Success is inside.
Tradition and Experience
Mountain State University was founded in 1933 in Beckley, West Virginia. MSU is an independent, not-for-profit, regionally accredited- university offering traditional classroom-based education as well as a number of online degree programs. Mountain State University believes in the value of lifelong learning and the power of knowledge to transform lives. We respond to educational needs by providing accessible, innovative undergraduate and graduate programs that lead to opportunities for personal and professional success.
Convenience and Accessibility
Mountain State University's online degree format allows students to experience all the benefits of a traditional classroom setting, including personal interaction with instructors and classmates, from the comfort of their own home. Our courses run in eight-week sessions. Students have the flexibility to complete those sessions through either part-time or full-time study, with no group projects and NO scheduled meeting times! Students can log in at whatever hour is most convenient depending upon their individual schedule. In addition, each student is assigned a permanent enrollment coordinator who works with them in planning their best path forward.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Mountain State University has one of the least expensive tuition rates of any college offering online degrees. We participate in federal financial aid programs (Pell Grants and Stafford Loans), and online students are eligible to apply for financial aid by completing a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid). More than 80% of all undergraduate students at Mountain State University receive some form of financial aid.
Accreditation
MSU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association. Regional accreditation means that your credits will be recognized nationwide.
Hospitality (Bachelor's)
Business Administration - Hospitality - With the rise of the service industry, opportunities abound. The hospitality program covers every aspect from food and beverage planning to hospitality operations and resort management. Companies are increasingly emphasizing specialized training in hotel, restaurant, or hospitality management for most hotel management positions, so college graduates with degrees in this area will have the most job opportunities.
Healthcare Management (Bachelor's)
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are new jobs created in healthcare than in any other industry. And Mountain State's Bachelor of Science in Business Administration — Healthcare Management will help you qualify for many of these new employment opportunities.
The B.S. Healthcare Management program provides both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to enter a professional business career in the healthcare industry. The program offers an intensive examination of the planning, organizing, and controlling functions of a management professional in the healthcare field.
Medical Assisting (Associate's)
The outlook for Medical Assisting is very bright. According to national labor statistics, Medical Assisting is the fastest-growing allied health profession in the US.
The Mountain State University medical assisting program trains students to perform both clinical and administrative (business) skills-thus, the program is housed in both the School of Health Sciences and the School of Business and Technology.
People who want to help and care for others, but are not drawn to being physicians or nurses, are good candidates to enter the field of medical assisting. People who have a business background or an interest in management enter medical assisting because they can build on their skills, possibly leading to a clinic management position.
The medical assisting program comprises general studies in the humanities, business, and the natural sciences along with preparation for clinical and administrative health care positions. Medical assistant positions often include such tasks as:
Reception
• Appointment scheduling
• Medical coding and transcribing
• Computer use
• Taking patient histories
• Taking and recording vital signs
• Administrating medication
• Assisting the physician with minor procedures
• Venipuncture and giving injections
Students learn to run the "front" office and can schedule appointments, answer the phone, call in prescriptions, prepare and maintain patient charts, do billing and collections, process insurance claims, transcribe medical documents, and perform many other administrative duties.
Students also learn to assist the physician in the "back" office, which is the clinical area. They take patient histories, screen patients, take and record vital signs, do basic laboratory tests, do EKGs, perform venipuncture, give injections, and assist the physician with different procedures.
Graduates are then eligible to sit for the Certified Medical Assisting exam, a national test which, when passed, give the privilege of using the credential CMA (Certified Medical Assistant).
Accounting (Associate's)
Mountain State University offers both an online Associate's Degree and an online Bachelor's Degree in Accounting.
Accounting is a demanding profession that provides its professionals with both economic and psychological rewards. Although there is a popular impression that accountants deal with numbers only, the truth is that accounting is primarily a people business. The best accountants enjoy working with people and are excellent communicators; they are also team players, and logical and creative problem solvers.
Employees already working as bookkeepers and tax preparers are drawn to an Accounting degree as a way to further their knowledge. Members of the banking industry, and federal and state employees working in related fields, also seek Accounting degrees to expand their career options.
An Accounting degree provides a base from which to build broad knowledge about all business functions - purchasing, manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, and marketing.
The MSU online Accounting degree programs are designed to prepare students for leadership positions in the business community.
The Bachelor's degree qualifies graduates for a career in Accounting on either a basic or a CPA track. The basic track is recommended for those who do not plan to take the CPA exam and is also suitable for those who plan to complete additional credit hours in a master's degree program. While there are state-to-state variations in CPA exam requirements, Mountain State University's CPA track meets most state requirements.
A Bachelor's degree in Accounting can lead to several different career paths, including:
• Public Accounting: You may become an employee of a public accounting firm or you may become a CPA in business for yourself.
• Industrial or Managerial Accounting: In this case, you are employed by a for-profit company to provide a variety of financial and managerial accounting services. You are part of the "team" and the financial information you analyze and interpret is used by corporate executives to make business decisions.
• Not-for-Profit Accounting: Still other accountants are employed by a governmental or other organization that is not profit motivated. These accountants provide a variety of financial and managerial accounting services including processing payroll and reviewing regulatory reports and tax returns to determine compliance.
Graduates of the MSU Accounting programs are working in public accounting, private industry and governmental accounting.
The B.S. in accounting qualifies graduates for a career in accounting on either a basic or a CPA track. The basic track is recommended for those who do not plan to take the CPA exam. Since it meets all CPA exam requirements except the 150-hour requirement, however, it is also suitable for those who plan to complete additional credit hours in a master's degree program. The CPA track meets all CPA exam requirements.
An A.S. in accounting is also available. Both the B.S. and A.S. are offered online as well as through traditional classroom study.
CPA Exam Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility for the CPA exam requires 150 semester hours, including the following:
• Accounting—27 hours, including 6 hours of financial accounting and 3 hours each of auditing; accounting information systems; tax; and cost, managerial, or fund accounting
• Business law—6 hours
• Business electives—27 hours, including 3 hours each of finance, economics, marketing, management, and statistics
Accounting (Bachelor's)
Mountain State University offers both an online Associate's Degree and an online Bachelor's Degree in Accounting.
Accounting is a demanding profession that provides its professionals with both economic and psychological rewards. Although there is a popular impression that accountants deal with numbers only, the truth is that accounting is primarily a people business. The best accountants enjoy working with people and are excellent communicators; they are also team players, and logical and creative problem solvers.
Employees already working as bookkeepers and tax preparers are drawn to an Accounting degree as a way to further their knowledge. Members of the banking industry, and federal and state employees working in related fields, also seek Accounting degrees to expand their career options.
An Accounting degree provides a base from which to build broad knowledge about all business functions - purchasing, manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, and marketing.
The MSU online Accounting degree programs are designed to prepare students for leadership positions in the business community.
The Bachelor's degree qualifies graduates for a career in Accounting on either a basic or a CPA track. The basic track is recommended for those who do not plan to take the CPA exam and is also suitable for those who plan to complete additional credit hours in a master's degree program. While there are state-to-state variations in CPA exam requirements, Mountain State University's CPA track meets most state requirements.
A Bachelor's degree in Accounting can lead to several different career paths, including:
• Public Accounting: You may become an employee of a public accounting firm or you may become a CPA in business for yourself.
• Industrial or Managerial Accounting: In this case, you are employed by a for-profit company to provide a variety of financial and managerial accounting services. You are part of the "team" and the financial information you analyze and interpret is used by corporate executives to make business decisions.
• Not-for-Profit Accounting: Still other accountants are employed by a governmental or other organization that is not profit motivated. These accountants provide a variety of financial and managerial accounting services including processing payroll and reviewing regulatory reports and tax returns to determine compliance.
Graduates of the MSU Accounting programs are working in public accounting, private industry and governmental accounting.
The B.S. in accounting qualifies graduates for a career in accounting on either a basic or a CPA track. The basic track is recommended for those who do not plan to take the CPA exam. Since it meets all CPA exam requirements except the 150-hour requirement, however, it is also suitable for those who plan to complete additional credit hours in a master's degree program. The CPA track meets all CPA exam requirements.
An A.S. in accounting is also available. Both the B.S. and A.S. are offered online as well as through traditional classroom study.
CPA Exam Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility for the CPA exam requires 150 semester hours, including the following:
• Accounting—27 hours, including 6 hours of financial accounting and 3 hours each of auditing; accounting information systems; tax; and cost, managerial, or fund accounting
• Business law—6 hours
• Business electives—27 hours, including 3 hours each of finance, economics, marketing, management, and statistics
Human Resource Management (Bachelor's)
Business Administration - Human Resources Management - Many human resources managers not only manage the administrative function of their departments, but they also consult top executives regarding strategic planning and lead the company in suggesting and changing policies. More than ever, senior management is recognizing the significance of the human resources department to their financial success.
In the Human Resources track, students learn:
• Compensation Management
• Recruitment and personnel selection
• Strategic human relations management
Marketing (Associate's)
Business Administration - Marketing - The marketing concentration includes an intensive examination of campaign planning and execution including formulating an initial business plan, pricing, advertising, and distribution. Students will also learn the critical thinking and the research necessary to evaluate a conceptual idea.
Marketing (Bachelor's)
Business Administration - Marketing - The marketing concentration includes an intensive examination of campaign planning and execution including formulating an initial business plan, pricing, advertising, and distribution. Students will also learn the critical thinking and the research necessary to evaluate a conceptual idea.
Finance (Bachelor's)
Business Administration - Finance - Every firm, government agency, and organization has one or more financial managers who oversee the preparation of financial reports, direct investment activities, and implement cash management strategies. With the increasing power of computers to provide financial forecasting, many financial managers spend more of their time quantifying strategies and implementing the long-term goals of their organization.
Business Management (Bachelor's)
Business Administration - Management - The management concentration fosters skills to help you build a successful team, manage people effectively and learn what it takes to become a great decision-maker and leader. Students receive in-depth training on the financial, marketing, operational, and human resource development skills that are needed to manage profitable companies.
Management (Associate's)
Business Administration - Management - The Business Administration associate degree program with the management concentration fosters skills in achieving the efficient and effective completion of organizational work activities through people. It includes an intensive examination of the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling functions.