Skip to Main Content

Business Administration/Professional Accounting – BS/MS

Program Overview:

As our students proceed on their educational journey through life, it is our privilege to guide and challenge them to attain their highest ambitions. We provide a stimulating undergraduate and graduate student-centered curriculum that is taught by highly qualified, dedicated faculty with excellent staff support.

We serve our students and community through active engagement in an educational experience grounded on ethics and critical thinking. Our faculty makes it their highest priority to keep abreast of the latest developments in their academic fields and translate that knowledge as it applies to each student. We are proud to say that we know our students and community well. Our programs are carefully evaluated on the lifelong successes of our students as they live and work in, and contribute to, the global communities of today.

The multiple undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the School of Business offer matriculating students significant flexibility to decide to pursue the traditional four-year degree program or a more innovative combined Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program. Students who are interested in careers as Certified Public Accountants have the opportunity to enter the 150 Hour Accounting Program. The Professional Accountancy program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master’s of Science in Professional Accounting and satisfies the State of New York educational requirement for the CPA.

As of the year 2000, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) requires an individual to have 150 credit hours of appropriate education for membership. Beginning in 2009, New York State requires 150 credit hours for new practitioners to be licensed as a Certified Public Accountant. The College of Saint Rose’s 150-hour dual Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree program fulfills this requirement. The undergraduate and graduate programs in Accounting are integrated to form a logical, continuous curriculum which maximizes each student’s education and can be completed in five years.

The program contains courses which provide credit in the following categories, consistent with the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education in New York State:

Professional Accounting 

45

General Business

36

General Electives

9

Liberal Arts

60

Total

150

This program is available to incoming freshmen, currently enrolled Saint Rose students, transfer students, and returning students. Once accepted for this integrated program, students do not obtain a degree until all course work is completed; then, they are awarded two degrees - a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.S. in Professional Accounting. Students in this program pursue a challenging course of study with standards consistent with the College-wide Dual Degree Program guidelines. In the spring of their junior year, students must apply to continue in the 150 hour program and begin some graduate course work in their senior year.

The Dual Degree Accounting program is designed to prepare students for positions in accounting, auditing, taxation, budgeting, and cost control. The program is approved by the New York State Education Department’s Board of Public Accountancy and qualifies students to take the New York State examination for certified public accountants (CPA) and to meet the educational requirements for licensing. Students who wish to pursue an Accounting program that does not directly lead to the CPA track can select the 122 hour Accounting major or an accounting concentration within the bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. These programs allow graduates to meet the educational requirements for the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) examinations, as well as many federal and state civil service examinations. Additionally, the 122 hour Accounting major qualifies to take the CPA exam, but does not meet the 150 hour licensing requirement.

Once students have matriculated in the Accounting degree program at The College of Saint Rose, they must satisfy all remaining accounting requirements with Saint Rose courses. A maximum of 15 credits in accounting courses (or five courses, whichever is less) may be transferred to Saint Rose. These courses are Principles of Financial Accounting, Principles of Managerial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Intermediate Accounting 1 and Intermediate Accounting 2. Transfer criteria are the same for all Accounting majors and Business Administration majors with an Accounting concentration.

Although the College provides fully equipped computer labs, experience has shown that students benefit from having a personal computer. This is especially true for the online components of many classes. 

Program Contacts:

Gretchen Guenther-Collins

Accounting, Finance & Economics Department Chair

Email: guentheg@strose.edu

Program Webpage:

150 Credit Hour Professional Accountancy Program

Program Requirements:

Professional Accountancy Program (150 credits)

Accounting Courses (45 credits)

ACC 221Intermed Acc't 1

3

ACC 320Acc't Information Systems

3

ACC 322Intermed Acc't 2

3

ACC 323Finan Acc't Theory Adv Applic

3

ACC 328Taxation

3

ACC 418Adv Accounting

3

ACC 421Financial Auditing

3

ACC 429Corporate Taxation

3

ACC 431Governmental Acc't

3

ACC 496Integrated Acc't Experience

3

ACC 522Budgeting & Cost Analysis

3

ACC 570Adv Theory Financial Acc't

3

ACC 571Adv Computer Auditing

3

ACC 572Advance Taxation

3

ACC XXXAccounting Elective

3

General Business Courses (36 credits)

BUS 111Fundamentals of Business

3

BUS 199Fund of Business Colloquium

0

BUS 246Organizational Behavior

3

BUS 253Principles of Marketing

3

BUS 301Financial Management

3

BUS 310Business Communication

3

BUS 334Business Law II

3

International Elective BUS 425 Integrated Global Business or BUS 487 Global Topics in Finance

3

MBA 516Mgmnt Com/Soc Res

3

MBA 555Managerial Economics

3

MBA 640Managerial Finance

3

MBA 660Prod & Qual Mngmt

3

MBA 690Strategic Management

3

General Electives (ACC, BUS or Liberal Arts) (9 credits)

College-wide Liberal education requirement (41 credits)

includes:

MAT 180College Algebra

3

CSC 111Intro Computer Science

3

ECO 106Prin Microeconomics

3

Additional liberal and general education (19 credits)

includes:

ACC 121Prin Financial Accounting

3

ACC 122Prin Managerial Acc't

3

BUS 233Business Law 1

3

ECO 105Principles of Macroeconomics

3

MAT 184Elementary Statistics

4

CSC XXXCSC Elective Beyond CSC 111

3

An Accounting major must take at least 60 credit hours in liberal and general education. This exceeds the College-wide Liberal Education requirement; courses should be chosen in consultation with an advisor. General electives can include courses from the arts and sciences that may or may not have Liberal Education designation.

Courses taken in professional fields such as nursing, education, medical technology, or engineering are generally not recognized as Liberal Education courses for this requirement.

The students in this program are evaluated each semester and must meet the following requirements: a minimum GPA of 3.0 both overall and in the business and accounting classes in the major; the minimum grade in all graduate courses follows the School of Business graduate guidelines. Students should continuously consult with their advisors concerning their career goals, academic progression and application. Students begin some graduate courses in their senior year.

Internship/Field Experience/Service:

An Internship is highly recommended as an accounting or business elective. MAT 180 College Algebra, MAT 184 Statistics and CSC 111 Introduction to Computer Science, or their equivalents, form an essential knowledge base for upper-level major courses and should be taken in the freshman or sophomore year. Courses in mathematics and statistics must be completed with a grade of C or better.

Culminating Academic Experiences:

Required Course

ACC 496Integrated Acc't Experience

3

Professional Accreditation:

The College of Saint Rose, sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province, is chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State. All of its degrees and programs are registered and its professional programs are fully approved by the Board of Regents through the New York State Education Department.

The College of Saint Rose is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

This program is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. http://www.acbsp.org/


Admissions and Financial Aid Information:

General Admission Information

Eligibility for admission to The College of Saint Rose graduate programs is typically based upon the following minimum requirements:

  1. Submission of a completed application and a Statement of Purpose of approximately 300 words detailing the applicant’s goals for graduate study.
  2. Evidence of the possession of a U.S.  baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited institution through submission of official transcripts from all post-secondary education.
  3. Academic and professional qualifications for graduate study, as indicated by two letters of recommendation. The Communication Sciences & Disorders program requires three letters of recommendation.
  4. A grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), overall and in the undergraduate major.
  5. Other admission criteria specified by academic programs such as submission of resumes, writing samples, portfolios, test scores, and participation in interviews or admissions workshops.

Applicants to The College of Saint Rose are responsible for completing their applications by submitting all required components. Prospective students may wish to visit our website at www.strose.edu/gradapply for online application.


See Graduate Admissions section for more information.

Financial Aid


The College of Saint Rose has long been committed to the premise that a quality education should be within the reach of qualified students. To this end, the College serves its student body through a comprehensive program of federal, state, and institutional financial aid. While the basic responsibility for financing education lies with the students and their families, scholarships, loans, and/or assistantships can supplement insufficient family resources. The amount of aid available through the College is limited and is awarded on the basis of academic merit. All financial assistance from the College is subject to adjustment if the recipients are later granted aid from other sources. Financial aid awards are contingent upon students’ maintaining good academic standing and satisfactory academic progress.

See Financial Aid section for more information.

Find Out More: