Bachelor of Science in Accountancy

Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BS-Accy) program, also known as the accountancy major, offers both specialized knowledge in accounting and a general education leading to a broad understanding of the business world. The program is designed to prepare students for a professional career in accounting as well as graduate study in business, finance, information systems, or law.

 

 

Accounting is the management of financial information. Accountants design and implement systems that capture relevant information from the transactions in which an organization engages. The accountant analyzes that information and communicates it to others, answering questions such as: How profitable is this business? How solvent? How risky?

Career Options in Accountancy

Every organization with financial records needs accountants. In some cases, students with an accountancy major may be able to begin working immediately upon graduation in accounting, but some employers require a CPA certification for hiring or promotion and, in most states, taking the CPA exam requires 150 credit hours. Public accountants audit financial statements and provide tax planning and financial advisory services to their clients. Some accountants who work for corporations are responsible for preparing and maintaining the financial records of the business; others use accounting and other information to help evaluate potential and existing products and projects in order to aid in managerial decision-making. Governmental accountants help to prepare and administer the budgets under which their agencies operate.

Study Abroad Opportunities

BS-Accy students have the opportunity to study abroad, but it may require more planning for the student as many BS-Accy major courses are offerred only in the fall and spring semester. 

Fall Junior Year:
Study Abroad

Spring Junior Year: 
ACCY 3102 Intermediate Accounting II*
ACCY 6401 Federal Income Taxation*

Fall Senior Year: 
ACCY 3101 Intermediate Accounting I
ACCY 3601 Business Law: Contracts, Torts, and Property
ACCY 4107 Advanced Accounting
ACCY 4301 Auditing

Spring Senior Year: 
ACCY 3403 Advanced Tax
ACCY 4501 Accounting Systems 
ACCY 4601 Business Law: Enterprise Organization
ACCY 4801 Financial Accounting Capstone

* Indicates a course that a student will not have the necessary prerequisite and/or is a graduate level course. Students may only be added to the class by permission of the instructor, who must sign the RTF or give written permission over email to enroll in the course. The student will need to submit the signed RTF or forward the email granting permission to the Undergraduate Advising Center.

Fall Junior Year: 
ACCY 3101 Intermediate Accounting I
ACCY 3401 Federal Income Tax: Individuals 
ACCY 3601 Business Law: Contracts, Torts, and Property

Spring Junior Year:
Study Abroad

Fall Senior Year:
ACCY 4107 Advanced Accounting*
ACCY 4301 Auditing*
ACCY 6105 Intermediate Accounting II

Spring Senior Year:
ACCY 3403 Advanced Tax
ACCY 4501 Accounting Systems* 
ACCY 4601 Business Law: Enterprise Organization
ACCY 4801 Financial Accounting Capstone

* Indicates a course that a student will not have the necessary prerequisite and/or is a graduate level course. Students may only be added to the class by permission of the instructor, who must sign the RTF or give written permission over email to enroll in the course. The student will need to submit the signed RTF or forward the email granting permission to the Undergraduate Advising Center.

Financial Accounting Capstone

ACCY 4801 is a 3-credit course that provides GWSB Accountancy majors with an opportunity to synthesize and apply their learning to tackle complex real world accountancy-based business challenges including tax, auditing, internal financial control and marketing projects.

Through the perspective of the preparer and user of financial statements, teams of three to five students (under the mentorship of Dr. Yun Zhang and with support from Global & Experiential Education) work together to develop and deliver substantive recommendations to their Partner Organization. This course provides an integral skill-building experience to students, pro-bono business insights to Partner Organizations, as well as a connection between employers and future talent.

Companies interested in learning more about the benefits of hosting a GWSB Financial Accounting Capstone project can visit our Partner with Us page, where they can learn more and submit a partner project proposal form. Interested parties are also welcome to email any questions directly to the Global & Experiential Education team at [email protected].

 

Accountancy Major Requirements

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 120 credits, including  general education, pre-business, and business core courses.

Required
General Education courses
UW 1020University Writing
One critical analysis course in the humanities. 1
One scientific reasoning with lab course. 1
Pre-business courses
BADM 1001
& BADM 1002		First-Year Development Course I
and First-Year Development Course II 2
or BADM 1003 Transfer Student Development Course
BADM 3001Career Management Strategy 3
BADM 4001Leadership and Career Launch 4
DNSC 1001Business Analytics I: Statistics for Descriptive and Predictive Analytics
or STAT 1051 Introduction to Business and Economic Statistics
or STAT 1053 Introduction to Statistics in Social Science
or STAT 1111 Business and Economic Statistics I
or APSC 3115 Engineering Analysis III
DNSC 2001Business Analytics II: Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics
or STAT 2112 Business and Economic Statistics II
or STAT 2118 Regression Analysis
or STAT 2123 Introduction to Econometrics
ECON 1011Principles of Economics I
ECON 1012Principles of Economics II
A sequence of mathematics courses from the following: 5
MATH 1051
& MATH 1252		Finite Mathematics for the Social and Management Sciences
and Calculus for the Social and Management Sciences
or MATH 1231
& MATH 1232		 Single-Variable Calculus I
and Single-Variable Calculus II
Business core courses
ACCY 2001Introduction to Financial Accounting
ACCY 2002Introductory Managerial Accounting
BADM 2001Markets and Politics
or BADM 2001W Markets and Politics
BADM 2301Management Information Systems Technology
BADM 3103Human Capital in Organizations
BADM 3401Contemporary Marketing Management
or BADM 3401W Contemporary Marketing Management
BADM 3501Financial Management and Markets
BADM 4801Strategy Formulation and Implementation
IBUS 3001Introduction to International Business
Accountancy major courses
ACCY 3101Intermediate Accounting I
ACCY 3102Intermediate Accounting II
ACCY 3401Federal Income Tax: Individuals
ACCY 3403Advanced Tax
ACCY 3601Business Law: Contracts, Torts, and Property
ACCY 4107Advanced Accounting
ACCY 4301Auditing
ACCY 4501Accounting Systems
ACCY 4601Business Law: Enterprise Organization
ACCY 4801Financial Accounting Capstone
Electives
Students take sufficient credits in elective courses to reach the 120 credits required for the degree. Elective courses may be numbered from 1000 to 4999. Electives may not include LSPA (Lifestyle, Sport, and Physical Activity) courses. They may include one HLWL (Health and Wellness) course.
Elective courses may be applied to a minor, a GWSB concentration, or a GWSB or non-GWSB second major.

1See University General Education Requirement for a list of approved courses.

2 Freshmen are required to take BADM 1001 and BADM 1002, transfer students are required to take BADM 1003.

3BADM 3001 is offered with accounting-specific sections and should be completed during the sophomore year, following successful completion of BADM 1001 and BADM 1002, or BADM 1003. 

4BADM 4001 is offered with experiential-specific sections and should be completed in the senior year.  

5Students should meet with a GWSB academic advisor to discuss other options for fulfilling the mathematics requirement.

Note: Students who intend to take the CPA examination should be aware that the coursework required for admission to the examination varies from state to state. Students are advised to consult the Board of Accountancy for the state in which they plan to take the examination and choose courses that meet that state’s requirements.

Double majors

Students in the BS in accountancy program who wish to pursue a double major must declare accountancy as their first major. Each major must include 15 unique credits that do not apply to any other degree requirement, with the exception of a WID requirement. All courses in both majors must be completed with a minimum grade of C-. Students should reference the regulations in this Bulletin and consult their academic advisor for assistance and additional information.