Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was wondering if anyone knew much about the Clemson and South Carolina Master's in Accounting programs. I have been accepted to both schools and will be an out of state student. South Carolina gave me 50% scholarship and I won't find out about Clemson scholarships until the end of January. My biggest concern is big 4 recruitment(top accounting firms). It has been my dream to work for big 4 and I want to go to the school that gives me the best shot at doing that. I also plan on becoming a CPA.
I'm also wondering if one accounting program is better than the other. I can't find much information on the Clemson Master's in Accounting program for some reason. I know it is located in Greenville rather than the regular Clemson campus and I don't know much about Greenville area. I am visiting both schools in January.
Any information about these schools/programs would be very helpful and much appreciated! Thanks!
USC has a brand new $106 million School of Business building and many highly rated graduate business programs, including the number 1 Masters in International Business Program for many, many years. I don't know specifics about the accounting programs, but I know many capable graduates of USC Accounting.
Is there anything I should make sure I see during my visit? I've never been to either city and I want to make sure I see everything they both have to offer.
I would think either school would give you an equal chance of getting a Big 4 job. I know that USC feeds largely into the Charlotte offices of the Big 4 firms, and a bit into the Atlanta offices...I would guess Clemson is about the same in that regard (3 of the Big 4 have small South Carolina offices, your opportunities will likely be greater to go to either ATL or CLT areas after graduation if you want to go the Big 4 route).
Is there anything I should make sure I see during my visit? I've never been to either city and I want to make sure I see everything they both have to offer.
Neither Greenville nor Columbia are what you'd call tourist hotspots, though as mentioned, Greenville has a great Downtown/Main Street area with lots of good shops, restaurants and bars. Greenville is also a nice short drive to lots of outdoor activities in the Blue Ridge foothills and Western North Carolina (Asheville is only an hour or so away). In Columbia, check out the 5 Points and Vista areas, both within walking distance of the USC campus, again with a good selection of bars and restaurants. And from there, Charleston is only an hour and a half away for a nice weekend getaway.
Both cities are nice and offer a lot of entertainment options. But, grades are important for a Big 4 so I would not worry about it too much. The Big 4 firms in Charlotte target UNC, Wake, NC State, Duke and USC for hires. I think Atlanta's offices also pull from USC.
CPA pass rates at both schools are good so it may depend on how much money you get. Carolina's program is a deeper program and offers more due to also having a strong Phd program. There are a lot of research opportunities at Carolina which may help on a resume.
As for MBA/CPA.....it all depends on the job and school. A MBA from Carolina is a respected degree nationally and internationally. A MBA from Phoenix does not carry the same weight....hiring managers will differentiate from MBAs at a strong business school.
As a CPA who graduated from USC and went through recruitment (10 years ago!) I can tell you that it doesn't matter where you go.
They're both good programs, and the MACC as a whole is a pretty meaningless degree. I say that not to diminish the MACC, but there is no return on the investment...firms do not pay a premium for a new hire with a MACC over a candidate with a bachelors who is qualified to be a CPA (150 hours).
My advice would be to go the route that gets you the least amount of debt. And without a doubt get active in Beta Alpha Psi if your life goal is Big4.
Thanks for all of the replies! Is one area more safe than the other? I have had a hard time trying to find housing options online for Greenville or perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. I know Columbia has more of the college feel to it(from what I've read) and there's a lot of housing options. I plan on going to a bigger city after grad school like Atlanta or Charlotte.
Thanks for all of the replies! Is one area more safe than the other? I have had a hard time trying to find housing options online for Greenville or perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. I know Columbia has more of the college feel to it(from what I've read) and there's a lot of housing options. I plan on going to a bigger city after grad school like Atlanta or Charlotte.
I have a simple question... why are we giving an out of state student substantial scholarship aid since he/ she has clearly stated that upon completion of the program he would leave the state negating any chance that the grant would ever be repaid thru income tax collection once the career in state is launched ?
The grant is comes from South Carolina taxpayer monies directly or indirectly ....lend him the money so that it might be repaid ... hopefully. Obviously we cant require a student receiving such funds to stay in state post graduation ... but here the confluence of an out of state student ... ,making it clear that the he /she intends to leave the state upon graduation.
It seems to me those funds should be reserved for in state students especially at the graduate school level.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
