Southern New Hampshire University Online Reviews of Master's in Accounting

"Pros: If you are young and have online class experience it may work for you. Con: If you are older and not really tech savvy this is likely not the program for you! I was sold on this program because I was told there are lectures online that we could watch. The reality is that there isn't a single lecture. I couldn't figure out what was due when and stumbled across assignments by clicking on various screens. -Biggest problem and why I would warn anyone from starting this: The "academic advisors" call you to the point of harassment and they are your ONLY touch point for communication. I told them to stop calling me and drop me from this program and they insisted on continuing the harassment."

"I received a Master's in Accounting and Finance from SNHU with a GPA of 3.97. I learned a lot from the courses I took and it prepared me for getting a job in the field of my interest. The courses are set up like any online environment. You have to do discussion posts. Your posts have to be meaningful to the subject, follow the professor's guidelines, have references and not be really short. The papers also have to be well-researched and written with proper APA style grammar and reference citing. I had the option to purchase or rent text books, which I preferred especially when reading on how to perform financial calculations. I didn't really like the e-books much because of my learning style. However, I could manage with e-books and for some people I am sure they work very well. The professors were always available to help, answer questions, provide additional resources, even recapping the highlights of the modules every week. We also were made aware of what to study to prepare ourselves for the final exams. One class I really enjoyed required us to watch a movie based on corporate takeovers and write about it. We had to answer specific points in the paper relating to our book so it wasn't just a summary of the movie plot. The hardest class was the one on Cost Accounting. I received a very good grade but it was definitely a hard earned grade. I had one Professor that never responded to students and I wondered if he even read any papers or discussion posts at all. There was zero communication other than the introduction in the first week. That was probably the only negative experience I had at this school. The good thing is you can do a survey at the end of the course to point out the bad apples. Just make in constructive because if you go on a rant it can go unheard. The advisors were great and always available to assist me. I had no problems with financial aid.The Career Services person assigned to me helped fix my resume and make it presentable to employers. I learned a lot on how to search for a job and enrolled in a nationwide job search program through them based on my industry. I ended up finding a job outside of that service but the advice on my resume was extremely helpful in me landing my current job."

"As I have reviewed many comments regarding students experience at SNHU, I wanted to provide my experience during the past 3 years. SNHU is a school in which if you dont put in the effort to do the work, then you dont have any reason being in school. I found the school to be very challenging and I learned a lot over the past three years. Most of the teacher I had in both the accounting and taxation part of the program were very good. I only had an issue with one professor, with whom developed the taxation program. But after understanding his teaching style and what he expected from the students, I was able to successful complete both of his classes with a B+ in one and an A- in the other. Hence, I wanted to complete my program with a 4.0, at the end of the day, once I received my diploma in the mail, my overall GPA wasnt reflected on it (3.902) From an administration standpoint, I found my advisors and the school to be very helpful over the past 3 years. I was able to talk to my advisor anytime I needed to. When taking online classes, you must put in the effort and time to get the work done. Over the three years, I created over 720 documents for all my classes. I finished my program on December 9, 2018 and by doing so, I am now eligible to sit for the C.P.A. exam, in which I plan to take in the Spring of 2019. The school offers a lot of services, the programs are challenging and if you put in the work it can be very rewarding. My goal with to get my MS in Accounting with an emphasis in Taxation and be able to sit for the C.P.A. exam. I have reached my goal and look forward to using what I learned at SNHU in my career."

"SNHU advisors set you up for failure. The advisors and the school do not inform of you deadlines, requirements and expectations. The advisors go out of their way to prevent you from enrolling in classes. Advisor refuses to help students even after an issue he casued. I have had to put in requests for new advisors, to be talk to their supervisors and still do not get the help needed to be able to complete my degree. I am only 2-3 classes away from completing a Masters degree and SNHU is actively preventing me from finishing my degree. I have had to file an official complaint against my advisor. If SNHU does not respond to my complaint and am not allowed to finish my degree I will file a complaint against the school for discrimination and if needed hire a lawyer. My goals and career is too important to allow SNHU and an advisor with a chip on his shoulder to discriminate against me."

"I am writing this review because potential students need to be informed. I thought I found the perfect school to obtain my Master's in Accounting with Auditing. However, my issue isn't about that, my issue is about the evaluation of prerequisite courses. According to the program, if you have an undergraduate degree in Accounting, courses already taken will be waived. However, what they don't tell you is that these courses, especially the Individual Income Tax course, has to be taken within two years. Fellow students, this is rigged to force everyone to take this Income tax course again. They do not mention this in the program. I tried to dispute it but the mediator was one of their own and not neutral. So be wary. Unless you enjoy wasting money on classes you have already taken and plan on Mastering in Tax Accounting, tuition being cheaper may not be as cheap as it looks when you have to retake classes, because of their policy."

"I am at the end of my first semester at attending SNHU. I thought it would be great initially but as the weeks progressed I started to feel otherwise. Also the financial aid office just cannot seem to get it together. I emailed and called them with the information. Of course, you get the automatic email telling you your paperwork will be processed in 3-5 days. Then, they wait an entire week before telling me it couldn't be processed on a Friday afternoon and they are closing. No one could tell me earlier in the week? I also notice that my advisor likes to do the same thing. Do your job people! I am seriously considering another school, because they do not have it together. This school was a waste of time and waste of money."

"Great place to study, competent professors. Learned a lot and if I were to go back for another degree I would certainly consider SNHU."

"Beware. The cost accounting class I took had three components: online problems combined with a text; weekly discussion board postings; and a final project that had three mid-semester milestones. This was a graduate class, however, the problems and text were pretty much the same as what I had in my undergraduate class. The discussion boards were based upon articles which often times had incorrect grammar (maybe due to translation), vocabulary that contradicted the text, and publication dates from the 1970s. Additionally, the quality of discussion was disappointing - from the students and even the professor. I can honestly say that there was absolutely no value added from any of these discussion. It was frustrating. The final project had some teachable moments; it was worth nearly half the grade. There was no constructive feedback or instruction from the instructor - it is all self-taught. Overall, the content and quality of students in this class would equate to a B-worthy undergraduate class, not a graduate class."

"I found this school to be well worth the money. Good classes and the administration was very quick to respond to my questions and concerns. I paid for my own education so I had no concerns with grants and funding. The course work was of high quality and challenging. I would recommend the school to anyone wanting a quality education for a reasonable price."

"To start off my review, I want to provide some background: I entered SNHU's program to switch fields, and had already graduated from another master's program with an online degree from a different school. The online learning concept using the Blackboard platform was not new to me. I am consistently a student that earns a 3.7-3.9 in an un-scaled setting regardless of whether it's online or in person. I am not going to get into SNHU's financial services or other support areas: this review is just about the quality and caliber of education SNHU provides. SNHU, for whatever they might have once been as an academic program, now remains little more than a degree mill. I do not make this comment lightly. I took a full load of their entry level courses. They have students obtain an ebook text and an online problem set platform from Pearson My...Lab, and then it's largely hands off. The adjunct professors they hire to run the classes do not post lectures, moderate discussion boards, or provide useful feedback outside of generic encouragement. Often, they will not respond to questions in a timely fashion. They will not connect the coursework to real world experience. You are on your own for your education with a textbook and your problem sets. There is no added value from the class itself. It's just the textbook. I'm not kidding. My other online degree (using the same platform) included recorded lectures of the in person classes and had extensive moderation of the discussion boards by the professor. Not even an ounce of that was provided at SNHU. For comparison, I did switch to my state's public university to more traditional program for the same degree (Master of Science in Accounting), and the experience is night and day, for about the same cost. The professors work in the field and bring the experience into the classroom, check in to make sure you are understanding the topic matter, explain why an answer is correct or not. SNHU, for all of their advertising that they do this, too, never delivered on their promises. I switched schools with a perfect score in all of my classes at SNHU. I was not struggling at SNHU, but I wasn't learning anything either. My new school (the public university) did not accept transfer credits: the program wasn't up to their standards. What concerns me even more than SNHU's course style, though, was my academic advisor. In a traditional setting, your advisor often is a professor in your field of study and can provide advice not only on what courses to take, but how best to prepare yourself for life after college. Broadly speaking, in this field, it's the CPA exam and a heavy reliance on landing a good internship. The advisor SNHU provided did not know the course of study or the professors, had no background in business let alone accounting, and more or less played the role of a customer service representative rather than an academic advisor. When I first brought up the concern that the professors weren't teaching or participating in their own classes, I was told my concerns were escalated to a Dean, but the only result in the classes themselves was the professor commented "Good job" on everyone's introductory post. No other feedback or insights. I cannot in good conscience recommend this program. If I were a potential employer, I would have trouble trusting the education graduates of this program received. As a student, we all know this is an expense process. SNHU may have a lower price point, but the quality of education is lower, too, and the cost could be quite high to have a degree, but not the skills to back it up."

"I'm in Arizona and was enrolled at SNHU Online. I had completed 2 courses with no issues. I paid for the tuition up front and my employer reimbursed me at the end upon evidence of course completion with passing grades. However, when my company announced layoffs, I was unsure if I could be reimbursed if I was no longer employed when I completed the course. So to be safe, I sent my advisor an email within the required withdrawal period explaining my concerns and requested to withdraw from the class I had not yet started and re-enroll in a subsequent term when I was confident of continued employment. He (Matthew Boyd) was out of the office and I received an automated out of office reply. I glanced at this on my phone and assumed he would handle the situation upon his return. I wasn't worried because my email was clearly dated within the withdrawal period. However, when I received bill for the tuition, I emailed Matt and his response was that at the bottom of his out of office automated reply was the statement that if my email was regarding withdrawal, I needed to complete the proper form and submit THAT within the required withdrawal period. I did not see this and as he never followed up with me, it was now too late to file "THE FORM." I asked him if I could go ahead and file it, he said sure, but it would probably be rejected as late and I'd have to appeal, which I did and I was denied. By now, I'd missed too much of the class to actually take it, but I was still responsible for $1,800 of tuition for something I did not receive. I was extremely disappointed in their bureaucratic approach to the withdrawal process. I clearly communicated my situation to MY ADVISOR and as I had NEVER had to withdraw from a course before, I was not familiar with the process. I had expected some assistance from my "Advisor!" While I'm sure this is all "legal,” it's just bad business and I would have expected some flexibility. I would have remained a student had they offered to work with me, give me credit toward a future course, or charge a nominal penalty rather than the whole $1,800 tuition for the class (as I did not benefit from any class time). So I felt compelled to drop out of their school and never return. This all happened in January 2013 and was unable to pay $1,800 with potential unemployment from layoffs looming, so I agreed to $100/month until paid. They enthusiastically accepted that....why not, it's money for nothing? I feared for my credit score if I didn't pay. I ultimately did not lose my job and probably could have paid the balance, but as I'm still waiting for some benefit from this investment of $1,800, I figure they can wait for the “free” money. I do not believe SNHU follows fair business practices and they are they instructors and course materials are mediocre. They are supposed to be "non-profit" but they clearly made $1,800 profit off me! So just beware if you are planning to attend SNHU Online. Be sure you study all their policies because they will not be flexible."

"I loved that I could work on the assignments for each week on my own time! The instructors got an answer back to your questions quickly and many of the instructors led more than 1 course so you didn't have to learn how they grade assignments for every single class."