Accounting Major (BS)
College: College of Business, Economics, and Computing
The accounting major is designed for business students who wish to prepare, analyze and verify financial documents. The accounting-specific courses provide students with a solid knowledge base and the strong quantitative skills necessary for a successful career in the accounting profession. UW-Parkside students who complete the current accounting major are well prepared to successfully pass the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam.
There are three main fields of accounting: public, private, and governmental. Each of these fields requires that the student learn precise skills in order to be successful; and these skills are continually emphasized through both course material and internships/externships taught by UW-Parkside faculty.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to prepare corporate financial statements and analyze corporate annual reports.
- Students will be able to understand, apply, and communicate theory, methodology, and solutions of cost concepts, cost systems, and cost behavior for product pricing, performance evaluation, and other managerial decisions.
- Students will be able to develop and implement an audit plan and create audit reports related to internal auditing, governmental auditing, and operational auditing.
- Students will be able to prepare tax returns for individuals, “C” corporations, “S” corporations, and partnerships.
- Students will be able to analyze cases and develop solutions that require applying principles from the Uniform Commercial Codes, the law of contracts, other areas of law, and professional ethical guidelines.
Requirements for the Accounting Major
Common Fundamental, Preparation, and Core Course Requirements for all Business Majors
Business students should declare a major, and concentration if applicable, as soon as possible to stay on track toward graduation.
The following common requirements for all degrees in the business department are in addition to the university general education requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental Preparation Courses 1 | ||
| A minimum grade of C or better is required in each course below (C- is not acceptable) | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| ECON 120 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 121 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| COMM 105 | Public Speaking for the 21st Century | 3 |
| QM 110 | Applied Quantitative Analysis in Business | 3 |
| Advanced Writing Course | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Composition | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Writing for Business and Industry | ||
| Fundamental Preparation Courses Subtotal | 15 | |
| Business Preparation Courses 1 | ||
| A minimum grade of C or better is required in each course below (C- is not acceptable) | ||
| ACCT 201 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 202 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| BUS 272 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| QM 210 | Business Statistics I | 3 |
| QM 310 | Business Statistics II | 3 |
| Business Preparation Courses Subtotal | 15 | |
| Business Foundation Core Courses 2 | ||
| Students must acquire an overall average GPA of 2.5 in 300/400 level foundation, major and concentration courses | ||
| QM 319 | Operations Management | 3 |
| MIS 320 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| FIN 330 | Managerial Finance | 3 |
| MGT 349 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| MKT 350 | Marketing Principles | 3 |
| BUS 495 | Capstone in Strategic Management | 3 |
| Business Foundation Core Courses Subtotal | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 48 | |
- 1
Approved transfer classes worth fewer credits than the equivalent class can reduce the 15 credit requirement.
- 2
Approved transfer classes worth fewer credits than the equivalent class can reduce the 18 credit requirement.
Prerequisites for 300-400 level business courses:
- Major declared and accepted;
- Completion of a minimum of 54 credits;
- Minimum overall GPA of 2.00 (calculated with and without transfer grades);
- Be within 12 or fewer credits of completing general education requirements.
Requirements for the Accounting Major
Students should declare the accounting major as soon as possible to stay on track toward graduation. The Accounting program at UW-Parkside includes fundamental and business preparation courses (31 credits), upper-level foundation core courses (18 credits), and accounting major courses (24 credits).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Common Fundamental, Preparation, and Core Courses | 48 | |
| Accounting Courses | ||
| Required Major Courses | ||
| ACCT 301 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 302 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
| ACCT 305 | Individual Taxation | 3 |
| ACCT 306 | Business Taxation | 3 |
| ACCT 400 | Advanced Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 403 | Advanced Cost Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 404 | Auditing | 3 |
| BUS 372 | Business Law | 3 |
| Recommended Course | ||
| Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) | ||
| Accounting Courses Subtotal | 72 | |
| Total Credits | 72 | |
Students planning to take regional CPA Exams should take one of the two courses below.
State of Wisconsin:
ACCT 402 Accounting Information Systems
State of Illinois:
PHIL 206 Introduction to Ethics
General University Degree Requirements (Bachelor's Degree)
In addition to individual program requirements, students must also fulfill the following requirements:
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Skills | 7-8 |
| General Education | 36 |
| Foreign Language** | 6-8 |
| Ethnic Diversity | 3 |
| Total | 52-55 |
** Transfer students in sustainable management, and health information management and technology collaborative, online degree-completion programs, the business management online degree-completion program, and the flexible option degree-completion program will be exempt from the university’s foreign language requirement. See appropriate academic section for further information.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading | 3 |
| Computational Skills | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Survey of Mathematics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| College Algebra I | ||
| Total Credits | 7-8 | |
Degree Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Minimum Total Credits | 120 |
| Upper Level Credits (300 level or above) | 36 |
| Residency | 30 |
Cumulative Degree GPA: 2.0 minimum