Bachelor's-MS in Accounting 4+1

Get a head start on your education and career with a dual degree in accounting

Today’s global economy, changing regulations and tighter integration across key business functions have created an unprecedented demand for skilled accountants. Sacred Heart’s Bachelor’s-Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) 4+1 Dual Degree program allows incoming first-year students the opportunity to complete an undergraduate and a graduate degree in five years.

The dual degree program will prepare you to be the accounting professional that high-powered organizations seek. Sacred Heart’s program helps students prepare for the new CPA model and meet the needs of businesses to hire skilled accountants.

Combined with advisement from their undergraduate academic advisor, participation in activities offered by the Welch College of Business & Technology and participation in activities offered by the Accounting program provide strong support toward successful progression into graduate study. 

Students in the MSA Dual Degree Program earn a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science in accounting degree in five years. Students complete the bachelor’s degree in the traditional four-year time frame and complete one year of graduate study in the MSA program, earning both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree within five years. This option is open to students in the following undergraduate majors: Accounting, Business Economics or Finance.

Dual degree students pursuing the MSA degree may complete up to six credits toward their graduate degree during their undergraduate studies. These credits count toward both the undergraduate and the graduate degrees. Students, therefore, save on the cost of graduate tuition as these credits are included in the cost of the full-time undergraduate tuition.

Advance Your Career

Many of our graduates receive employment offers from Big Four accounting firms, large and mid-sized regional accounting firms, multinational corporations and government agencies. Career paths include:

Why choose a dual degree at Sacred Heart?

Find support

In addition to an academic adviser for their bachelor’s degree, students have faculty and advising resources that help them stay on track to progress into their graduate degree. Industry-specific events and student clubs are also available for students to be involved in their graduate field as undergraduates.

Save money

Students who participate in dual degree programs may save on tuition costs by completing up to six credits toward their graduate degree during their undergraduate studies.

Less stress

When you take advantage of the dual degree program, your spot in graduate school is already reserved. There’s no need for last-minute applications to graduate schools during the final months of senior year.

Criteria to Progress to the Master of Science in Accounting (MSA)

Dual degree students are guaranteed a place in the Master of Science in Accounting program provided they continue, as undergraduate students, to meet program-specific criteria to progress into enrollment in the graduate program. Dual degree students must meet program-specific guidelines to progress through the Dual Degree Program and enroll in the MSA program:

• Successful completion of the bachelor’s degree or the below classes with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to matriculate into the MSA program:
  • Accounting 222
  • Accounting 331
  • Accounting 332
  • Accounting 401
  • Accounting 421

Students apply to the dual degree program as incoming freshmen and are admitted directly into the graduate program at the same time as their admission as undergraduate students. Therefore they have a space reserved for them in the graduate program beginning in their first year, with clear criteria and achievements required to progress into the graduate program.

More Information

For additional information for prospective first-year students, contact:

Undergraduate Admissions
203-371-7880
enroll@sacredheart.edu

For additional information for current dual degree students, contact:

Graduate Admissions
203-365-7619
gradstudies@sacredheart.edu