Rutgers offers courses at reduced tuition for professionals charged with improving accountability of state government

Rutgers Business School and the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) are partnering to make two online graduate-level academic programs more accessible to NASACT members interested in academic training and professional development.

Rutgers Business School will provide NASACT members reduced tuition of 25 percent on courses offered through the Online Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting Program and the Online Certificate in Government Financial Management Program. The incentives will be offered in the form of scholarships as part of a three-year pilot program created by a memorandum of understanding between Rutgers and NASACT.

“The agreement between Rutgers Business School and NASACT reflects the potential of a joint effort and strategic partnership between a large public business school and government,” said Rutgers Business School Dean Lei Lei. “With more ability to enroll in the Master of Governmental Accounting program, NASACT’s members will gain the knowledge and skills to be even more impactful in their state government roles.” 

Interested in learning more about the Online Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting Program? Register to attend an online information session on June 1 at noon. (Eastern Time)

A professional association of state auditors, comptrollers, and treasurers in the U.S., NASACT’s mission is to facilitate efforts to improve the transparency, accountability, and financial management of state governments. The association has 186 member organizations that employ more than 21,000 staff.

“We believe this relationship will not only assist in our immediate need for high-quality training but could eventually lead to other joint efforts such as collaborating on applied research in governmental accounting and auditing in state governments,” said Kinney Poynter, executive director of NASACT.

Rutgers Business School’s specialty master’s program and certificate program puts it in a unique position to help NASACT address its challenge to provide advanced-level and affordable training to its members.

The Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting is the only program of its kind in the U.S. available entirely online. The program was recently ranked the No. 5 best online master’s in business program for accounting in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. Courses are taught by industry leaders and the 30 required credits can be completed part-time around a full-time job.

Lynn Azarchi, the acting director of the Office of Budget and Management for the State of New Jersey is an example of how professionals move from the private sector into the public sector and can be enriched by the governmental accounting program when they do.

“I spent about a year and a half at the start of my career in private industry. What I found when I came to the Office of Budget and Management was that government accounting and accounting for private industry can be quite different,” Azarchi said. “The Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting allowed me to gain a new level of knowledge about what I was doing every day in my job.”

“I started my career in government 22 years ago in the Office of Budget and Management, moving from staff member to supervisor to manager to assistant director, deputy director and now director,” she said. “The program helped to give me that added edge and knowledge base to progress through the ranks.”

Like the master’s program, the Graduate Certificate in Government Financial Management is available online and is a great alternative for individuals who don’t feel ready to pursue the more demanding master’s program. The certificate program requires the completion of four online courses, which prepare students to sit for the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) exam sponsored by the Association of Government Accountants.

“We are very excited to partner with NASACT and its members in the 50 states to further our mutual goal of providing academic training to financial leaders in the public sector through our Governmental Accounting Program,” said Professor Irfan Bora, the director of the Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting Program. “Rutgers Business School’s commitment is reflected by our providing scholarship funds for members of the NASACT enrolled in both our certificate and master’s degree program.”