[steve777]

it’s a combined total of 150 credits or should i just major in accounting and do something not as hard for the other 30 credits?

[Anonymous]

I got my undergrad in business management and masters in accounting. If I were to do it all over again, I would do undergrad in accounting and then get my MBA. I don't necessarily think a double major is bad, however, I think if you're putting that much effort into something, you'd be better off with an advanced degree instead…I just think it looks better on a resume.

[monikernc]

mba's only make a real difference if they are from a top10 school. i have one (from a smaller school) and my first undergrad was finance and they have helped me navigate personal financial decisions more than anything professional. i spent my career in IT, until 3 years ago, and i was the only one wearing a business cap who also had tech cred and it helped my carrer a lot. i have applied the case study approach to many, many different scenarios and it has been very useful in life and work. however, it will slap a label on you with others' preconceived notions about your values and expectations. i have been known to leave if off my resume and mention in interviews if things are going well.

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[aj2013]

I double-majored in accounting and finance (and minored in Spanish). I only did the finance major because I was aiming to get the 150 credits in my undergrad. Finance does not interest me beyond the basics, and I am not really gifted with it either. So I guess it depends on your interest and aptitude in Finance.

It's really only helped me slightly with personal finance decisions.

B - 80
A - 80
R - 71, 59, 74, 80 FINALLY!
F - 77

Used Kaplan for FAR, BEC, AUD, and the first 2 REG attempts. I started using NINJA about 2 weeks before my 3rd REG attempt. I believe it's why I was so close to passing and why I passed the 4th time. USE IT FROM THE BEGINNING.

[Sang]

I think it is worth it.
It gives you an advantage if you want to become a CFO in the future.

When I was in college, an Accounting major only needed 4 additional Finance classes to get a Finance degree.
But for a Finance major, they needed 8 additional Accounting classes to get an Accounting degree.

I think spending an extra semester to get those 4 additional classes for a Finance degree can help improve your resume.

FAR: (05/24/16) | (07/15/16) | (10/22/16)
AUD: (09/07/16) | (11/29/16) |
BEC: TBD
REG: TBD
Using Roger CPA Review + Ninja (MCQs, Notes, Audio)

[Anonymous]

That's a tough question. Of course having a double major and more knowledge about a related discipline will improve your resume. If you need the finance major to meet 150 units go for it. However, it may be more beneficial to continue taking accounting electives to better prepare you for the Exam. For example, I would definitely take Advanced, GOVT/NFP, Fed Tax 2, and all Intermediate courses rather than substituting additional finance classes. As a result, you will have been exposed to these classes' more challenging concepts before enrolling in a review course.

That's my 2 cents, but I may be wrong. I am just starting the CPA Exam journey, but I believe taking as many accounting courses prior to the exam should be more beneficial than additional finance courses.

Tough Question…

[Anonymous]

Additional undergrad courses (like the double-major) is usually cheaper than a Master's, so I'm generally in favor of options to get the 150 via undergrad options. Just make sure that the 150 obtained that way will meet your state's requirements (for example, my accounting degree required 24 accounting credits IIRC; I've heard of states that require up to 39 accounting credits, I think, so if you were in one of those and your degree was only 24, you might need to use some of your extra credits for accounting). If it does meet the specific requirements as well as the overall number, though, I'd be a fan of doing the double-major, for a few reasons.

First, information is always a good thing to have, so if you're learning, that's good. Taking courses in random things just to complete a requirement may not be as useful down the road. I'll admit; I didn't learn much from my extra courses (had to take 1 extra accounting course since 27 credits were required in my state, and I learned from that; the rest of the extra for 150 was mostly useless). So, if you're looking at a few different options, and one of them is one that gives you a lot of Finance knowledge, knowledge is useful – get it!

Secondly, accounting and finance are very inter-related fields – who knows which one you'll end up liking? Having both gives you options. Last time I was looking for jobs, I considered very strongly looking into Financial Analyst positions, because I like the analysis side of accounting; however, I'm in a small job market, and there was more available in accounting than finance, so I stayed in accounting. But, I think having just an accounting degree would have made it harder to convince an employer I would do well in Finance.

Third, my personal internal crystal ball indicates that accounting is moving in a more analytical direction, and Finance seems to teach more of the analysis. So, I wouldn't be surprised if an accounting degree in 20 years looks more like a hybrid of what's current finance and accounting. Learning the analytical skills now will help you be ahead of the curve.

To me, the accounting/finance hybrid seems like a great idea. If there's something you want to do that you think it'd be overkill for, you can always leave one off your resume, but most of the time, I think both would be good. Who knows – maybe one day I'll go back and get a Finance degree myself. I do enjoy school…too much maybe… For now, though, my next plan is an MBA, and I think the school I'm looking at has a Finance concentration but not an Accounting one, so maybe that will fulfill my Finance schooling desires. (For what it's worth, I don't think it has to be Top 10 to be valuable for an MBA. However, I do think that considering the school's reputation compared to cost is important. The school I have my eye on is AACSB-accredited and just around $13,000 and some change for all tuition and fees, which is a bargain in my mind. Opinions vary on this matter, but just wanted to add one for the non-Top-10 side…Top 10 will never be in my budget, but I think an MBA I can afford can still be useful to me, if I'm picky about which one I get.)

[TheHoundThatRides]

I was gonna double major in finance solely because I was interested in it. Turns out my school didn't allow that mix and I just ended up taking easy filler classes. The easy classes boosted my GPA and were probably better for me in the long run.

BEC - 78 (August 2015)
FAR - 80 (November 2015)
AUD - 73, 67. (Ok I gotta confess I was even more lazy this time around)
REG - August 27th, 2016

[Nazim Toksavul]

From the perspective of value to the employer, a hiring manager is likely not to view a double major in Accounting and Finance any more favorably than just an Accounting major, outside of you meeting 150 credits necessary to sit for the CPA exam.

That said, a double-major is more of an affordable option relative to procuring a Masters degree. At entry-level, a graduate degree holder typically will not be viewed any differently than a undergraduate degree holder, since a graduate degree is not necessary to do the job. A Masters degree would hold greater value as you progress in your career however.

FAR: 08/31/2013
AUD: 11/04/2013
REG: 05/28/2014
BEC: 08/19/2014

MBA in progress

[Just3Letters]

Finance is much easier than accounting unless you are going to a math intensive school (MIT, Ivy, Stanford), etc. My Pac-12 school seemed to really find value in making finance incredibly simple. Accounting is the same everywhere which I believe is a good thing.

In short, yes. It's worth it if you want to know a little about the capital markets and want an easy way to 150!

FAR- 81
REG- 81
BEC- Aug 22, 2016
AUD- TBD

[dess213]

I do not have my masters yet and I did graduate with a double major in finance & accounting. My mentors in college advised me that you're better off in the long run if you get your masters degree 3-4 years after you graduate with your undergrad degree (of course assuming you can get the 150 hours needed to sit for the exam) because you'll have experiences to apply to what you are learning in your masters program and you end up getting much more out of it. Also, they would agree with @Nazim that undergraduate and graduate degree holders are not really viewed any differently for an entry level position.

I just finished my exams for the CPA now and am looking to start an MBA program in fall of 2017. It also helps if you can find an employer that will pay for your masters instead of putting yourself in even more debt immediately after graduating with your undergrad.

With that being said, I never had any intention of doing Big 4. I currently work at a firm of about 40 CPAs in the Midwest and I feel like I'm doing quite well for myself. It definitely depends on what your goals and aspirations are for when you graduate and for when/if you leave public accounting.

FAR-83
AUD-90
BEC-83
REG-80

I'M DONE!!

[Anonymous]

Do the double major..MBAs are worthless and a waste of time and money..

college for a matter is a waste of time and money..

Experience over everything else is what matters..that and personality.

[Nazim Toksavul]

While I do agree that experience and personality are certainly important traits on a job, I am inclined to contend that both an MBA and undergraduate degree are also important for getting your foot in the door and providing a certain degree of credibility when switching jobs.

FAR: 08/31/2013
AUD: 11/04/2013
REG: 05/28/2014
BEC: 08/19/2014

MBA in progress

[Author]

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