Johnson and Wales University

Johnson and Wales University is a university with a main campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1914, this is the oldest campus in the university's school system. It has a strong reputation for its culinary arts program. Tyler Florence, Emeril Lagasse and Graham Elliot are just a few of the celebrity chefs who graduated from this program. JWU offers a number of hospitality programs that you won't find at other colleges, and it has an equine management program that ranks among the nation's best. Its main campus added housing options for students in the 1980s and introduced its first graduate programs in the middle of that decade. Though the university once operated campuses in South Carolina and Virginia, it closed those campuses and incorporated their programs into a new campus that opened in 2004 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Other campuses are in Florida and Colorado in both Miami and Denver.

JWU divides its campuses into four separate colleges that now include both a College of Business and a College of Arts & Sciences. Though it once focused on job training programs that specifically trained students for working in different careers and fields like working as a chef or a hotel manager, it now offers some general programs for students who want to enroll in graduate school. The university announced plans in the 2010s to modernize all its campuses and bring down tuition costs for its students.

Johnson and Wales University Accreditation Details

As Johnson and Wales University has regional accreditation, which is a form of institutional accreditation, you shouldn't worry about getting financial aid. This is one of the requirements that the United States Department of Education has in place for those who fill out the FAFSA to get financial aid. Its regional accreditation comes from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE). Though it does not have as many forms of specialty accreditation as other colleges do, it does have accreditation from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for its dietetics internship and degree program.

Johnson and Wales University Application Requirements

Though JWU allows students to start classes at the beginning of any of the four semesters offered during the school year, students must still submit their applications by the listed deadline. This deadline is usually a few weeks or more before the start of the semester. You can now apply online, which makes the process go faster and helps you get a response faster too. The application asks if you have any military benefits, what year you are, what you want to study and for your background information like your name and current address. You will also need to add an electronic signature to the last page, which the university asks for before processing your application.

Other requirements include a copy of your final or most recent transcript, which must come from the college or university that you attended. If you took classes towards your degree from any other school, you need to supply a transcript from that school too. You can now sign a digital form that lets the university request an electronic copy of your transcript from that school, but you can also mail in a physical copy of your transcript. The university asks for a 500-word statement of purpose and for two letters of recommendation. If you have a college GPA of below 2.85, you will need to take the GMAT and submit your score too.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Johnson and Wales University charges a flat rate for all MBA and Master of Science courses that is around $2,100 per course, and each of those graduate courses you take are worth four credits. The online program reduces this cost to just $119 per credit hour. Taking classes online lets you avoid paying fees for using services and programs on the JWU campus. Those who take both online classes and classes that meet on the campus will pay one rate for each type of course.

All incoming JWU students can apply for financial aid and see if the university or the government can give them any help for the coming year. The best way to apply for financial aid is with a visit to the official FAFSA website. This website explains whether you can use your own tax return when applying or whether you need to use your parents' information. If a parent or guardian can still claim you as a dependent, you must use his or her tax return. Those who are older in age, married or have dependents of their own can use their own tax records. The main form of financial aid given to online graduate students are unsubsidized loans, but alternative, private and parental loans are also available.

Master's in Finance

The Master of Science in Finance program that Johnson and Wales University offers is a CPF Certification Professional Education Program that prepares you for working as a Chartered Financial Analyst. Once you finish your studies, you can sit for the CFP examination, which is a national examination administered by the CFP Board. JWU is one of only 200 colleges across the country that offers one of these programs and is one of the only schools with an online version of this program. The online program lets you earn your degree in only 15 months because you will take shorter classes. Each session runs for just 11 weeks instead of the traditional 16 weeks. The professors working in this program have years of experience and offer more inside information than you would get through other online programs.

Related Resource: 15 Best Affordable Online Master's in Finance

Though you will take between 45 and 54 credits, the courses and the number of credits you need to take will depend on your educational background and the classes that you took in the past. There are five core courses on personal financial planning, financial management, statistical methods, fundamentals of investment and portfolio management and financial reporting and control. You may need to take foundation classes on corporate financial accounting and economics in the global economy too. Electives within the program include managing capital markets, income tax planning, estate planning and bond market analysis. Johnson and Wales University offers an MBA in Finance too.