Accounting Major

Professors Gitter, MacLeod, Simon
Associate Professors Bryan, Rahman, Skosples, Yazar
Assistant Professors Breidenbach, Charna, Vollrath, West

The accounting major covers all basic areas of both financial and managerial accounting, along with tax and business law. This major prepares a student for many careers in business and accounting, or for graduate study. Students planning to take the CPA exam in Ohio and most other states will be required to have 150 hours of education (40 OWU units) with at least a baccalaureate degree in accounting. This generally requires additional education beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Learning Objectives

Accounting majors will be able to

Demonstrate command of knowledge of fundamental and technical concepts of accounting.
Ability to interpret, present and analyze accounting data.
Apply critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in accounting and business areas.
Ability to determine when change is appropriate and adapt to change as it occurs.
Demonstrate a sense of ethics, responsibility, and service to users of accounting data.
Demonstrate an awareness of the global accounting and business environment.
Effectively communicate with written and spoken word.
Ability to understand personal interests and establish career objectives.

Major Requirements

Required Courses

A total of 12 units consisting of:

Recommended Courses

Other Information

Double majors in the department are allowed only if one of the majors is Accounting.

Only one unit of 495 may be counted and a maximum of two units from 490A, 490B, 491, and 495 may be counted toward any major in the Economics department. A general principle followed by the department is that no more than two courses may be counted towards completing requirements in more than one program.

For all majors and minors in the department, only MATH 105 or MATH 230, PSYC 210, and ACCT, BUS, and ECON courses (or their off-campus equivalents) can be used to meet department requirements. All elective courses must be upper-level (numbered 250 or above). Students must attain a minimum 2.0 grade point average in their major to graduate. Courses eligible to be counted in the major or minor cannot be taken credit/no entry. All pre-requisite courses must be successfully passed with a grade of C- or better to qualify for enrollment in the subsequent course.

A maximum of 13 units of credit in any one discipline (accounting, business, or economics) and 17 total units of credit in the economics department may be counted in the 34 units required for graduation. Additional discipline or department units will result in greater than 34 units required for graduation.

A-Levels, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, and Other Credits

Students who pass A-Levels in Accounting with a C or better will receive a total of only one credit, and that will be for ACCT 217 .

Students who transfer courses to Ohio Wesleyan University should consult with the department chair regarding the appropriate credit to be awarded. If several courses are transferred at less than 1.0 unit (3.75 credits), additional courses may be required. For all majors and minors in the department, a majority of the courses must be completed at OWU.