Accounting 
Build Your Career, By the Numbers
Accounting is a growing, in-demand career field at the forefront of business and finance. If you have strong analytical skills, self-motivation and a keen business interest consider accounting as a career choice. WSU’s accounting program, offered completely online, provides the foundation you need to launch or enhance your career.
Why Major in Accounting?
Accounting is an exciting and constantly evolving field, offering professionals almost unlimited career opportunities. Students who choose to pursue an education in accounting can go on to become company controllers, tax specialists, consultants, general managers, auditors, budget and finance experts, Certified Public Accountants and numerous other positions requiring strong accounting and management skills.
What You’ll Learn
WSU’s accounting curriculum provides a strong base in management fundamentals, critical thinking, accounting information systems and accounting practices, and will prepare you to work in private business enterprises, Fortune 500 companies, national and international accounting firms, government agencies, consulting firms and non-profit organizations.
Students in WSU Global Campus’ accounting program graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a major in accounting. Unlike online accounting degree programs at other institutions, you will gain a broad base of knowledge in business theory and practice in addition to the expertise and practical skills necessary to enter the field of accounting. This powerful combination of business and accounting skills will increase your marketability and value to employers as you enter the job market.
WSU Accounting Program Strengths
- WSU’s accounting major is one of only seven programs in the Pacific Northwest and approximately 187 worldwide that have earned the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Accounting Accreditation.
- WSU’s Carson College of Business accounting faculty are award-winning teachers, work closely with students, and take a personal interest in their success.
Note: All career statistics come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
Program of Study
All courses are available online
University Requirements
Certification Requirements
30 semester credits
Before advancing to upper-division business and accounting courses, students must become certified in business administration with a major in accounting. Certification is competitive and course enrollments are limited. Students are required to apply for certification. A Global Campus business academic advisor can provide additional information about the process. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements as indicated below, he or she is then ranked by academic performance to fill the current quota.
Certification Minimum Requirements
- Complete the following certification courses with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher:
- ACCTG 230, 231 – Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting
- B_LAW 210 – Law and the Legal Environment
- MGTOP 215 – Business Statistics
- ECONS 101 [SSCI], ECONS 102 [SSCI] – Microeconomics and Macroeconomics (prerequisite Math 099 or 101 with a grade of C or better)
- ENGLISH 101 [WRTG] – College Composition
- MATH 201, MATH 202 [QUAN] – Mathematics for Business and Economics and Calculus for Business and Economics
OR
MATH 171 [QUAN], MATH 172 – Calculus I and Calculus II - MIS 250 – Managing Information Technology
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5
- Have earned at least 60 semester credit hours
Students will be placed in rank order based on cumulative GPA and other performance criteria. The top students are then certified based on the number of spots available that semester. Transfer course grades will be used to calculate the certification GPA, but they are not included in the WSU cumulative GPA.
Business Core Requirements
18 semester credits
- FIN 325 – Introduction to Financial Management
- IBUS 380 – International Business
- MGMT 301 – Principles of Management and Organization
- MGTOP 340 – Operations Management
- MKTG 360 – Marketing
- MGMT 491 [CAPS] – Strategic Management
OR
ENTRP 492 [CAPS] – Small Business Strategy and Planning
Accounting Requirements
18 semester credits
- ACCTG 330 – Intermediate Accounting I
- ACCTG 331 – Intermediate Accounting II
- ACCTG 335 – Introduction to Taxation
- ACCTG 338 – Cost Accounting
- ACCTG 433 [M] – Accounting Systems and Auditing
- ACCTG 439 [M] – Auditing
Accounting Electives
- ACCTG 420 – Accounting and Culture
- MGMT 487 – Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
OR
Any 300/400 level MIS or Finance (FIN) course
College of Business Graduation Requirements
- 3 credits of Written Communications: ENGLISH 402 or 403
- 3 credits of Political Science (POL_S)
- 3 credits of Sociology (SOC) or Psychology (PSYCH)
- One of the following Communication courses:
- COM 102 [COMM] – Public Speaking in the Digital Age
- H_D 205 [COMM] – Developing Effective Communication and Life Skills
- 2.5 cumulative grade point average in all business courses
International Experience Requirement
Note: Students who have already completed a business degree through WSU may not return to complete a second business major.
Please review the online WSU Catalog for additional information about specific degree requirements.