Online Accounting Courses
Frequently Asked Questions

ENROLLING FOR THESE COURSES:

How do I enroll in the TTU's online Accounting Career Education courses?  Send an email to accountingonline@tntech.edu.  The departmental secretary will answer by providing information about the program.  At your request, an accounting professor (or other personnel in the accounting department) will phone to discuss. 

What are the prerequisites for taking your junior and senior-level online accounting courses  Six hours of accounting principles which is the basic accounting requirement at most universities for a business degree.  Six hours of accounting are available via most all Colleges of Business and also via Tennessee's Regents Online Degree Program (RODP).

If I enroll in the RODP program to accumulate additional hours, should I list TTU as my home campus?  Since hours will directly transfer among the Tennessee universities, this is not a big issue.  However, we prefer that you list Tennessee Technological University as your home campus.

Is a formal application for admission required?  No.  You must however submit unofficial transcripts to the department along with your US postal address, county of residence, your email address, phone number, birth date, and social security number.  TTU also requires that we obtain statistical information (your sex, marital status, and ethnicity).  Submit this information via email to accountingonline@tntech.edu or by Fax to Paula Caudill at 931-372-6249.    

Can the accounting department admit me to TTU?  Once the department forwards your name and other information to admissions and records, you are admitted as a special TTU student.  Admissions then forwards codes you need for registration back to the accounting department which are then forwarded to you.  The process takes about 10 days.  

Can I speak to an advisor prior to actually enrolling in the program?  Yes.  Dr. Richard Rand currently serves as advisor to our online students.  Once you have provided your unofficial transcripts for admission, you will have access to Dr. Rand.  When there is a high volume of interest, Dr. Fesler may also speak with you via telephone.     

What are the requirements for a 2^nd Degree in Accounting?  Details are at: http://www.tntech.edu/ugcat/html/university_requirements_for_a_ba.asp.  Please scroll down the page for “Second Undergraduate Degree”.  Note that 24 of your last 30 hours of 3000 and 4000 level credit must be completed at TTU (via traditional, online, or RODP courses) to obtain a 2^nd degree from TTU.  

I have an Associate's Degree from a 2-year institution.  May I apply your undergraduate accounting courses toward a BS degree?  Yes, but students transferring to TTU from 2-year institutions should make an appointment with the College of Business' Student Success Center  for evaluation of work completed to date and recommendations on how to complete TTU's degree requirements. 

Where can I find information on TTU's graduation requirements, transfer credit policies, and other registration and records requirements?  A wealth of information is available at TTU records and registration and via TTU's Undergraduate Catalog.

How can I tell if online learning is right for me?  This is a very difficult question and there is no easy answer.  However, some guidance is available on this issue via Mississippi Gulf Coast University.

QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE CPA EXAM:

What are Tennessee's general requirements to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination?  Twenty four semester hours of accounting, twenty four semester hours of other business courses, and 150 total semester hours.

How do I get an authoritative answer as to just what is required to sit for the CPA exam in Tennessee?  Tennessee's basic educational requirements (April 2008) are 24 semester hours of accounting, 24 semester hours of other business courses, and 150 total semester hours.  The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy currently administers the exam for Tennessee and provides a wealth of educational and other information online.  Some questions may be answered by the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy website.  In addition, you may phone the State Board at 615-741-2550.

Where may I complete the 24 hours of business (non-accounting) courses required to sit for the CPA examination?  Or accumulate the total 150 semester hours required by the State Board to sit the CPA exam?   There are several options.  You may take on-ground or online courses at an accredited university near you.  Alternatively, you may take Courses via Tennessee's RODP program.  Some non-accounting business courses are offered by TTU's EF&M (Econ, Finance, and Marketing) and DS&M (Decision Sciences & Management) departments.  See TTU's Listing of Courses, where online courses are marked as “500” or as M10.

SCHEDULING OF COURSES:

May I commence taking TTU's online undergraduate courses at any time of the year?  Our courses are offered consistent with TTU's Academic Calendar.  TTU's fall semester begins in mid-to-late August, the spring semester begins in mid January, and summer courses begin in late May or very early June.  See TTU's online Schedule of Courses for courses offered each semester. 

Is there a long-range schedule of just when the online undergraduate courses will be offered by TTU?  Yes.  Currently, the plan is to offer the courses (descriptions) every year as follows:  

  Summer:         Acct  3170 Financial Accounting & Reporting (Intermediate I)  
                        Acct  3180 Financial Accounting & Reporting II (Intermediate II)
                        Acct  3330 Federal Taxation I (Tax Survey Course)  
                        Acct  4600 Forensic Accounting and Fraud Auditing

  Fall:                Acct 3620 Auditing I
                        Acct 4410 Financial Accounting & Reporting III  

  Spring:            Acct 3210 Cost Accounting    
                        Another Accounting course to be announced

ABOUT THE COURSES:

Are these courses totally online?  Yes.  No on campus contacts are required.  Video and/or narrated slideshows are all available online.  Homework assignments are submitted online.  Quizzes and examinations are all totally online.  Instructors are available to interact with you (email) online.

What is the general format for these courses?  The courses are similar to on-ground courses in that you will be required to purchase a textbook (and sometimes other materials).  Generally, there is an online multimedia show (lecture) provided that serves as a substitute for a traditional lecture in a classroom.  Many professors give an open-book quiz for each chapter covered.  You are required to submit assignments online at specified due dates.  Your instructor reviews your homework and provides guidance/feedback.  Online exams replace traditional in-class exams.  

Are online tests really valid?  Much like highly technical real-world accounting work, your tests will all be open book and open other resource materials.  Examination questions are generally drawn from a database of questions which results in your exam being different from that of all other students in the online courses.  You are provided a window of time to complete exams, say 7 till 11 PM at night for example.  We consider online testing in step with the way highly technical accounting work is completed in business, and therefore, valid. 

What about interaction with professors?  Your professor will be available via email and in some courses via our virtual classroom.  Most of our professors answer emails within 24 hours and departmental policy requires that emails be answered within 2 working days.

What is a virtual classroom and how is it used?  A virtual classroom allows students and the instructor to all come together online simultaneously.  The instructor can lecture to the entire group of signed-in students, can present materials on a whiteboard, or can give the microphone to any student that is signed-in.  The instructor can also solicit students' response as he/she is speaking by asking, for example, those that understand to raise an electronic hand viewable by the instructor. 

Will my professor keep me informed of my grades?  All of our online courses make use of electronic gradebooks that allow students to conveniently check grades at any time. 

What are the qualifications of your online faculty?  Online students can count on highly qualified professors since the TTU accounting department has separate AACSB accounting accreditation (which requires highly qualified faculty).  Accreditation wise, TTU is unsurpassed by any university in Tennessee.

Are online accounting courses more difficult than on campus accounting courses?  Departmental policy is that our online courses are neither more nor less difficult than traditional on campus courses.  However online courses differ from traditional courses in several respects.  

What about interaction with other students?  Some courses will include online discussions where students can present differing views or go so far as to debate different views.  

COSTS:

What is the cost of taking a three-hour undergraduate accounting course online? Basic fees are at http://www.tntech.edu/bursar/pdfs/feesundergrad08.pdf.  In addition to these basic fees, there is a “differential maintenance fee” for each hour of credit of $20 and an “alternative delivery fee” of $20 per hour of credit.  Accordingly, the basic cost of a three hour course (Spring 2008) would be $720 + (3) (20) + (3) (20) = $840.

Out of State Tuition?  See the table of basic fees at http://www.tntech.edu/bursar/pdfs/feesundergrad08.pdf.  Out of state students must also pay the “differential maintenance fee” of $20 per hour and the “alternative delivery fee” of $20 per hour.

I live in an out-of-state county on, or near the Tennessee border.  Can I get out-of-state tuition waived?   Individuals living in Kentucky counties that are within 75-100 miles of Cookeville, Tennessee get out-of-state tuition waived.  Please phone the TTU admissions office at 931-372-3888 to see if you qualify.

MOVING ON:

What procedures are required after completion of my first semester of online classes?  Email the department secretary (Paula Caudill, pcaudill@tntech.edu) giving your final grade in your current class.  State that you intend to continue next semester, and ask that she email your registration codes.    

Do your online undergraduate programs satisfy entrance requirements for accredited MBA programs?  Yes.  Since TTU has the highest accreditation possible, our online courses are evaluated exactly the same as are traditional on-ground courses.   You may research entrance to TTU's MBA and Distance MBA programs at http://www.tntech.edu/mba/.