Before completing his bachelor’s in accounting in May 2021, Carson Sanders knew graduate school was his next step.
He’d realized pursuing an M.S. in Accounting would be the best way to both earn the academic credits he needed to sit for the CPA exam and prepare for the next stage of his career.
The only question was where to apply.
The Texas native had distinct parameters, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette met them all.
“A big motivator for me was to try and find a program that I thought would set me up really well and teach me all the skills that I needed 1) at an affordable price and 2) from a school that I was familiar with,” says Sanders. “UL Lafayette hit those boxes for me."
The B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration, which offers the M.S. in Accounting online, is among the top 1% of business schools worldwide and top 10% business schools in the U.S. accredited in both business and accounting. Offered with flat-rate tuition and no additional out-of-state costs, total tuition for the program is $14,400.
For Sanders, enrolling in UL Lafayette’s 100% online master’s in accounting degree program also fit right into the rhythm he’d already established.
Completing his bachelor’s degree in accounting in May 2021 meant Sanders’ life was essentially fully remote – his undergraduate courses had gone virtual, and his radio-station internship was remote.
“For me, I have to write everything down. If it doesn't go on paper, it doesn't happen,” says Sanders.
"I would set for the week individual tasks that I needed to do every single day. And once I finished that I was done. So even if I had more time that I could be working, I'm done. If I felt overwhelmed, as long as I could get through that one thing that I set for the day, I was good.”
Even though Sanders was learning online and geographically distant from his instructors, he was able to get the help he needed when he needed it.
“You're not just talking to a screen,” he says. “Professors were easily accessible through email, sometimes even by phone, and that made it easy to get in contact with them whenever I needed to. Even though it's online, they had an idea of who you were and where you were from."
Sanders was also able to grow his professional network by connecting with his fellow online grad students.
"We did some group projects, and we did a lot of discussion posts. It was nice to get to talk to everybody and get to connect with people that are doing the same thing you're doing,” he says. “A lot of the people that I talked to were also working at least part time, and it was it was kind of a bonding experience.”
With his CPA exams around the corner, Sanders says he’s ready not just for the test but for the start of his career.
“I feel a lot more confident not only in my abilities to pass the CPA exams, but also just in my career as an accountant as a finance professional,” Sanders says. “Having this extra knowledge base and perspective is so helpful.”