Finance and Accounting Degree Programs at Clarion University
Clarion University is also featured in our ranking of the Top 35 Online Master’s in Accounting Degree Programs.
Clarion University offers a Master of Science (MS) in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in Accounting. The undergraduate program introduces students to financial topics and accounting principles. Majors can choose a CPA, industry or internal audit concentration to focus their studies in one of these fields. All accounting majors need to complete the business core, which includes Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Economics and Business Statistics and Legal Environment of Business. They will also take accounting courses and classes from within their concentrations such as Internal Auditing, Principles of Marketing and Comparative Accounting Systems.
In the MS in Accounting program, students develop the skills and gain the knowledge they need to pass the CPA exam in Pennsylvania. Students who took prerequisite courses in college can enter the program directly and begin taking required courses that include Database Management Systems, Introduction to Data Warehousing, Advanced Auditing and Operations Management and Information Systems. Other courses include Public Accounting, Business Taxation, and Federal Tax Research. Based on how well they do in their classes, their professors may allow students to take advanced courses without taking the prerequisites first.
Also available is an accounting certificate program for students who want to take the Pennsylvania CPA exam. It takes 12 months to complete this program. Clarion designed it for students who studied business and accounting in an undergraduate program but still need to meet the requirements to take the state exam. The program features 15 classes that are worth 45 credits. Students can take five classes in the fall, spring and summer terms. They’ll need to take Comparative Accounting Systems, Problems in Federal Taxation Accounting, Tax Planning, Advanced Accounting, and Forensic Accounting and Fraud.
Through the Department of Finance, undergrads can earn a BSBA in Finance. This prepares students to take the exam needed to become a certified financial planner (CFP). Majors must take the same business core that accounting majors do and a group of advanced courses, including Financial Management, Principles of Marketing, Operations Management and Management Theory and Practice. Finance majors can also choose concentrations in corporate finance or personal financial planning. The corporate finance track includes Management of Financial Institutions, Financial Problems, Investments, and Medical Care Finance. Some of the courses that personal financial planning majors take include Fundamentals of Insurance, Real Estate Finance, Tax Planning, and Retirement and Estate Planning.
About Clarion University
Clarion University is a public university that belongs to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Established in 1867, it opened as the Carrier Seminary of Western Pennsylvania with an emphasis on theology and religious study programs. The seminary added a normal school in 1871 that became so popular that the seminary closed down a few years later. This paved the way for the campus to become the Clarion State Normal School and later the Clarion University of Pennsylvania. It adopted this name after the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took over the operations of the campus. Often called Clarion today, it now has a regional campus in Oil City, an affiliated campus in Pittsburgh and the main campus in Clarion, Pennsylvania.
Clarion University Accreditation Details
Clarion obtained regional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and is in good standing with that organization. Students who demonstrate need on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can get financial aid every year that they stay at the university. They can use this form because of Clarion’s regional accreditation. Both the finance and accounting programs available at the university have accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) too.
Clarion University of Pennsylvania Application Requirements
Prospective Clarion undergrads need to take four units of English and math, three units of science and lab and two units of foreign language and social studies classes in high school. They need to provide transcripts that clearly show they took these courses and the grades that they earned. It should also show their cumulative grade point averages, with the university looking for those with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The university will make its final decision based on the strength of the classes the student took, their extracurricular interests and their test scores. In addition to completing the Clarion application, students need to submit their transcripts and standardized test scores.
Graduate students need a strong background in the subject they want to study and a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Clarion asks for undergrad transcripts unless the student attended the university. They also need to provide a score from the GMAT, MAT or GRE. The university recommends that students have those scores sent at least six weeks before the semester begins. Though the accounting program does not require letters of recommendation, students can submit one to three letters if they think the information will strengthen their applications.
Tuition and Financial Aid
At Clarion University, undergrads pay $3,850 per term to take classes online or the main campus if they are also Pennsylvania residents. Nonresidents attending the university pay $5,785 for tuition on the main campus and $4,167 online. When Clarion adds in their fees, students pay $5,574.40 to $8,014.10 each semester. These rates do not include the cost that undergrads pay to live on-campus. Graduate students pay $676.60 per credit hour to take online classes and $740.60 to take traditional courses if they are residents of the state. Nonresident graduate students pay $771.0 per credit in an online program and $1,075.10 in a traditional program.
The university understands that many students need financial aid, which is why it encourages incoming students to submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after it goes live in October. Among the aid that they can get are loans and work-study. With work-study, they spend up to 10 hours working for the university in an on-campus position. Some jobs are available as part of this program away from the campus too. Students can use loans to cover their costs and combine those loans with the awards they get from the university and the grants that the state government offers. Assistantships and other programs are available for the graduate students enrolled in accounting and finance degree programs offered by Clarion University too.
