7 minute read
Online Graduate Accounting Programs Launched
By Kirsten Shaw
The online classroom is equipped with a 4K camera and TV studio-quality background and lighting. Here, Dr. Brad Lang uses the Wacom tablet to make notes that can be seen both onscreen in the classroom and at home. A graduate student records each class and monitors the sound and video quality from a control room. Photo by Megan Bean
Tracy Morgan is both a teacher and a student. The Clinton, MS, resident is a full-time Accounting and Business Professor at Holmes Community College and an Adjunct Accounting Instructor at Mississippi College. This past fall, she also became an inaugural enrollee in Mississippi State’s online graduate accounting program.
“I had applied to another online program when Mississippi State announced plans to offer their graduate accounting degrees online,” says Morgan. “I decided to wait until I could enroll at State.”
Morgan earned her undergraduate degree in accounting in 1991 at Mississippi College, followed by an MBA from MC and additional accounting work at MC and Jackson State University. She is a CPA and a member of the Mississippi Society of CPAs’ Awards, Education and Scholarships Committee.
“The MSU Master of Taxation offers an opportunity for me, as an educator, to keep abreast of new tax rules and regulations and to learn about data analytics – the emerging topic in accounting,” she says, noting that analytics is now a component of the CPA Exam.
The online option means her own teaching does not have to be disrupted as she earns her next degree.
The Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy’s (ASAC) highly regarded Master of Taxation (MTX) and Master of Public Accountancy (MPA) degrees were both offered online for the first time this past fall.
“The School of Accountancy is at the forefront of re-envisioning how graduate accounting education is delivered,” states ASAC Director and Professor Dr. Shawn Mauldin. “The online delivery of these programs is the right path forward and is in line with the mission of the University, the College of Business and the School.”
A gift of more than $1.7 million by the Richard C. Adkerson Family Foundation was announced in the fall of 2020, facilitating the establishment of the online graduate accounting programs and making MSU one of the early SEC schools to do so. Funds have been invested in staffing, technology to outfit a dedicated classroom, marketing of the programs and more. The gift also enabled support of students underrepresented in the accounting field, creating fellowships for African Americans enrolled full time in the programs and endowing a student chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants.
The full curricula of the MTX and MPA programs are offered online. Students may begin in the fall, spring or summer and complete either degree in 12 months or on a part-time schedule.
The first students come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are MSU alumni; others are not. Some are changing careers. Some, like Morgan, have returned to school after working for some years, while others enrolled immediately following their undergraduate studies – like Zy’Keyah Horn.
Horn, an MPA student, completed her undergraduate degree at Mississippi State last spring and is now working with Parker-Hannifin, a Fortune 250 engineering company focused on motion and control technologies. She is an Accounting Leadership Development Associate, a position in which she works in three month rotations to gain experience in various aspects of the company and of accounting. Over the summer, she worked in their water purification division in California in areas like payroll and accounts receivable, while her fall stint has been at the hydraulic and fuel filtration division in Perrysburg, OH, focusing on tasks like accounts receivable and fixed assets.
“I was planning to stay on campus to get my master’s degree but heard about this job from my advisor, Trina Pollan, and it sounded interesting,” shares Horn, who plans to pursue a CPA designation. “When an offer came from the company, I wanted to take it. Having the online option meant I could do both!”
With the demand for online education having been accelerated by the pandemic and other factors, the options are growing exponentially. As with most content in the digital realm, there’s the good and the not-so-good – those seeking to educate and those whose purpose is profit ahead of substance. As online offerings have expanded, a major challenge for prospective students is in discerning quality. Is the program accredited? Is the degree path a little too fast and easy? What support services are offered?
With Mississippi State, they are assured of the quality because it is the same accredited curricula offered on campus. Online graduate accounting students take the same courses as their in-person counterparts, studying under the same faculty and meeting the same rigorous demands. They have access to MSU advising and career services.
As a result, much attention and investment went into developing a high-tech online classroom. ASAC sought the input of MSU’s University Television Center in designing a studio-style background and lighting. The classroom is equipped with a high-definition 4K camera that can follow a professor’s movement. A control room houses a graduate student during each class to start and stop the recording, monitor the video and audio throughout, and zoom in or out on the instructor as needed. The sound system includes microphones not only for the professor, but also above the in-person students, so their online peers can hear questions that are asked. The professor has a large Wacom tablet to make notes that can be seen onscreen in the classroom and at home, and the room has its own dedicated server to ensure dependable delivery. While graduate class sizes are kept small, the room was built to accommodate up to 80 face-to-face students, to allow for flexibility in future uses.
“We’re in the same system, the same discussion boards, as the in-person students,” notes Morgan. “The professors have been very relatable and responsive to questions. In the class videos, we see them teach and interact with students and hear what those students are asking. I’ve enjoyed that aspect so much, I’ve incorporated some of it in my own online classes.”
ASAC faculty members received thorough training on the use of the new technology, and MSU Online, the University’s Center for Distance Education, aided ASAC in developing effective online teaching practices.
“At first, I was nervous about being online instead of in the classroom, but I really want to commend my professors,” volunteers Horn. “Every one of them has been extremely helpful and responded quickly when I’ve had concerns or questions.”
The graduate programs are also being supported through the expansion of undergraduate online offerings. These additions allow graduates of other business disciplines who want to pursue a CPA designation or graduate degree in accounting to complete the prerequisites for either accounting master’s program. Principles of Accounting I and II, previously offered online, have been joined by Cost Accounting, Intermediate Accounting I and II, Income Tax and Auditing.
To learn more about the Adkerson School of Accountancy’s online offerings, visit www.online.msstate.edu/mtpa.
MSU's NABA officers (from left) are Shamyra Edmond, Professional Development/ Event Planning Chair; Jay Parks, Marketing/ Public Relations Chair; Chrissy Major, President; Wynton Johnson, Treasurer; Raven Smith, Student Chapter Reporting Chair; and Maxwell Perkins, Vice President.
Photo courtesy of Chrissy Major
Bridging the Gap
“Lifting As We Climb” is the motto of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). Among the latest to adopt this aim are members of the new NABA chapter at Mississippi State.
To help bridge the opportunity gap for African American professionals, NABA provides education, professional development, financial resources, and career connections to its more than 200,000 professional and student members.
“NABA is the oldest and largest professional organization focused on African Americans in accounting, finance and related business professions,” shares chapter President Chrissy Major. “To me this means having the opportunity to connect with my peers as well as professionals across the globe. The motto of ‘Lifting as We Climb’ is seen in the resources they equip students with, whether that be internship opportunities, career development or access to The Business Learning Institute’s collection of self-study courses.”
“NABA is an excellent national organization run by some fantastic individuals,” states COB advisor Trina Pollan. “Equally so is our MSU chapter. Networking is a terrific benefit of being involved. Students get to engage in fellowship with one another, campus professionals and industry representatives. The organization goes out of its way to provide every resource possible to its membership.”
Endowed through a gift from the Richard C. Adkerson Family Foundation, the MSU chapter meets twice monthly. Some topics professionals have presented during the fall include financial literacy, culture assessments and how to determine if a firm’s values match one’s own and the various levels at CPA firms and how to work up to partnership. Subjects in the spring will include interview skills, professional attire, dinner etiquette and diversity in the workplace. In addition, presenters often discuss their own experiences as well as opportunities at their firms.
The chapter’s executive board and other members have also been able to participate in some leadership meetings hosted by the national organization via video conferencing.
