Earnest Pettway '15 VSB and '17 MAC

Q: What motivated you to pursue your Master of Accounting?

A: I knew that I wanted to earn my CPA and work for a Big 4 company after graduating from VSB with my BBA in Finance and Accounting. I felt that I would benefit from earning the necessary credits through experience-based learning rather than just taking some extra classes. I knew that the Villanova Master of Accounting degree program would be ideal in allowing me to earn the credits for my CPA through experiences with equally-ambitious students, as well as developing relationships like I did with the VSB faculty I grew close to as an undergraduate. I was excited to dive deeper into the topics I was introduced to as an undergraduate, such as taxation, fraud, and financial analysis, looking beyond the numbers to get the full story of a company and the risk they face and how those challenges can affect the way the financial statements are presented including the footnotes that are presented alongside them. In retrospect, I know that this coursework was essential for me to gain a better understanding of what I should be looking for when auditing at the Big 4 and gaining a comprehensive understanding of companies from a variety of industries.

Q: How did Villanova’s Master of Accounting program prepare you for your career?

A: The Master of Accounting program prepared me with a better understanding of the big picture financial health of a company, and equipped me with the knowledge of what details to be looking for when examining specific accounts and seeing where risk lies. This program gave me the foundational tools necessary to be successful as an entry-level auditor in the Big 4, as well as providing me with the skills needed to perform a variety of accounting services that made me an extremely marketable prospect to various employers.

Q: Are there specific instructors/courses that had a critical impact on you?

A: The class that has had a critical impact on me was “Valuation Issues in Accounting” with Jennifer Altamuro, PhD, associate professor, Accounting & Information Systems. This course was very meaningful for someone like me who works in private equity and hedge funds, working on level 2 or level 3 valuations, and in allowing me to look at businesses as a whole to discern their true value through their financial statements.

Q: What was your favorite experience during the program?

A: My favorite experience during the program was the opportunities to do group projects with my classmates, collaborating, and growing closer with my classmates. This was a meaningful way to spend our off-days on Wednesdays, allowing us to apply lessons from the classroom to interactive and collaborative group work. These experiences led me to develop lifelong friendships while diving deeper into accounting topics.

Q: What advice would you give to a prospective Master of Accounting student who was researching Master of Accounting programs?

A: I recommend that prospective Master of Accounting students have an idea of exactly what they’d like to pursue post-masters, so that they can choose the program they feel will best put them in the position to land their desired job by providing them the knowledge in the specific area of accounting they’re looking to pursue. I also suggest speaking to friends and colleagues who are currently in, or have graduated from, a Master of Accounting program. In my experience, some of my closest friends from my time as an undergraduate were influential in endorsing the value Villanova’s Master of Accounting program had on their careers, and I can clearly see from recent conversations that the program is still paying dividends for their careers. When you speak with people who have the same aspirations and ambitions as you, you can trust that the program will also benefit your career path in a similar way.