Finance and Accounting Degrees Offered at St. John’s University
St. John’s University appears in our ranking of the Top 15 Online Masters in Taxation.
St. John’s University offers bachelor of science degrees in accounting and finance through The Tobin College of Business as well as ten related graduate programs. Both undergraduate programs require 120 credit hours including the common core general education series and 34 to 46 credits from the basic business core. These include courses in general business concepts, accounting, legal issues, taxes, finance, management, and marketing. Students then complete 30 credit hours of advanced study in their chosen field. The main difference between the accounting and finance programs is that the former deals more with the day-to-day cash flow and processes, while the latter focuses on a big-picture view of an organization’s financial standing and investments.
The university emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience in all of their programs, and The Tobin College of Business provides students with opportunities to participate in corporate internships, service-learning programs like the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and GLOBE Micro-Loan programs, and IT seminars in SAP and other software packages. The Distinguished Scholars program is offered in both disciplines, and incoming freshmen who graduated in the top 10% of their class with at least a 1300 SAT score are eligible to apply. These scholars live together in a dormitory and participate in career development activities, internships, and a study-abroad Global Destination Course. In addition, the Financial Information Lab on campus helps finance students prepare for professional life by simulating Bloomberg terminals in real-world scenarios.
At the graduate level, there are two primary tracks leading to a master’s degree in accounting or finance, the master of science or master of business administration. The finance M.S. program is composed of 30 credit hours including courses like Portfolio Management, Ethics and Professionalism for Finance, and Fixed-Income Analysis. The M.S. degrees in taxation, risk and financial advising, and enterprise risk management all also require 30 hours including a capstone project. The Master of Science in Accounting program requires 33 credit hours and can be completed in one year either online or on campus. Graduates from this program are eligible to sit for the CPA exam.
The MBA track consists of 36 credit hours including eight core classes like Business Analytics, Managing for Global Success, and Industrial Economics. These are followed by a capstone project and three courses in the chosen concentration. For ambitious students, there are a variety of combination degrees including the accelerated bachelor’s/master’s track, the accounting M.B.A./M.S. degree, and the J.D./M.B.A. program.
About St. John’s University
St. John’s University first opened in 1870 by the Vincentian Fathers, an order of Catholic priests who modeled the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul. Initially, the school’s mission was to educate and provide spiritual and moral guidance to young, underprivileged students in Brooklyn, New York. Over the years, the school expanded and now includes the Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, and Manhattan campuses in New York and international campuses in Paris and Rome. In total, over 20,000 students are enrolled in more than 100 different degree programs. Despite its growth, the university remains true to its Vincentian roots with faculty in all disciplines stressing the importance of social responsibility and community service. While affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, there are a variety of campus programs geared toward welcoming students from all religious and social backgrounds and emphasizing the value of diversity. Many students also come from low-income families and receive scholarships and grants to help offset tuition. The U.S. News and World Report has ranked the St. John’s University business and law programs among the top 50% in the country including specializations like insurance, tax law, and dispute resolution.
St. John’s University Accreditation Details
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is responsible for regularly evaluating colleges and universities in a five-state region including New York. These reviews look at a variety of different aspects of a school including categories like Support of the Student Experience, Ethics and Integrity, and Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement. St. John’s University first met all requirements for accreditation in 1921 and passed its last site visit in 2016. While the MSCHE does a comprehensive review of each college or university, there are other groups that accredit specific departments. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business has certified both the undergraduate and graduate accounting and business programs at St. John’s.
St. John’s University Application Requirements
Prospective undergraduate students need to complete the Common Application or the St. John’s University application and send complete high school transcripts and SAT or ACT scores. Students have the option of applying test-optional and can submit a personal essay explaining this decision as well as two letters of recommendation instead of test scores. Freshmen applications are due by February 1st for regular decision admission. For all graduate programs, applicants need to submit the graduate application and provide transcripts documenting completion of an undergraduate degree. In addition, different programs have additional requirements including a resume, goal statement, GMAT or GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and/or prerequisite coursework. There is no application fee for undergraduate programs at St. John’s and a small fee for graduate applications depending on the degree program.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students enrolled online or on the Queens or Manhattan campuses can expect to pay around $40,000 each year for full-time undergraduate study. Staten Island students receive a discount with tuition costs of about $30,000. Graduate tuition depends on the specific college with accounting and finance programs offered through The Peter J. Tobin College of Business costing $1280 per credit hour for online and on-campus courses. The university offers a variety of merit-based renewable scholarships based solely on SAT or ACT scores and high school GPA ranging from $8000 to full tuition. There are also awards given based on other criteria like leadership, service, and demographic characteristics including the Catholic Scholars and Ozanam Scholars programs. At the graduate level, merit scholarships are offered for the Taxation and Risk and Financial Advisory degrees. In addition, all students are encouraged to apply for the many alumni and endowment scholarships available. Most students in the online graduate programs at St. John’s University work full-time while attending school and take advantage of tuition reimbursement programs through their employers.
