Accounting Concentration

Building on the liberal arts background acquired during your first two undergraduate years, the Accounting concentration offers a sound general business foundation and the analytical and conceptual skills essential for understanding accounting practices. You’ll learn to analyze and provide quantitative information that is used to drive decision making and creative problem solving in the business world. The program's highly sought-after graduates enter careers such as business consultants, financial managers, independent auditors, and tax advisers.

Coursework

McIntire’s undergraduate curriculum provides many of the accounting courses typically required by state licensing boards, and serves as an outstanding preparation for students who wish to take the CPA exam. 

Typical coursework includes classes such as:

• Intermediate Accounting I & II
• Introductory Auditing
• Federal Taxation
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Advanced Financial Accounting
• Strategic Cost Management
• Taxes and Business Strategy
• Global Commerce Immersion: Topics in Accounting
• Government and Non-Profit Accounting 

Course offerings are subject to change each semester.

Most states now require 150 credit hours of college-level courses to sit for the CPA exam. Many of our undergraduate students who wish to become CPAs can meet these additional credit hour requirements with AP credit, pre-matriculation college credit, or additional classes. Many other undergraduate students who wish to become CPAs stay on for our graduate program in accounting.

If you enjoy working with financial data and creative problem solving, consider a concentration in Accounting. Our Accounting concentrators go on to work in a wide array of roles, including in:

• Public Accounting: Students going into public accounting usually specialize in either assurance services (including auditing) or tax. These students typically take the coursework required to sit for the CPA exam. Analytics skills are becoming increasingly important in these roles, so preparation might also include developing those skills and acumen.

• Advisory and Consulting: Accounting concentrators often take advisory positions, working for accounting firms in deals, transaction services, and other financial reporting and accounting system consulting roles. Other students take positions in litigation consulting, risk management consulting, and management consulting. Meeting the requirements to sit for the CPA exam may be important for some of these roles, depending on the employer and desired position.

• Finance: Many investment banking, financial services, and private equity careers benefit from an extensive knowledge of accounting, so many Accounting concentrators combine their Accounting studies with a concentration in Finance. Accounting concentrators also take corporate finance positions in public and private companies in a variety of roles such as corporate reporting, analysis, and treasury functions.

McIntire’s Office of Undergraduate Admission collaborates with prospective B.S. in Commerce students, helping in a variety of ways.

We encourage prospective students to contact us early in the admissions process to take advantage of all of our advising opportunities, including academic advising, information sessions, and other events, or to connect with a student ambassador.