Studying Finance & Accounting at USM in Kansas
University of St. Mary appears in our ranking of the 50 Best Online Master of Finance Degree Programs.
Students at the University of St. Mary can study accounting at the undergraduate and graduate levels or choose an online MBA if they want to study finance. One of the unique features of the accounting program at the university is that it offers students three distinct plans. Those plans include a four-year program for a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, a five-year program to satisfy requirements for the CPA exam, or a six-year program that results in an MBA and BS in accounting. There are many jobs available to students who graduate from the accounting program that include payroll specialist, medical records accountant, auditor, billing advisor, accounts payable specialist, or accountant. The university reveals that many of its students go on to work with major accounting firms, as well as participate in valuable internships with Kansas City-area organizations.
Students who choose the four-year plan will begin with introductory courses like Principles of Marketing and Management Information Systems and move on to advanced classes like Auditing, Advanced Accounting, and Principles of Macroeconomics. To graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, students must complete an internship during the spring semester of their senior year. Students may then choose to complete ten additional classes over three semesters to qualify to take the CPA exam, or they may enter the Master of Business Administration program for a total of six years of study. All programs in accounting are accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE).
Students interested in a finance degree will want to enroll in the Master of Business Administration program with a concentration in Finance. Students will study finance in an online MBA program that takes just one year to complete but which is designed in a full-time, accelerated format where students actually finish two years of classes in just twelve months. Some of the jobs available to graduates of the MBA in Finance program include those as an economist, personal financial adviser, sales manager, or financial analyst. To graduate, students must complete at least 36 credit hours or a total of 12 classes that include Advanced Financial Topics, Financial Decisions, and Financial & Capital Issues. While enrolled in the program, students may benefit from joining the Society of Financial Services Professionals, the Financial Planning Association, or the Association for Financial Professionals.
About University of St. Mary
Located in Leavenworth, Kansas, the University of Saint Marry is a private institution that was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth which is a Catholic organization. The sisters founded a school for boys and girls in the 1850s, and the school would eventually expand into an institution called St. Mary’s Institute for women students. Over the years, the school would grow and begin to offer additional educational opportunities until it would become a coeducational facility in the early 1930s. Today, around 1,200 students attend the university, which is located on a campus of 200 acres. The university has a selection of programs available online, so some students attend classes solely through the internet. The school’s official colors are navy and gold, and the school’s mascot is Spiro the Dragon.
The University of St. Mary Accreditation Details
The institutional accrediting agency for the University of St. Mary is the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The school is also accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. The school’s programs in nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Accreditation, and the programs in physical therapy are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation on Physical Therapy Education. The school has also been recognized in many areas for its affordability and military-friendly status. The school has been named a Best Midwestern College every year since 2005 by “The Princeton Review.” The school is also a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which helps students fund college who don’t receive enough funding from the Veterans Administration.
The University of St. Mary Application Requirements
The University of St. Mary has separate application requirements for incoming freshmen, transfer students, international students, active duty military, and veterans. However, most students will submit similar application materials no matter their status. First-time applicants will submit an online application, send standardized test scores to the university, and have official transcripts from high school or college sent along. To gain acceptance, applicants must have a minimum 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale in high school, as well as an ACT score of at least 18 or an SAT score of at least 940. The university does look at each application individually to ascertain whether to accept the applicant, but these guidelines can help students decide whether their academic history is good enough.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition costs at the University of St. Mary vary depending on the program and location where a student will attend classes. For example, students who live on the main campus and enroll in an undergraduate program will pay $13,940 per semester for full-time tuition of 12 to 18 hours. Students will also pay varying amounts for meal plans, housing, and various fees. Students in online programs will pay tuition based on the program in which they enroll. For example, Students in the Health Information Management program will pay $460 per credit hour, and students in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program will pay $630 per credit hour.
There are many options for financial aid at USM. In addition to traditional financial aid like loans and grants, students may also qualify for institutional scholarships. The University of St. Mary gives out more than $7 million in scholarships each year to students, and the average scholarship award given to incoming freshman is $12,000. Transfer students are also given scholarships on average of $10,000 a year on top of any need-based aid awarded by the financial aid department. Some of the academic scholarships available to students include the full-tuition Jubilee Scholarship for high-achieving students and the Presidential Scholarship, which is a $60,000 award delivered over the course of four years. Students interested in any of the accounting or finance programs at the University of St. Mary should contact the admissions department for more information.
