I'm looking to go back to school to study accounting next year. I'm a little confused about the path to take.

So some context: I majored in history, my GPA was 3.4, and I'm not very rich and am terrified of loans. I live in New York and I can really only go to a CUNY realistically.

I have two ideas -- I can either try for Masters, specifically the MS Accounting for Baruch or Queens (Hunter, Lehman, and Brooklyn are aimed towards Accounting undergrad folks) OR I can go to a community college and then take it from there.

What's the best and most economical route? Can I get CPA certified from after a community college? If I go to a CC, will I still have to do a Masters before I can even work as an accountant? I'm confused, and barely know what to Google.