The Accounting major prepares students for careers in financial reporting, managerial accounting, taxation, auditing, and general business. Students obtaining accounting degrees from this institution pursue careers in public accounting, controlling, finance, sales, and general management. They are employed by public accounting firms, industrial companies, financial companies, and government agencies. Accounting students are exposed to the traditional accounting fields such as auditing, information systems, generally accepted practices, law, taxation, and cost determination. The program is designed so students can prepare for the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Examination and follows the prescribed Alabama State Board of Accountancy curricular recommendations.
Accounting Majors Seeking a Dual Degree
The Alabama State Board of Public Accountancy prescribes requirements for candidates to 1) sit for the Uniform CPA Examination and 2) to obtain a CPA certificate (license), as follows:
1) to sit for the CPA Examination, candidates must have completed a total of 120 semester hours of postsecondary education, including a baccalaureate degree at a college or university accredited by a regional accreditation board such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities, with a concentration in accounting or the substantial equivalent as determined by the Board.
2) to be issued an Alabama CPA certificate, candidates must have completed a total of 150 semester hours of postsecondary education that must include a total of 33 semester hours in accounting (excluding introductory courses) at the upper division undergraduate and/or graduate level.
A student may obtain an undergraduate accounting degree with 120 credit hours and an M.B.A. degree with 30 graduate credit hours. A student who declares the graduate path towards fulfillment of the Board’s post-secondary educational 150-hours requirement may opt to complete two of four dual-listed courses may be used to fulfill the M.B.A. requirement for AC 522 (Accounting For Decision-Making), and the second may be used to fulfill the M.B.A. requirement for another course as approved by the M.B.A. Director.