[Trees202]

This might be a controversial topic, so let’s try to keep it friendly! People may have different opinions and that’s ok! 🙂

I switched my major around so much during undergrad that I racked up enough credits to sit for the CPA without having to take any grad level courses.

I’m *hopefully* finishing CPA this year–I only have BEC left.

Do you think getting a Masters will help me professionally? Or do you think that being a CPA will give a pretty good competitive edge / pay boost on its own.

(Obviously having a masters is better than not having a masters, but I’m not looking to be a CFO of a fortune 500 and I’m really wondering about the ROI for spending 30k on a masters degree when I’ll already be a CPA. Now…if an employer offers to pay for it, I’d absolutely love to put in the time and effort! I’m just concerned about how good of a financial investment it is for me.)

*I would not be going to a ‘prestigious’ school with a well-known respected program.

[Ib]

@melody. Congrats on a new job! 55 % increase is good. But It depends lot on what you consider as high. Also, I have heard that the cost of living is also quiet high in UAE.

FAR 79
AUD 87
BEC 78
REG 08/31/2016

[ECU CPA to be]

I was told by a professor that the CPA is equivalent to an MBA since you need to know a little bit of everything about business to become a CPA. I would say no to pursuing your masters. The CPA trumps all degrees. Of course I have my masters in accounting but I got mine while taking the CPA exam.

AUD - 76 (2/11/16)
REG - 79 (4/5/16)
FAR - 67 (6/7/16)
BEC - ? (7/21/16)

[Adam]

I have a MAcc and have now completed the CPA exam (9/9…Boom!) I agree with the consensus here. I needed the extra hours to be able to get licensed and for a personal goal, I would rather have had the MAcc than just some other hours to meet the requirements.

But, I would say CPA trumps the MAcc without a CPA every time. That has been my experience as both a working accountant and as an accounting manager hiring accountants.

[Missy]

Ib the MA license itself is $161 every 2 years to renew. I did all my CPE through CPE Depot and I think a year subscription was around 200. Fortunately MA will allow all cpe to be earned online.

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

[Ib]

Thanks MLA! Just checked that CPE site. It looks good and reasonable. So, it will cost me around roughly $300
every year to fullfil CPE hours in MA. Do I need to become member of AICPA or any other designated body?

FAR 79
AUD 87
BEC 78
REG 08/31/2016

[Amortized and Energized]

I can't say that my MBA has contributed to much to my professional ascent, but it gave me the credits I needed to be able to sit for the CPA and that has garnered some attention.

FAR - Aug 2015 (58), Feb 2016 (81)
u
BEC - May 2016 (79)
AUD - Jul 2016
REG - Aug 2016

[Anonymous]

My boss has CPA for over 10years and he just started the Master of Accounting this summer because he wants to teach college part time. He said there were a few students are just like him in his class. Other than this reason, you should not get the masters.

[RockChalkCPA]

In my opinion, getting a Masters in Accounting merely serves the purpose of getting enough credits to sit for the CPA exam, and not much else. No way would I have wasted my time or money to get my MAcc if I had already been eligible to sit otherwise. In fact, I contemplated getting a Bachelors in Information Systems instead of getting a MAcc, but decided to go with the MAcc because my school's MAcc program has an excellent CPA review course. Obviously, having a MAcc will never hurt–but it certainly hasn't given me any other opportunities that I wouldn't have had with just a Bachelors and CPA. The most important thing is getting the CPA license–whether with a Masters or without isn't important either way, and I think most would agree with me on that. Just my opinion, though, someone else may have a different perspective.

BEC- 83 (April 2015)
REG- 77 (May 2015)
FAR- 82 (July 2015)
AUD- 94 (August 2015)

First try with Becker

[jcf175]

so my dad recruits for a B4 and he says that an MBA is pretty much useless these days unless you need the hours to sit for the exam. He actually talked me out of getting an MBA and just taking the exam. But hey, if you want the extra letters after your name on your resume or business card more power to ya. I personally like working more than schools so I see no point to it. it's really up to you.

Passed all sections between 5/15 - 10/15 order AUD REG BEC FAR (used Becker only)

[bhunt815]

Everyone I work with has an MBA. We all paid a bunch of money for them and no one really cares in the end. MBA's are too easy to get and they're too expensive so they have lost their value in many circles. I just passed my last CPA exam a few week ago and everyone at work acted like I'd done something special, and I don't even work with many accountants. The CPA means so much more than an MBA. I honestly regret wasting my time with the MBA.

FAR 04/11/2016 - 84
AUD 05/12/2016 - 79
BEC 07/06/2016 - 81
REG 08/29/2016

[SuckItUp]

I work for a public accounting firm and I'm about 99.9% positive that they wouldn't pay for it and they could care less if someone had a master's degree. Clients don't care either.

It's all about the CPA.

Obviously it depends on what you want to do career wise and the company you work for.

[Anonymous]

Like everyone else has said, don't do the masters if you don't need to hours.

However, consider it if it's something that can differentiate you a bit more. I'll use myself as an example. I just became certified (yay!) and don't need any education credits, my employer won't pay for it, and I might not see a raise or anything from it, but I am contemplating doing an online masters program. SNHU has an online masters in forensic accounting and a graduate certificate in non-profit leadership that interests me and I may do in the next couple of years. This desire stems from me thinking about what direction I want to take my career. I may not end up becoming a forensic accountant (although that is one path I hope to explore) but I think the program and classes could provide me with knowledge that other CPAs might not possess and could help me leverage myself in the future.

That being said, don't do a masters just to get a masters. if you do it, make it a program that will help you advance yourself in the future by giving you specialized skills.

[KayBee]

I got my MACC before I started going for the exams because I figured if I had to go to school to get the credits I needed to qualify I might as well stick it out and get the degree. It really depends on where you want to take your career. My concentration was public accounting and I work for a small business accounting firm so it was perfect for me. I think a CPA is more impressive, but having a Masters on top of it just makes you look even better and allows for some extra letters behind your name. The two CPA's at my firm have MBA's and I've noticed that our clients feel a lot more comfortable knowing that the 3rd almost CPA (me) has a Masters already because it gives them more confidence in us.

Also, I found the classes to be extremely helpful and applicable to my profession. I LOVE accounting and now I have two degrees hanging in my office. A Bachelors and Masters in Accounting. I think it sounds pretty bada$$. Makes me proud as hell.

KayBee
Bachelors and Masters in Accounting, concentration in public accounting
REG - 77
AUD - 71, Next one tentatively early November
FAR - Oct 1
BEC - before Jan 5

[KayBee]

Another thing of note – I finished my Masters with a 4.0 gpa. I emphasized that on my resume and it paid off.

KayBee
Bachelors and Masters in Accounting, concentration in public accounting
REG - 77
AUD - 71, Next one tentatively early November
FAR - Oct 1
BEC - before Jan 5

[Scared-cpa]

I'm currently pursuing my MBA while studying for the CPA exam. I talked with a recruiter in a larger city that I plan on moving to when I graduate and he said a Master's is important but a CPA is definitely more important. However, if there are two candidates who are both CPAs but only one has an MBA, then the employer will pick the one with both. If you only want to do one, of course, a CPA license is better. But both can help put you one step above the many CPAs who only hold a Bachelors.

[Author]

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