[Anonymous]

Hello,

What kind of salary should I expect after passing all parts and finishing my MBA in Accounting?

I hold a BBA in Accounting

Didn’t go to any fancy school, but AACSB accredited

Years of experience:
-1 Year Public
-1 Year Industry
-3 Years Finance Internship Industry experience
-6 Months Accounting Internship Industry experience

I spoke with a recruiter and she stated around 70K with my background.

[alloverit]

Really depends on where you live. 70K in Oklahoma is a really nice salary for that experience whereas 70K in California would have you pinching pennies by comparison.

I mention those two states because I owned a 1700 sq ft house in Oklahoma on a salary of 42K (pre cpa). I had to move back from California because I couldn't survive on 68K (pre cpa) for the same job. Well, I could…if I wanted to rent and live around a bunch of shady people. You get my drift

[Anonymous]

Florida area. Cali or Ny I just add 10-15K

[Recked]

I would assume it depends on the school the MBA comes from.

[Anonymous]

Not really. If it's not Ivy league..others are pretty much same I feel.

[alloverit]

Yeah that should be about ballpark I would think. Florida has an odd cost of living structure. Best I could tell from traveling there was the central portions are fairly affordable.

I looked into a job there once with a starting pay of 45-50k and was amazed how high the cost of living was in that particular area. I just laughed a little and moved on.

[Anonymous]

@alloverit

im guessing it was south florida

[Missy]

In general a master's degree doesn't increase earning potential over a CPA, especially if the master's is in accounting its seen as almost redundant. It's unfortunate because a master's is a lot of work but the truth is its only value is possibly networking with employers who went to the same school (I've got a master's in accounting and truth is its never been acknowledged). Also, salary expectations very based on the job description and whether a CPA is actually required for the position, ie if someone without a CPA or master's can do the same job well, then neither of those credentials will increase an offer.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

I don't know, I see what you are saying about the accounting part. But MBA does increase your chances of higher pay for sure. I know my significant other was only interviewed because she has a MBA, and I assume others had a bachelors. And once she did get the job they had to pay her higher than a bachelors degree or she would leave probably. Companies know this. I think it comes down to how you use your MBA. Lot of top jobs want someone with CPA and/or MBA.

[Anonymous]

@Missy

Believe it or not a MBA specialized in Accounting is more marketable than a Masters in Accounting (especially if you already have a CPA)

[Lentilcounter]

I got my MBA because everyone in my peer group around me at my former employer was getting one. Also, the company paid 100% of the program costs. I felt that if I didn't complete one, I wasn't keeping up with everyone else. There are a LOT of MBAs out there. I think its important to get the MBA from a good school and if it has specialization or track, pick something that makes you stand out. I got hired into my current job partly because they liked the information systems specialization of my MBA. It was also relevant to the job description.

To answer your initial question, it depends on the position you are applying for. If you apply for a position that only requires a bachelors in accounting with a few years of experience but the preferred qualifications are CPA/MBA, you can ask to be paid more because you meet the basic and preferred qualifications.

A couple ways that you can check your market value include using LinkedIn premium to look at potential jobs, looking at the 2018 Robert Half salary guide, etc. I am a CPA/MBA/EA. The EA doesn't do anything for me unless I go into a more tax specific job.

I hope this helps.

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[Tim]

Masters in Accountancy is not redundant if your undergrad is not in accounting. Also I worked at a fortune 50 company and they absolutely preferred masters degrees over just a bachelors. It's definitely not the value of a CPA but there is value.

That said, I would never recommend someone with a bachelors in accounting and little actual real world experience to go get their masters. Real world experience is way more important.

[Anonymous]

@Lentilcounter

Makes sense. I know I will stand out with a MBA & CPA (hopefully I can get both) vs someone with a CPA only. Assuming we both have similar work experience.

@Tim

You are very correct. Masters in accounting is not redundant if you do not have a bachelors in accounting. I know you would never recommend someone with only 2-3 years of work experience but I have the luxury right now to literally study full time for CPA and MBA – and not work at all. And if anything I can put on my resume I was an accountant while studying since I had a boss who has her own CPA firm now and she won't care.

[Author]

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