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Debra Crawford graduated from high school without a clear path forward.  

It was 2021. The world was still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the economy, education, and how we interact with one another.  

“I was not planning to go to college,” Crawford says. “I think a lot of us were kind of scared about where the world was going and what the next step looked like.”

Accounting, it turned out, was an antidote to her uncertainty.  

Crawford decided to give college a chance, enrolling at the ��˾�������� as a business major. After just one accounting course, Crawford fell in love with the field.  

“It led me on a whole different path,” she says.  

So far, that path has involved being named Outstanding Graduate in Accounting and overall Outstanding Graduate for the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration, earning her M.S. in Accounting online, and returning to the University as an accounting instructor.  

"The thing about accounting is you either love it or you hate it,” says Crawford. “I ended up loving it.”

Supportive Faculty, Compelling Coursework

Connecting with accounting as an undergrad was as much about the faculty as the course content, says Crawford.  

“The faculty are the reason I was drawn into accounting and made it click for me,” she says.  

Crawford then discovered a passion for research through a project assessing a recent change in tax law.  

“That paper opened my eyes to the idea that there’s an opportunity to create new knowledge through higher education and academia,” says Crawford.

Pursuing her master’s in accounting through the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration offered the learning depth she craved and a seamless transition from the undergrad accounting degree program.  

Coursework for the M.S. in Accounting is also 100% online. Crawford says she might have hesitated to choose an online program if not for her experience with the college and its faculty.

“I knew I could do it because the staff in the accounting department are so responsive. I knew they were going to respond to my emails if I had questions or hop on a Zoom call with me,” she says.  

“The faculty want to connect with you. They want to talk to you. So, it makes it feel like you're not alone even though you're doing this online program at home on your couch.”

Flexible Schedule, Efficient Pace

The program format was also invaluable as Crawford worked on governmental and nonprofit audits with EisnerAmpner, one of the country’s largest advisory and accounting firms.

Courses like ACCT 546: Financial Statement Accounting gave her the opportunity to apply what she was learning directly to her work. The program’s 8-week terms also allowed her to balance graduate school with her demanding auditing role.  

“I won't lie and say it wasn't hard, but the program is structured for your success,” says Crawford.  

Like many tax professionals in public accounting, Crawford’s busy season was January to April. She managed her coursework by taking fewer courses during the semester A term, January–March, and more during the B term, March-May.  

"That helped so much,” she says. “It allowed me to graduate in a year and not have to take a semester off to work.”

And that year? Crawford says it goes fast.  

"It's easy to say that on the other end of it, but when you start, it feels like this is going to be the longest year of your life,” she says. “Then it's over in a blink, and you have a master's degree."

Crawford is now an accounting instructor for the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration, guiding would-be accountants toward their careers. She plans to continue advancing her education by pursuing a doctorate.

"Writing research in academia is definitely my end goal,” she says. “There's so many possibilities within that.”

Advance your accounting career. Earn your M.S. in Accounting online from the AACSB-accredited B.I. Moody III College of Business.  

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