Accounting

 ACCELERATED OPTION: You can earn this degree and a master's in five years and at a significant savings. Learn more about the: Accelerated degree option.

Accountants provide an array of financial services to businesses, nonprofit corporations, governments, industry and even private citizens.

The curriculum is based on broad theoretical principles and applied practices. You will study:

  • core business fundamentals such as finance, marketing, management principles, operations management, quantitative business analysis, business law and strategy
  • financial reporting
  • cost management
  • accounting transaction cycles and business processes
  • business risk, internal controls and auditing
  • information systems risk, security, controls and assurance
  • taxation

The School of Accountancy's undergraduate accounting degree prepares you to pursue such certifications as certified public accountant (after completing the state-mandated 150 semester hours of college credits), certified management accountant, certified internal auditor, and certified information systems auditor.

In addition, we offer both an Accelerated B.S./M.S. in Accounting degree and an Accelerated B.S./MTax degree as seamless paths toward obtaining the 150 semester credit hours needed to sit for the certified public accountant examination.

Akron Advantage

All College of Business programs are accredited at the highest possible level by AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). In addition, the College is one of only 171 schools that have earned separate accounting accreditation. The College has been consistently rated as one of the best business schools in the nation by the Princeton Review and ranked in the top 100 of all undergraduate programs by BusinessWeek magazine.

Our close ties to regional businesses provide many benefits for our students. Business executives share their expertise as mentors and guest lecturers in classes, and provide valuable advice on program and course content, helping to keep our curricula fresh, relevant and rigorous. Students gain valuable hands-on experience through group projects that assign them to solve problems for local businesses and by participating in co-op and internship programs at regional companies.

We are able to provide our students with training in cutting-edge technology as a result of our academic alliances with technology vendors such as SAP, Microsoft and Oracle.

Our active student organizations enable our students to enrich their college experience by providing opportunities for them to apply knowledge and skills gained in the classroom, and by opening doors to new friendships, networking, professional growth, and even jobs.  Many of our student organizations have excelled in regional and national competitions, often against highly regarded colleges and universities across the country.

Real-world Experience

Gain practical professional experience through paid internships and UA's optional cooperative education program. 

Representatives from about 40 public accounting firms, corporations and other organizations visit campus each fall to meet accounting majors during our Evening with the Accountants. This event, held on the third Tuesday of September, starts the job recruitment season for accounting majors. Many are placed in internships and full-time positions by the end of the fall semester.

Recent placements include:

  • Apple Growth Partners
  • Brockman, Coats, Gedalian & Co.
  • Bober Markey Fedorovich & Co.
  • Cohen & Company
  • Crowe Horwath LLP
  • Deloitte & Touche
  • Ernst & Young
  • Grant Thornton
  • KPMG
  • Plante & Moran
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • SS&G
  • Defence Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)
  • FirstEnergy
  • RPM International
  • Jo-Ann Stores Inc.
  • The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
  • The J.M. Smucker Company

    Accounting Student Organizations

    • Accounting Association
    • Institute for Management Accountants
    • Beta Alpha Psi — the national honorary organization for financial information students and professionals
    • Information Systems Audit & Control Association — University of Akron Student Group
    • Student Speaking Association (SSA)

    Sample Curriculum

    Page maintained by the Department of University Communications and Marketing. Complete a Web Project Request if changes are needed to this page.

    For More Information:

    Accounting - B.S.A

    Contact: Kristina Floyd

    ​

    Career Opportunities

    Available Scholarships

    Degrees and Preparation

    A degree in accounting paves the way to many career opportunities:

    • Public accountants offer financial reporting, auditing and assurance, tax and consulting services.
    • Management accountants provide support for and participate in decision making, planning and budgeting, control and performance evaluation, and strategy in business and other organizations.
    • Government accountants support financial management, financial reporting, internal controls, compliance with policy, planning and budgeting in government agencies.
    • Internal auditors monitor internal controls and compliance with policies, assess enterprise risk, promote efficiency and effectiveness in organizations, and contribute to effective corporate governance.

    Career Outlook

    Opportunities will continue to grow in the field of accounting, which is currently ranked by many in the financial press as one of the top career fields in the U.S. Historically, our students have received competitive job offers well before they graduate and our majors are highly sought after for paid internships during their junior year. Most internships lead to full-time employment. We expect this pattern to continue.

    Career Services

    Career Services is located in Student Union 211, with another office in College of Arts and Sciences Building 126. Career Services provides career coaching and programming, and develops valuable relationships with employers and campus partners to provide students with many opportunities for experiential learning and career development.