Accounting Major, B.S.

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Department of Accounting

College of Business

Available Program Format(s): Online, In-Person, Hybrid

About the Program

The undergraduate accounting program offers a broad education in accounting and business that provides students the foundational global knowledge, skills and abilities to ethically engage in an accounting career, and be able to prepare and communicate accounting information for management and stakeholder decision-making.

In addition to the business core, students will also complete coursework in 5 areas within the accounting discipline to ensure that graduates are also prepared to pursue professional licensure and certification, as well as graduate education, within accounting or other business disciplines.

Student Outcomes

Upon graduation, accounting students will demonstrate comprehension of and competence in the areas of Audit, Accounting Information and Technology, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Managerial Accounting, and Taxation.

The College of Business B.S. programs, including Accounting, share a common set of five learning goals reflecting cross-disciplinary core competencies, knowledge, and skills.

GOAL 1: Communication - Business students will be able to communicate effectively.

1.1 - Prepare effective written communication

1.2 - Deliver effective oral presentations

GOAL 2: Decision Making - Business students will be able to analyze business decisions and propose recommendations drawn from appropriate frameworks.

GOAL 3: Business Environment - Business students will be knowledgeable of global and ethical frameworks and how they relate to business decisions.

3.1 - Analyze global business factors and their impact on business solutions.

3.2 - Analyze ethical considerations and their impact on business solutions.

GOAL 4: Technological Agility - Business students will demonstrate the ability to readily adapt to and apply new technologies to inform business decisions.

GOAL 5: Core Knowledge - Business students will demonstrate competence in required business topics, including accounting, computer information systems, finance, marketing, management, and business law.

General Degree Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the four areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

Program Requirements

A total of 120 semester hours are required for graduation.
To earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, a student must successfully complete 30 or more credit hours of business coursework at MSU Denver. This 30-hour residency requirement can be met by completing any business courses with the prefix ACC, ACCM, BNK, BUS, CIS, ECO, FIN, MGT, MKT, and REL and a course number of 2000 or higher. A student must complete at least 12 upper-division semester hours in Accounting at MSU Denver.
A grade of C or better is required for each accounting course and a C- or better is required in business courses to count toward the bachelor’s degree. Students should note that programs differ in the minimum grade required.
A minor is not required for this program.

Additional Program Information:

Students interested in becoming Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in Colorado should be aware that they must take two auditing courses and one ethics course to qualify for licensure. To fulfill CPA requirements, one of the two required auditing courses must be ACC 4200 - Auditing and Attestation . All states require 150 semester hours of education to become a licensed CPA. MSU Denver offers classes that satisfy the 150-hour requirement for licensure.
ACC 1010 will not substitute as a requirement in the Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Students should consult an Accounting faculty advisor to develop an appropriate academic program. A wide variety of internship opportunities are available through the C2 Hub.

General Studies Requirements: 33 credits

Students should consult the General Studies Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the General Studies Requirements for degree completion.

Written Communication (6 credits)
Oral Communication (3 credits)
- Recommended: COMM 1010 - Presentational Speaking or COMM 1100 - Fundamentals of Oral Communication (one of these courses is required in the College of Business Additional Requirements)
Quantitative Literacy (3 credits)
Arts and Humanities (6 credits)
Historical (3 credits)
Natural and Physical Sciences (6 credits)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
- Recommended: ECO 2010 - Principles of Macroeconomics (required in the College of Business Additional Requirements)
- Recommended: ECO 2020 - Principles of Microeconomics (required in the College of Business Additional Requirements)
Global Diversity (0 or 3 credits**)

** Students will fulfill the global diversity requirement by taking an approved course within one of the following categories: arts and humanities; historical; natural and physical sciences; or social and behavioral sciences.

Multicultural Requirement: 0 or 3 credits

Students should consult the Multicultural Graduation Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the Multicultural Requirement for degree completion.
Many programs include courses that meet this requirement. Students should consult with their advisor to determine what program courses may fulfill this requirement.

Business Core: 36 credits

All business majors require foundation course work in all significant areas of business theory and practice. The following courses are required for all majors in Accounting. A grade of “C-” or better must be earned in each business core course to have that course count toward the Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. A student cannot register for a business core course until all General Studies requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, and Quantitative Literacy are complete.

ACC 2010 - Principles of Accounting I Credits: 3 **
ACC 2020 - Principles of Accounting II Credits: 3 **
BUS 1850 - Introduction to Business Credits: 3
BUS 1950 - Business Communication Credits: 3
CIS 2010 - Foundations of Information Systems Credits: 3
CIS 3300 - Business Analytics I (Descriptive and Predictive) Credits: 3
CIS 3320 - Business Analytics II (Prescriptive) Credits: 3
FIN 3300 - Managerial Finance Credits: 3
MGT 2210 - Legal Environment of Business I Credits: 3
MGT 3000 - Organizational Management Credits: 3
MGT 4950 - Strategic Management Credits: 3
MKT 3000 - Principles of Marketing Credits: 3
* Transfer students that transfer in 6 or more credits of business courses will not need to take BUS 1850 but may take any other College of Business 3-credit hour course that does not appear in their Major or Business Core requirements.

** Accounting majors must earn a minimum grade of C in all accounting courses.

College of Business Additional Requirements: 15 credits

COMM 1010 - Presentational Speaking Credits: 3
or
COMM 1100 - Fundamentals of Oral Communication Credits: 3
ECO 2010 - Principles of Macroeconomics Credits: 3
ECO 2020 - Principles of Microeconomics Credits: 3
MTH 1320 - Calculus for the Management and Social Sciences Credits: 3 (MTH 1410, MTH 2410 or MTH 2420 may be substituted for MTH 1320)
PSC 1010 - American National Government Credits: 3

Ethics Requirement: 0-3 credits

ACC 4440 - Accounting Ethics and Professionalism Credits: 3
or
BUS 3040 - Global Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Credits: 3
or
- Enrollment in the MPAcc 3+2 Program

Accounting Major Requirements: 18 credits

Accounting majors should have learning experiences that focus on the development, measurement, analysis, validation, and communication of financial and other information. The following courses are required for all majors in Accounting.

ACC 3090 - Income Tax I Credits: 3
ACC 3300 - Accounting Information Systems Credits: 3
ACC 3400 - Cost Accounting Credits: 3
ACC 3510 - Intermediate Accounting I Credits: 3
ACC 3520 - Intermediate Accounting II Credits: 3
ACC 4200 - Auditing and Attestation Credits: 3

Accounting Electives: 6 credits

Students should complete 6 credits of upper division accounting courses. Below are suggested courses, but any upper division ACC course (3000 or 4000 level) will count towards this requirement.

ACC 3100 - Income Tax II Credits: 3
ACC 3110 - Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Credits: 3
ACC 3200 - Governmental Accounting Credits: 3
ACC 3750 - International Accounting Credits: 3
ACC 3980 - Internship in Accounting Credits: 1-15
ACC 4440 - Accounting Ethics and Professionalism Credits: 3
ACC 4510 - Advanced Accounting Credits: 3
ACC 4520 - Mergers and Acquisitions Credits: 3
ACC 4700 - Internal Auditing Credits: 3

Senior Experience: 3 credits

MGT 4950 - Strategic Management Credits: 3 (this course is also required in the Business Core)

Summary of Requirements

General Studies Requirements	33 credits
Multicultural Requirement	0-3 credits
Business Core	36 credits
College of Business Additional Requirements	15 credits
Ethics Requirement	0-3 credits
Major Requirements	18 credits
Major Electives	6 credits
Senior Experience	(counted in business core)
Unrestricted Electives	6-21 credits
Total for the Accounting Major, B.S.	120 credits

Required courses for the major may also count for General Studies and Multicultural requirements, so the total credits listed may be greater than the number required to complete the degree. Therefore, it is important that you work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting requirements for your degree.