Accounting majors Matthew Greulich (left), a senior from Hamburg, NY; and Karissa Spicola (right) a senior from North Collins, NY, review information about the new MBA in Accounting with Drs. Mark Nickerson and Linda Hall.
A new online MBA in Accounting at SUNY Fredonia will prepare students and working professionals for a more rigorous CPA exam.
Accounting faculty in the School of Business faculty developed the new graduate-level program in response to what Assistant Professor Mark Nickerson described as the “new CPA evolution” advanced by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).
“They have expanded the depth of knowledge that students need to come into the profession,” Dr. Nickerson explained. The new CPA exam to debut in the fall of 2025 will cover specific subject areas that are not part of SUNY Fredonia’s existing Accounting or Public Accountancy programs.
“It became evident to me that one of the best ways forward would be to introduce this change via an MBA program, namely because of the need to cover more topics at a higher level, so students are [better] prepared for the CPA exam,” Nickerson explained. An MBA in Accounting can yield greater earning potential, he added, and prospective employers also assign increasing value to the degree.
SUNY Fredonia graduates with accounting degrees who seek an MBA represent a prime market for the new program, said School of Business Dean Kaustav Misra.
The MBA in Accounting curriculum consists of 12 courses totaling 36 credit hours. All course instruction will be asynchronous to accommodate working professionals.
That’s the beauty of the program, the flexibility of doing coursework on one’s own time, and also the high quality of instruction, Nickerson noted.
For more information on the MBA program and to register for a virtual open house, click here.
Seven of the 12 courses, such as Information Technology Auditing and Personal Financial Advisory Services, are pure accounting, while the remaining five are business-related courses. Accounting faculty who are CPAs develop the curriculum utilizing the blueprint created by the AICPA and NASBA and also collaborated with Business Administration faculty.
“The role of the CPA has evolved from a tax preparer and auditor to a trusted adviser who makes data-driven decisions,” said Professor Linda Hall, who piloted development of the curriculum with Nickerson.
“In order to meet the new requirements and prepare students for the new rigors of the exam, we felt these courses were necessary,” Nickerson said. “The fact that SUNY allows us to have this program is a testament to its uniqueness,” Hall added.
SUNY Fredonia has long had a strong undergraduate accounting program, but many graduates went on to seek master’s degrees at other school, said Associate Professor Justin Mindzak, who began researching different accounting programs nearly five years ago.
“Now, our current students have the flexibility to pursue their CPA designation through the MBA option,” said Mr. Mindzak, interim chair of the Department of Business.
The new CPA exam consists of three mandatory core subject areas: auditing, financial accounting reporting and regulation, plus a fourth component selected from among business analysis and reporting, information systems and control, or tax compliance and planning.
Interest in the new program has already shown to be strong among alumni as well as current students. “I’ve had a lot of good conversations with students who graduated two, three or four years ago, who are interested in ‘coming back’ – but not [physically] coming back – for the MBA program,” Nickerson remarked.
“Some [alumni] already have the CPA license but are interested in coming to get the MBA degree, which is highly valued by employers,” he added. The degree will also be an attractive option for current students in the four-year accounting program that leads to a B.S. degree.
Interest in the program in the regional accounting community is also strong.
“I went to a number of external stakeholders and spoke to partners and principals of 10 CPA firms in Western New York, to get their feedback, and what they indicated was in line with my thoughts, that they would be happy to hire students after they complete their four-year degree and then work part-time, while finishing up the MBA online,” Nickerson explained.
Nickerson and Hall began developing SUNY Fredonia’s first MBA in Accounting degree in 2021.
Those involved in the collaborative effort leading to the new degree include Mindzak, Director of Curriculum and Special Programs Jennifer Hildebrand and Online Learning Coordinator Lisa Melohusky.
“This program marks a significant milestone for our institution, and I am confident it will serve as a springboard for the development of additional MBA programs in the future,” Mindzak said.
