Certificate in Accounting
Certificate in Risk Management & Insurance
Certificate in Accounting
What is the Certificate in Accounting?
The certificate will be comprised of the core set of accounting courses considered the minimal education necessary to prepare for a career, or graduate study, in accounting. It is designed to meet the needs of career changers who already possess an undergraduate degree in another field.
The undergraduate certificate program includes the foundation courses that are pre-requisite to graduate study in accounting; career changers who are interested in obtaining graduate education in accounting will be able to earn a certificate while meeting the accounting foundation requirements for graduate study. In addition, the certificate will allow individuals, who do not wish to incur the expense of pursuing, or do not qualify to pursue, a graduate degree, to demonstrate completion of the accounting core.
Career changers who already have completed an undergraduate course of study will have earned, at the completion of the certificate program, 136, or more, hours of the 150-hour requirement to sit for the CPA exam. Individuals who want to sit for the CPA exam should also take BUS 280 (Legal Environment of Business). Those who need additional credits to meet the 150-hour requirement and who do not wish to enter a graduate degree program, can take additional accounting electives and/or other business or undergraduate courses of interest to meet the credit hour requirement to sit for the CPA exam.
Program of Study
The following Foundation Courses (six credits) are pre-requisites to one or more of the courses included in the Accounting Certificate.
Foundation Courses (6 Credit Hours)
- ACC 110 Financial Accounting Information for Decision Making (3 cr)
- ACC 211 Managerial Accounting Information for Decision Making (3 cr)
The certificate program will consist of 16 credit hours composed of six required core courses, all of which are existing USM School of Business courses. Courses must be taken in the order required by the pre-requisite structure in effect.
Required Courses for the Certificate (16 Credit Hours)
- ACC 221 The Financial Accounting Cycle* (1 cr)
- ACC 301 Financial Reporting I (3 cr)
- ACC 302 Financial Reporting II (3 cr)
- ACC 329 Accounting Information Systems (3 cr)
- ACC 410 Auditing and Assurance (3 cr)
- ACC 413 Concepts and Strategies of Taxation (3 cr)
* Certificate students may opt to test-out of ACC 221.
Enrollment in specific courses is based on eligibility criteria and availability of space in the courses. Enrollment in some courses may be restricted or prohibited in any given semester due to high demand from degree students. Admission into the certificate program does not guarantee admission into any other USM program or enrollment in any specific course.
Certificate Requirements
Students must complete the required 16 credit hours within four years after the application date and must earn a minimum 2.33 cumulative GPA (with a minimum grade of C- in each course) to obtain the certificate. Students may be able to apply earned certificate course credit towards an undergraduate business degree at USM with an accounting major as long as a minimum 2.33 GPA for certificate program courses is earned.
Students who have completed required coursework elsewhere, prior to admission to the certificate program, may petition to substitute up to three credits (one course) of another 400-level ACC course for one of the required courses (a grade of C or better in the course taken elsewhere is required).
Non-matriculated students enrolled in this certificate program will not be eligible for financial aid.
Application Procedure
An application is available here. The recommended application deadlines for the program are August 15th for the fall semester and January 1st for the spring semester; however, applications will be accepted after those dates. Applicants to this program will be instructed to mail completed applications with a $50 application fee payable to:
Accounting Certificate Coordinator
School of Business
University of Southern Maine
PO Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104-9300
Admission Requirements
Admission to this certificate program requires the completion of a certificate application form. Admission will be limited to those with either: 1) an undergraduate degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.33, or 2) a masters level (or above) degree.
Who can be contacted for more information?
Justin Swift
University of Southern Maine
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104-9300
Phone: 207.780.4022
E-mail: jswift@usm.maine.edu
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Certificate in Risk Management & Insurance
What is the Certificate in Risk Management & Insurance?
The Risk Management and Insurance (“RMI”) certificate is an undergraduate-level, for-credit certificate program offered by the School of Business at the University of Southern Maine. It has been specifically designed for those working in risk management, insurance, or financial services who either already have an undergraduate degree but maybe not a formal insurance education or have not completed an undergraduate degree and there’s little desire to obtain one. Students currently enrolled in a non-business degree plan at USM are also permitted to take advantage of the RMI certificate program.
The program coursework consists of 15 total credit hours. There are three required RMI courses and two business elective courses, as follows:
Required RMI courses (9 credit hours):
- RMI 220 Introduction to Risk Management and Insurance (3 cr)
- RMI 330 Health, Life, and Disability Insurance (3 cr)
- RMI 350 Managing Risk with Property and Liability Insurance (3 cr)
Business elective courses (chose any TWO for a total of 6 credit hours):
- ACC 110 Financial Accounting Information for Decision Making (3 cr)
- BUS 190 Personal Finance (3 cr)
- BUS 200 Introduction to Business (3 cr)
- BUS 260 Marketing (3 cr)
- BUS 280 Legal Environment of Business (3 cr)
- BUS 340 Managing Organizational Behavior (3 cr)
The certificate program utilizes existing School of Business courses taught by USM faculty, most of which have sections that are offered in the late afternoon or evening every semester.
Students must complete the required 15 credit hours within four years after the application date and must earn a minimum 2.33 cumulative GPA to obtain the certificate. Students may be able to apply earned certificate course credit towards an undergraduate business degree at USM as long as a minimum 2.33 GPA for certificate program courses is earned.
Related courses previously taken in associate or baccalaureate degree programs at regionally accredited colleges and universities in which a minimum grade of C+ was earned may be applied towards the non-RMI business elective courses. Previous course credit older than 10 years will not be accepted. Transfer credit will not be permitted at all for the required RMI courses.
Can courses translate into credit towards a professional designation?
The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research has agreed to allow students who successfully complete the RMI 350 course (Managing Risk with Property & Liability Insurance) to receive automatic credit for one of the five components of their Certified Risk Managers (“CRM”) designation. Because the National Alliance has a “CRM for CIC” program already in place, credit for the RMI 350 course will at the same time satisfy one of the five parts of the Certified Insurance Counselors (“CIC”) designation.
The National Alliance does not require students to be enrolled in the RMI degree program or the RMI certificate program to benefit from this relationship. Indeed, those already holding the CRM designation can satisfy the full year’s annual update requirement by successfully completing RMI 350.
What is the application process for this program?
An application is available here. The recommended application deadlines for the program are August 15th for the fall semester and January 1st for the spring semester; however, applications will be accepted after those dates. Applicants should mail completed applications with a $50 program fee payable to:
School of Business
RMI Certificate Program
University of Southern Maine
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104-9300
What are the requirements for admission into the program?
Admission to the RMI certificate program requires the completion of a certificate application form and payment of the application fee. Admission will be limited to those with either: 1) a minimum cumulative 2.33 GPA in at least 54 previous semester hours of college credit, or 2) a minimum of three years of risk management, insurance, or other financial services work experience. Applicants relying on the latter admission requirement will need to provide evidence of at least a high school diploma, or its equivalent.
Enrollment in specific courses is based on eligibility criteria and availability of space in the courses. Enrollment in some highly demanded courses may be restricted or prohibited in any given semester. Admission into the certificate program does not guarantee admission into any other USM program or enrollment in any specific course.
Who can be contacted for more information?
Justin Swift
University of Southern Maine
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104-9300
Phone: 207.780.4022
E-mail: jswift@usm.maine.edu
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