Accounting, BS
Contact
Academic Programs, 215 Whitman School of Management, 315-443-2361.
Faculty
Susan Albring, Kofi Appiah Okyere, Michael Chin, Joseph Comprix, David Harris, Lihong Liang, MaryAnn Monforte, Craig Nichols, John Petosa, Willie Reddic, Alex Thevaranjan, Sebastian Tideman, Ginger Wagner, Joyce Zadzilka
The major programs in accounting provide students with the academic training and experience needed to become professional accountants. Job opportunities include careers in public accounting, business and industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government. The Accounting program is designed for students who plan to enter public accounting or other professional accounting fields. The General Accounting program is appropriate for individuals who plan to enter other areas of accounting or to complement other programs of study.
Student Learning Outcomes
In addition to the comprehensive learning outcomes listed in the Whitman School’s Undergraduate Education description, students in this major are expected to achieve the following additional learning outcomes:
- Prepare corporate financial statements. Identify and apply all steps of the accounting cycle
- Research financial accounting, auditing, and tax issues to develop appropriate recommendations and conclusions
Major Requirements
Accounting Program
The professional program is designed to help students meet New York State educational requirements for CPA licensure. The CPA license is granted after passing the Uniform CPA examination and meeting professional experience requirements. After August 1, 2009, New York State will require 150 hours of education for CPA licensure. Most other states currently require 150 hours of education for CPA licensure. Students seeking CPA licensure and planning to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination should meet with an advisor to discuss the education requirements for the state in which they seek licensure.
The Accounting, BS degree requires at least 122 credits, distributed as indicated below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Year | ||
| ACC 356 | Intermediate Financial Accounting I | 3 |
| ACC 357 | Intermediate Financial Accounting II | 3 |
| ACC 363 | Cost Analysis & Control | 3 |
| ACC 385 | Principles of Taxation | 3 |
| Senior Year | ||
| ACC 425 | Accounting Information Systems | 3 |
| ACC 476 | Auditing Theory/Practice | 3 |
| MIS 325 | Information Technology for Business | 3 |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
University-wide Requirements
All incoming and transfer students are required to take a 1-credit FYS 101 First Year Seminar course and a 3-credit IDEA course that can be selected from an approved list.
Quantitative Skills
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MAT 284 | Business Calculus | 4 |
| MAS 261 | Introductory Statistics for Management | 3 |
| Science electives (astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, or any physical science) | 3 | |
| BUA 345 | Business Analytics for Management Decisions | 3 |
| Total Credits | 13 | |
Communication Skills
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| WRT 105 | Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing | 3 |
| WRT 205 | Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing | 3 |
| WRT 307 | Advanced Writing Studio: Professional Writing | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Required Arts & Sciences Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECN 101 | Introductory Microeconomics | 3 |
| PSY 205 | Foundations of Human Behavior | 3 |
| ECN 102 | Introductory Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECN 203 | Economic Ideas and Issues | |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Arts & Science Electives
- 26 credits taken through any subject offered by the College of Arts & Sciences. IDEA courses offered in the College of Arts & Sciences can be taken to fulfill the 3-credit IDEA course requirement. FYS 101 First Year Seminar counts towards 1 required A&S elective credit.
Whitman Required Core Courses
In addition to management coursework taken within other skills areas, students are required to complete the following coursework in the management core:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| SOM 122 | Perspectives of Business and Management (fall only) | 3 |
| SOM 181 | Foundations of the Future: Business & Technology | 1 |
| LPP 255 | Introduction to the Legal System | 3 |
| ACC 151 | Introduction to Financial Accounting | 4 |
| ACC 252 | Intro to Managerial Acc | 3 |
| FIN 256 | Principles of Finance | 3 |
| MAR 255 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| SCM 265 | Introduction to Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| MGT 247 | Introduction to Strategic Management | 3 |
| MGT 248 | Managing and Leading People in Organizations | 3 |
| SOM 354 | Managing in a Global Setting | 3 |
| Senior Capstone | ||
| EEE 457 | Strategic and Entrepreneurial Management | 3 |
| Total Credits | 35 | |
Business Elective
A business elective is any upper-division course in the Whitman School that gives credit but is not used to fill requirements in other groups. This course cannot be from the student’s major area. IDEA courses offered in the Whitman School can be taken to fulfill the 3-credit IDEA course requirement.
Total Credits: 3
Free Electives
Students complete additional credits from any credit-bearing course with the following conditions: no more than 3 credits of physical education, health, or music ensemble may be used; and students may not take courses considered to have content that duplicates courses already taken. IDEA courses taken outside of the College of Arts & Sciences and the Whitman School can be taken to fulfill the 3-credit course requirement.
Total Credits: 12
Global Diversity
Whitman students must have some form of global experience. For most students, this is
achieved through study abroad. Students may also fulfill the requirement with the completion
of two courses from the global diversity electives list (which may fulfill other course
requirements for the degree).
Community Engagement
Students are required to apply their management skills and knowledge to community
problems. This is realized through an unpaid community service project in which 50 hours are
completed throughout the undergraduate experience. Services must be completed at a nonprofit
and requires pre-approval from the Whitman Undergraduate Office.
Internship
Students are required to have at least one internship after they acquire junior standing. The
internship should consist of 120 hours on-site, be a natural extension of the classroom, and
provide substantial opportunity for knowledge attainment and skill development. Exposure to
real job situations related to the students major is required. This internship should be
registered in Handshake and approved by the Whitman Career Center prior to beginning.
Undergraduate University Requirements
The following requirements and experiences apply to all Syracuse University Undergraduate matriculated degree programs.