business students meeting on finances

Accounting (BS)

The primary aim of the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Accounting program is to prepare students academically and professionally for an initial career in the public accounting profession, and to earn the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate.

Request Info
Apply
Visit

At a Glance

Ranked #11 Nationwide: By the Wall Street Journal, for accounting graduates' salaries after graduation, with an average salary of $80,205.
Small Class Sizes: Small class sizes ranging from 5 to 20 students.
Taught by CPAs: All classes are taught by professors who are CPAs and have had decades of real-world business experience.
100% Job Placement: 100% of students have full-time offers at graduation, and 60% of those have full-time offers eight months before graduation.

Program Details

The primary aim of the BS in Accounting program is to prepare students academically and professionally to an initial career in the accounting profession and earn the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate. Students may enter the workforce in public accounting, forensic accounting, budgeting, not-for profit, government, management accounting, tax, among other areas. Accountants in businesses help pursue organizational goals by identifying, measuring, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating financial information to managers so that good financial decisions can be made. These decisions might involve deciding where to build a new production facility, how to price a new product, or whether to buy or lease a piece of production equipment.

Our Accounting faculty, all certified CPAs, have considerable work experience in the public and private sectors, and they bring their work experience to the classroom. Each student will have a faculty mentor by their side for all four years, with small classes of 20 students for personalized attention.

Building a Legacy of Virtuous Business Leadership

Meet Katherine Elizabeth Ma, an Accounting student from Charlotte, NC, who accepted a job as an Audit Associate at Forvis Mazars.

Learn More

Student Expectations

Academic Standards

Maintain a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA), and
Earn at least a grade of B in ACCT 205 and ACCT 206

Professional conduct standards

Attend promptly and prepare well for all classes, and any meetings with professors, mentors, and advisors;
Participate in events required of accounting majors
Always act ethically and with integrity in all on-campus and off-campus activities.

Comprehensive Assessment Requirement

In their senior year, all Accounting students must pass a Comprehensive Assessment of their learning in the Busch School of Business. The Comprehensive Assessment is administered as an oral examination before four or five evaluators.
Accounting majors take MGT 475 for the course grade only. They have a separate comprehensive examination for graduation, ACCT 498.
Accounting students must register for ACCT 498 in order to take the examination. A grade of High Pass, Pass, or Fail is granted.
Students who fail must retake ACCT 498, and at least 40 days must elapse between attempts.

Job Placements

Our graduates have offers from the Big Four prestigious global CPA firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Graduates also take positions in local and regional firms.

Curriculum

Explore the accounting requirements and courses you can take in the Busch School.

Additional Info

Financial district in New York.

Career Development & Internships

See how we infuse career development into all aspects of the student experience and help enable you for internships.

Learn More

Computer on a desk.

Minors for Accounting Students

Consider enhancing your degree with minors that are designed for students in the BS in Accounting program.

Learn More

Busch students walking from class at Maloney.

Explore Our School

Discover more about the Busch School of Business, including our Mission & Vision, Maloney Hall, student stories, and more.

Learn More

Contact & Apply