Colorado Tech Online Students and Alumni
Meet Brenda Dugan
MBA with a concentration in Accounting
The Time Is Now
Brenda Dugan entered the military from high school and then dedicated herself to raising four children while rising through the ranks in the financial industry. Brenda's kids are now grown and, thanks to the variety of positions she held at a credit union, she discovered her professional niche; auditing. Brenda is ready to take her auditing career to the next level. As part of her preparations to become a Certified Internal Auditor, Brenda is currently finishing up her MBA with a concentration in Accounting through Colorado Tech Online.
Brenda didn't start attending through Colorado Tech Online planning on getting her MBA. She started at Colorado Tech Online in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree program with a concentration in Information Technology. While working towards her Bachelor's degree—as if her Colorado Tech Online homework was not enough—Brenda began to study for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam. This intense, two-day test is recognized around the world as the benchmark for internal auditors. Just as there are Certified Public Accountants, there are Certified Internal Auditors. During the course of studying for the CIA exam, however, Brenda realized she needed more of an accounting background; so she decided to go for an MBA after she finished her Bachelor's degree.
"I looked at online MBA programs at schools other than Colorado Tech Online just to see what else was out there but I kept coming back to Colorado Technical University. None of the other universities had what Colorado Tech Online had." Brenda found that Colorado Tech Online offered an MBA with a concentration in Accounting rather than Finance.
Brenda graduated from Colorado Technical University in 2005 and started her MBA through Colorado Tech Online about two months later, in January 2006. She expects to graduate with her MBA in March 2007.
Brushing Off the Cobwebs
Brenda need not have her MBA to sit for the CIA exam however. Thanks to her Bachelor's degree and the accounting classes she has already completed in her MBA program, Brenda feels prepared for the CIA exam and will be taking it this November.
"I'm expecting pretty much most everything from my Bachelor's degree to be on the exam. It is just a matter of me brushing off the cobwebs. Lots of the MBA, especially accounting, will be on the exam as well. The CIA is like getting tested on everything I've learned in school."
Thankfully, much of what Brenda has learned through Colorado Tech Online hasn't been sitting unused collecting cobwebs. Brenda was able to take many of the theories presented by instructors and textbooks and apply them as an internal auditor. Being able to do that is like instant reinforcement.
"The Accounting Information Systems course had a portion that talked about internal controls; it pretty much fell in line with what I was doing at work. I also had a Finance for Decision Making class that aided me reviewing a cash flow statement that was submitted in a business loan."
While Brenda is busying herself now keeping up her grades through Colorado Tech Online and studying for the CIA test, she is looking forward to her post-test life. She says she has a passion for regulations as well as for "forensics auditing." In the latter, auditors follow the money and/or processes when investigating fraud. She has also been approached about participating in the design of auditing classes at the community college where she earned her Associate's degree.
"I know firsthand how gruesome this whole studying process is. When an instructor from my former community college approached me about developing some auditing classes, it appealed to me. I could see myself doing that part-time in addition to working as a certified auditor."
With her determination, prior work experience and degrees, which she will use to help her pass the CIA test, it seems the possibilities are unlimited for Brenda.
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