Accounting Option
Why study accounting?
The Accounting Option prepares students for careers in private, government, non-profit and public accounting. Demand for accountants is extremely high as businesses work to plan, manage and control their operations. Graduates can serve as internal auditors, managerial accountants, tax examiners, budget analysts or government auditors. After completing this option, students are eligible to take the Certified Management Accounting (CMA) exam. If you want to be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a minimum of 225 quarter hours or five years of college is required.
Requirements to declare the option
Students wanting to declare the Accounting option must meet the following requirements:
- Must have completed all required prerequisite Accounting courses with a minimum grade of 2.5 in each course.
(*Note: Students in the process of completing a course will not be considered for the Accounting Option until the course has been completed.)
- Must have earned a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average across all prerequisite Accounting courses.
Students may NOT enroll in any Accounting courses until speaking to their advisor to determine whether they meet the requirements.
Accounting curriculum
Accounting Option students must complete the following courses for graduation.
| Course Type | Course Numbers & Names |
|---|---|
| Core Courses (prerequisites in parentheses) | BBUS 300 – Organizational Behavior, Ethics and Inclusivity, Diversity Designated Course BBUS 307 – Business Writing, Writing Designated Course BBUS 310 – Managerial Economics (BMATH 144, STMATH 124, or MATH 112) BBUS 320 – Marketing Management BBUS 340 – Operations & Project Management (310) BBUS 350 – Business Finance (310) |
| Required Accounting Courses (prerequisites in parentheses) | BBUS 361 – Intermediate Accounting 1* BBUS 362 – Intermediate Accounting 2 (361) BBUS 363 – Intermediate Accounting 3 (362) BBUS 373 – Cost Accounting* BBUS 411 – Auditing Theory & Practice (362) BBUS 435 – Accounting Information Systems (361) BBUS 450 – Federal Income Taxation (361) |
| Accounting Electives (prerequisites in parentheses) | 10 credits – Complete 2 courses from this list: BBUS 412 – Advanced Business Law BBUS 449 – Accounting Practices in Not-for-Profit Organizations (363) BBUS 451 – Financial Policy & Planning (350)** BBUS 458 – Risk Modeling BBUS 463 – Advanced Financial Accounting (362) BBUS 465 – Applied Financial Accounting (350) BBUs 466 – Applied Managerial Accounting (350) BBUS 467 – Advanced Taxation (450) BBUS 468 – Advanced Accounting and Analytics (363) |
| General Electives (any 300/400 level UW course) | 5 credits |
| Capstone Courses | Before you can register for the capstone courses, you must complete all core courses and meet with your advisor to file a graduation application. BBUS 470 – Business Policy & Strategic Management BBUS 480 – Global Environment of Business |
| Total Credits | 90 Credits |
*Accounting Option students who add a Finance Concentration cannot use the following courses as part of their Finance Concentration (i.e., no double-counting of courses):
- BBUS 361 – Intermediate Accounting I
- BBUS 373 – Cost Accounting
**Accounting Option students who add a Finance Concentration cannot count the following courses as Accounting Option electives:
- BBUS 451 – Financial Policy & Planning
- BBUS 453 – Financial Institutions & Markets
- BBUS 454 – Investments
Accounting certification preparation
After completing the two-year Accounting Option, students are eligible to take the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam. Students who wish to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), however, should plan on spending three years in the program. To take the CPA exam, a student needs a minimum of 225 quarter hours or five years of college (a master degree is not required).
In addition to public accounting, the Accounting Option will thoroughly prepare students for careers in private, government and non-profit accounting. The curriculum is designed to enable graduates to fill a number of corporate positions such as internal auditor, managerial accountant and tax accountant. Graduates will also be prepared to serve in government positions such as tax examiner, budget analyst and government auditor. You can get more information from the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants.