those students choose to remain at the college after finishing an associate degree and transferring into a bachelor’s program.
Founded in 1971, the college was the idea of Ernest L. Boyer. He thought that New York needed a college that catered to the needs of adult students who had full-time jobs. Boyer worked with SUNY to create this new college. Distance learning was always a part of the college’s curriculum and served to help students who didn’t think they could get a degree. The college now has more than 30 campuses in New York and offers some international programs that allow students to study in countries such as Greece and the Czech Republic. The multiple campuses and programs provide its more than 18,000 undergrads with many different options. SUNY ECU also has an enrollment of around 1,100 graduate students who study fields that include labor and policy studies and community and economic development.
SUNY Empire State College Accreditation Details
SUNY ESC has the same regional accreditation that all other SUNY colleges and universities do, which comes from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Not only does this form of accreditation give students the right to use the federal funds they receive from the FAFSA in college, but it also gives them an easy way to transfer their credits between two or more campuses. The college’s nursing and education programs have specialized accreditation also.
SUNY Empire State College Application Requirements
Applying to SUNY ESC is easy. The priority deadline for applications for the fall semester is May 15, but the college will keep reviewing applications until June 15. Those received before the priority deadline have a better chance of being accepted because the college has more space in its programs. Students who wait until closer to the second deadline may receive an outright rejection letter or earn a spot on the college’s waitlist. There are similar deadlines for those who want to start in either the spring or summer semesters.
The college will not review any application until it receives all the required documents. The online application is not the only item required. Students must also submit proof that they completed high school such as an official transcript. The college will also accept an equivalency transcript in the form of an official GED score or a transcript from a community college or vocational school. Students should also write an essay of 300 words or more that describes their strengths and weaknesses, what they want to study at the college and how they think the program will benefit them. Though the college asks for an orientation fee, it will waive this fee for military students and veterans.
Tuition and Financial Aid
SUNY Empire State College is a highly affordable public college that keeps its prices low. Any undergrad who is also a full-time resident of New York qualifies for the university’s in-state tuition rate of $286 per credit hour. Residents of other states who attend this branch of SUNY pay $343 per credit hour. Both nonresidents and residents pay the same rate to take online courses. Students who are in the military or veterans qualify for discounts as do their spouses and dependents. They pay only $250 per credit hour and receive a waiver that covers some of their fees.
The most common types of aid that SUNY ESC students receive include federal loans and government grants. Students who are New York residents may qualify for an Excelsior Scholarship that covers all of their tuition. Other scholarships are available for minority students and women and those who meet other requirements. The college bases some scholarships on the FAFSA and general applications it receives, especially in regards to need-based scholarships. Merit-based scholarships often require that students submit a separate application. Many of the students majoring in finance and accounting at SUNY Empire State College receive federal and institutional financial aid.
