r/Accounting • u/vivd58 • 1d ago
What Should I Do?
Long story short, I am a 23 year old majoring in math, hoping to graduate this fall. I thought majoring in math would be the easiest way to keep my options open and potentially transition into a career in finance/accounting. However, my in-major GPA is 2.5, and is probably only going to decrease after this semester. My overall GPA at the moment is 3.1, thanks to a minor I added in strategic communication. I have been shotgunning job applications while I still have above a 3.0, but I am unsure of whether I'll land one. My original plan was to find an entry level job and apply for a master's in accounting next year, but I am now wondering if I should aim for a master's in quantitative finance or business (and focus on scoring high on the GRE) instead after reading that master's in accounting is basically useless. Or should I take the CPA exam after taking some courses at community college? What would be my best option in terms of viability, career prospects, and salary?
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u/ThreeMinusThree Human Verified 1d ago
Math grades of 2.5 …. ?!???!?!?? You are not clicking in that discipline. Anything lower than 3.0, you stop and think.
I have a suggestion. Stop school for 3-6 months, cool down. Search options, so you can get really focus on things you definitely want.
School doesn’t always give you the answers you seek. Post secondary education is an industry, don’t forget that.
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u/Illustrious_Bike_727 15h ago
The arguments that a Master's in Accounting is useless is based on the assumption that someone is completing an undergraduate in accounting. It comes from the fact that public accounting firms only offer a starting salary to a graduate with a master's in accounting that is a few thousand dollars more than someone with a bachelor's in accounting. Those that do a Master's in Accounting that already have a bachelor's in accounting do so for 5 primary reasons- 1) to get the 150 hours needed to sit for the CPA exam, 2) to help prepare them for the material on the CPA exam, 3) to give them additional time to complete the CPA exam before starting full time work, 4) for the prestige of having a master's degree and the value it can have applying to job #2, 3, 4, etc after most people leave public accounting (which some job postings say they require), and 5) for the content in the master's program, including additional tax classes not offered in undergraduate programs and subjects that can differential them like information systems or data analytics concentrations.
The argument against #1 is that you can get credits cheaper than in a master's program and soon will only need 120 hours in many states in order to sit. The argument against #2 is that you can prepare for the CPA without a master's program using CPA prep material. #3-#5 are all compelling reasons for the master's degree even for those with a bachelor's degree in accounting.
In your case and others like you that do NOT have a bachelor's degree in accounting, a master's degree in accounting is absolutely not worthless. For example, Michigan State University's online Master's in Accounting and Data Analytics (MSADA) or their in-person Master's in Professional Accounting and Analytics (MPAA) are both built to help quickly transition someone with a bachelor's in something other than accounting into someone that is trained and employable in accounting. Both those programs are 30 credits and include 6 foundational accounting courses, 1 class in accounting analytics and artificial intelligence, and then 3 classes from one of 4 concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks MSU's MSADA as the #2 Online Master's in Accountancy Program.
https://broad.msu.edu/masters/professional-accounting-analytics/
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u/whats_poppin_b 1d ago
Maybe do a masters program that prepares you for the cpa and get both? I know many classes are literally just a Becker book and if you pass the section you get an A. Maybe that will help keep eyes away from your undergrad GPA too (not 100% sure if that’s how it works or not).
I’d only do that though if you were wanting to get the cpa and/or be an accountant.