Starting this fall, Siena College and Albany Law School are offering two new ways for students to earn both a master of science in accounting and a juris doctor degree.
The first agreement provides students who have already earned their J.D. from Albany Law with up to nine credits toward the completion of their M.S.A. at Siena, located about 6 miles from the law school in Albany, N.Y. Qualified students would be able to earn their M.S.A. in less than a year after completing their J.D.
The second agreement will assist students in simultaneously earning their J.D. from Albany Law and M.S.A. from Siena. Students will first be accepted to Albany Law, and after a year of study will begin taking courses at both schools. Siena will provide the students with up to nine credits toward an M.S.A., and Albany Law will provide up to 12 elective credits toward a J.D. Students enrolled full time will be able to graduate with their J.D. and M.S.A. degrees in four years.
“We are very pleased to offer this new program with Siena College,” said Alicia Ouellette, Albany Law School’s president and dean. “We have a growing number of students interested in both legal and financial matters and in pursuing careers in these fields, and this program will better prepare them.”
Fields such as financial planning, corporate accountancy, tax and estate planning and others often require expertise in both law and accounting, and the schools hope graduates will have the educational background necessary to serve their clients.
Upon receiving both degrees at graduation, they will be qualified to sit for both the certified public accountant exam and the state bar exam.
This is the second agreement between Siena and Albany Law. They also offer a 4+3 early admission program, where Siena graduates are guaranteed admission to Albany Law upon successful completion of their bachelor’s degree with a cumulative 3.3 G.P.A.
