Siena College and Albany Law School have signed two articulation agreements designed to enable 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. 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. Under this agreement, 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.
The agreements will be effective for the fall of 2017.
“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.”
“This dual degree program will significantly improve the marketability of the graduates,” said Margaret E. Madden, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs at Siena. “There are many companies and organizations that are looking for employees with expertise in both business and law.”
Charles F. Seifert, Ph.D., dean of the School of Business at Siena, explained that fields such as financial planning, corporate accountancy, tax and estate planning and others require expertise in both law and accounting, and these 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.
“Law students in this program can eliminate almost a year of study if they complete this joint program, compared to pursuing an M.S.A. and a J.D. separately,” said Dean Seifert. “They will save on tuition costs and be able to begin their careers and earnings sooner.”
This is the second articulation 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.
