As an introduction I would say that I moved from Madrid to Vancouver a year ago, I am 39 and before I came, I had 13 years of finance experience, the last three in a director like/ Head of department role for a multinational telco. It was a family decision, since my wife got transferred as an expat and we both came with a working visa.

Soon after I arrived I realised that my BA in Economics & Business Science, my Master in Finance, my PHD and my experience were not enough without a canadian designation such as CMA, CA or CGA. Once I realised I was to face a downsize in my carrer, It took me about 4 weeks to get a job as a SFA for a french multinational company.

I obviously checked the option of joining a 2 years local ECMA program, available at an average cost of 24K CAD$ as a way to get back on my career but unfortunately is not an option as it seems that my wife is likely to be retransferred to NewYork City begining 2014.

Therefore I am looking at this NYC option and trying to plan ahead of time to figure out what is best for me to do to find the right job in NewYork City.

I am wondering whether an EMBA or an online MBA would be a better option for my employability than taking a CPA, considering value for money, salary expectations and recognition in Europe if we finally head back for Spain in 4 or 5 years.

I can not afford a 100K program so that´s why online programs became an option, specially if I could get it started now.

I was wondering if the online MBA diploma has the same acreditation and recognition than an on campus MBA and so which programs would be best suited for me.

Also considering that I move to NYC with a working visa If I will have a better chance to get a managerial / senior manager position with an MBA than with a CPA.

Sorry for the length of the post. Any answer would be much appreciated.

Best regards

Online MBAs are not as well accepted in the US as on-campus ones, especially because few of the top schools run them, and because they lack the experiential and networking elements of the on-campus programmes. The best ones are listed at http://www.topmba.com/mba-rankings/online-mba/2012 but the non-US degrees don't travel well into the US.

It's not clear to me what sort of role you are targetting in NYC. However, I do that that CPA or CFA will open more doors, more quickly, and more readily. Take a look at http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/cpa/cpalic.htm

If you search for them you'll find several one year MS programmes in accountancy which meet the NY state board's "150 hour" requirements. A few examples:
https://www.mercy.edu/academics/school-of-business/department-of-accounting/ms-in-public-accounting/
http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/graduate/tobin/academics/departments/accounting/programs/accounting/accounting.stj
http://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/programs/graduate/ms/degrees/accountancy
http://www.iona.edu/academic/hagan/academicdepartments/accounting/programs/MS.cfm

Good advice from Duncan. Maybe you can also consider a part-time MBA program in the New York City area, so you'd be able to work while you study to minimize the financial impact.

NYU Stern has one of the best part-time MBAs in the country, but it's pricey. Stern offers a specialization in accounting as well.

But there's also Rutgers in Newark, as well as a few lesser-known options (CUNY Zicklin, Pace, St. John's Tobin, Iona, Adelphi.)

First of all, Thank you both for your answers and the trouble taken, very much appreciated it.

As Duncan mentioned the position I want to attain is a Finance Director / VP Finance kind of role.

It appears to me that an on-campus MBA should definetely be a better option then than an on-line MBA, even though that means that I would have to wait until I move to NYC to get it started. Probably a Saturday every week or every other week Fr&Sat option could do it.

As for deciding between CPA and MBA, I understand that CPA could probably serve as a quicker option to reach my goal, and may be as a cheaper one too, but If I consider going back to Spain in 3 to 5 years, then MBA would definetely be the option.

Thanks again,
CEBRA

Hi Cebra,

Just some ideas aside Duncan's and Ezra's recommendations:

When you go to NY City, considering your already existing experience, education, budget constraints and targeted positions, you can have a look on NYU Stern's Master in Risk Management for Executives. It is a 1 year modular program, around 65K USD (USA/Europe/Asia). This could be an alternative to an MBA and Stern has a very good reputation for finance.

http://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/global-degrees/ms-risk-management-executives/program-overview/index.htm

Also, if you are targeting an online MBA, look at Kelley (IU). I think is in the same range 55-60K USD?

http://kelley.iu.edu/KD/Online/MBA/page36790.cfm

UNC/Kenan-Flagler has another online MBA but it is ~ 100K USD which maybe is out of your budget.

Regards,

I was really torn between doing it online too, but heard some horror stories about these programs. Instead, I decided to go to Babson College in Boston and was very happy with my decision. You should make sure to do a ton of research on the online programs in question and see what reputation they have before making a final decision...good luck!