Accounting (BS)

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Offered by the Kogod School of Business , the Accounting (BS) program meets the needs of students pursuing professional accounting careers in public accounting or in industrial, financial, governmental, not-for-profit, and consulting organizations. Requirements include the Kogod School of Business undergraduate business core, advanced-level accounting courses, and sufficient electives to permit students to pursue a minor or other area of interest. Students successfully completing the requirements for the Accounting (BS) should be well prepared to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination and for additional study required for professional licensure.

Admission to the Program

New first-year and transfer students are admitted through the university’s Admissions Office.

In addition to university requirements for transfer admission, transfer students are required to take KSB-421 Integrative Strategic Management (3) and at least 18 upper-level credit hours toward their major requirements in residence. Transfer credits for business courses at or above 300-level are subject to validation by the appropriate department chair and may be conditional on successful completion of a more advanced course at American University.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

62 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 18 credit hours at or above 300-level and minimum 50 percent of the credit hours earned at American University
No more than 50 percent of total coursework may be completed within the Kogod School of Business
No more than 6 credit hours of internship may be counted toward the 120 credit hours graduation requirement
Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA required to enroll in business courses

Course Requirements

Students are responsible for fulfilling university and school requirements following a prescribed sequence. The academic advisors in the Kogod School’s Office of Undergraduate Programs must be consulted for counseling and advice when preparing class schedules. However, it is the student’s responsibility to consult course descriptions to identify course prerequisites and when courses are offered.

Business Core (38 credit hours)

Advanced Accounting (24 credit hours)

Required

Electives

Complete 9 credit hours from the following:

Note: For students intending to take the CPA exam immediately after completion of the Accounting (BS) program, ACCT-447 Advanced Financial Reporting (3) and ACCT-560 Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting (3) are recommended.

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. Advanced undergraduates admitted to a combined degree program that includes a master’s degree from Kogod are eligible to take graduate-level courses and may apply up to 9 graduate credit hours earned as an undergraduate toward the requirements for both degrees. See Combined Bachelor’s and Kogod School of Business Master’s Programs for more information.