Accounting and Finance Degree Programs Offered by Walsh College
Walsh College appears in our ranking of the 50 Great Small Colleges for an Accounting and Finance Degree.
Walsh College in Michigan offers three bachelor’s programs in accounting and finance for undergraduates. It has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a concentration in accounting processes. This program teaches students how to make economic and financial decisions based on the information available to them and prepares them to sit for certification exams. Students can also pick a concentration in finance in the BBA program. Their courses will include Principles of Management, Principles of Business Communication, Financial Statement Analysis and Financial Modeling.
The college’s Bachelor of Science in Accountancy focuses more on accounting principles and prepares students to take the Certified Management Accountant exam. It includes courses such as Principles of Business Communication, Communication Essentials, Accounting Information Systems, Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting and Tax and Business Taxation. The college allows both finance and accounting majors to do internships also.
A Master of Science in Accountancy is also available from the college and ranks as one of the top accountancy graduate programs in the nation. It allows students to apply and register before the beginning of any semester and lets them take 11-week classes instead of traditional 16-week classes. Students who have a strong background in accounting do not need to take the three foundation courses the college offers. They will need to take other classes though, including Financial Accounting Concepts, Advanced Managerial Accounting and Intermediate Accounting I and II. The college also offers electives that include Introduction to Tax Research and Tax and Business Taxation, which go along with its taxation concentration.
Students can also earn a Master of Science in Finance (MSF) from the college. Walsh asks that students take eight required core classes, including Financial Management, Introduction to Accounting and Financial Markets and Institutions. They’ll also take three classes from a concentration in either financial management or financial services. Walsh College offers a dual Master of Business Administration (MBA)/MSF program too. Those students will need to take more business classes, some of those courses will count towards the MSF program.
About Walsh College
Walsh College is a nonprofit college that offers degree programs in a range of business fields. Established in 199 as the Walsh Institute of Accountancy, it used the Pace Accounting Method. Mervyn B. Walsh worked as a CPA and thought that Michigan needed a school that would teach accounting principles. He purchased a Pace franchise and opened a campus in Detroit, which saw 23 students enroll that first year. As the requirements for CPA professionals changed in the 1960s, Walsh decided to become a full college that would help students meet those requirements. It worked with several local community colleges to create transfer programs that let students spend two years in one of those schools before moving to Walsh.
The college also made some other changes over the years, including introducing an MBA program and adding online programs in the 1990s. It also established a second campus in Novi that offers the same opportunities as the main campus in Troy does. Walsh also announced a new commitment to its alumni network that allowed students to meet with alumni and discuss their business plans and ideas. More than 80% of Walsh students now transfer to the college after finishing a community college program. All the classes offered run for 11 weeks and do not follow a traditional semester format. Walsh College offers 14 degree programs for its students.
Walsh College Accreditation Details
Walsh has the regional accreditation that larger schools do, which comes from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). HLC accreditation not only gives students the right to apply for help through government financial aid programs, but it also allows them to transfer Walsh credits to other schools and to transfer the credits they have to the college. Walsh also has accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), which covers both the college’s finance and accounting degree programs.
Walsh College Application Requirements
Undergraduate accounting and finance majors applying to Walsh College must meet the same application requirements. They need a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, and the college will determine their averages based on all the classes listed on their transcripts. Students will also need to take algebra and English classes through the college or another school before they apply. Those who took any college classes need to have a total GPA of at least 2.0. Walsh asks that students take at least 60 semester hours of classes before deciding to major in either accounting or finance.
Incoming graduate students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher and a bachelor’s degree from a school with regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) or a similar organization. Walsh grants provisional acceptance to those with a lower GPA but requests that those students meet some requirements once they enroll, which may include taking prerequisite classes or keeping a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Both undergrads and graduate students applying to the college need to provide an application and their transcripts.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergrads qualify as full-time Walsh students when they take 12 credits of classes. Full-time graduate students only need to take nine credits. Undergrads pay $5,875 per semester for full-time enrollment. They also pay an average of $660 each semester for their books and miscellaneous supplies. The college charges full-time graduate students a rate of $7,240 per semester and expects that they’ll spend $648 for their supplies and books. Students also pay to commute to the campus for their classes because the college does not offer on-campus housing.
Through the FAFSA, students can get federal financial aid. Though the college accepts this form all year long, it recommends that students apply for aid as soon as they plan to attend. Three different loan programs are available from the government. The PLUS program provides funding to graduate students, federal direct loans go directly to undergrads and parent PLUS loans help parents get loans for their children. More than 200 students receive $400,000 in scholarships each year too. Most scholarships give students up to $8,000 a year and are renewable as long as they remain full-time in college. Walsh College offers financial aid packages to students in its accounting and finance programs to reduce their total out of pocket costs.
