Accounting

looking up at skyscrapers with screened numbers superimposed

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.

Request accounting major information

WSU Global Campus Accounting.

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

Photo: Business accounting concept, Business man using calculator with computer laptop, budget and loan paper in office.

Courses Designed for Flexibility

The Carson College of Business offers its upper division courses in a 7-week format. Several required upper division courses are offered only once per year. Students will be required to take some courses during the summer.

The 7-week sessions allow students to complete two or four 7-week courses during a traditional 16-week semester and can be taken concurrently with 16-week non-business courses. The 7-week courses are accelerated and require about 15-20 hours of work per week but allow for a more flexible schedule suited for working students. The current 7-week accounting major course rotation schedule is provided below in the Program of Study under Accounting Core Requirements.

Program of Study

All courses are available online

University Requirements

All WSU undergraduates must complete a minimum of 120 semester credits of which 40 credits must be at the 300 – 400 level. Students must also complete the University Common Requirements (UCORE). These can generally be satisfied with a direct transfer degree. For a list of direct-transfer agreements, visit WSU’s Transferring an Associate Degree page.

Admission to the Major

Minimum Requirements

A student must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible to apply for a Carson College of Business major:

Complete the following courses with a grade of C or higher:
- B A 100 – Introduction to Business
- HBM 101 – Professional Development
- B A 102 – Exploring Careers in Business
- MATH 201 – Mathematics for Business & Economics (MATH 202 or ALEKS score of 80% or higher is an acceptable substitute. MATH 106 or MATH 140 will be accepted as alternatives to MATH 201 for transfer students.)
- ECONS 101 – Microeconomics OR ECONS 102 – Macroeconomics
Complete the Carson Career Amplifier Program Year 1
Have a WSU cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 and not be on academic probation
Complete at least 27 credit hours

Students must apply to be admitted to the major during the term they anticipate completing the above requirements.

Accounting Core Requirements and Course Rotation Schedule

33 semester credits

The rotation schedule below shows when upper division business courses for the accounting major are offered during the year. The 7-week sessions are typically scheduled as follows:

Fall Session 1: Late August to early October
Fall Session 2: Mid-October to early December
Spring Session 1: Early January to late February
Spring Session 2: Early March to early May
Summer Session 1: Mid-May to late June
Summer Session 2: Late June to mid-August

The course rotation schedule is provided for planning purposes. New students should refer to their personal planning worksheet created by their Global Campus Academic Advisor for initial planning. Once admitted to the major, students should refer to their Academic Progress Report in myWSU to track their academic progress.

Accounting Rotation Schedule

Course	Fall Session 1	Fall Session 2	Spring Session 1	Spring Session 2	Summer Session 1	Summer Session 2
FIN 325 – Introduction to Financial Management	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
IBUS 380 – International Business	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
MGMT 491 [CAPS] – Strategic Management	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
MGTOP 340 – Operations Management	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
MKTG 360 – Marketing	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
ACCTG 330 – Intermediate Accounting I	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
ACCTG 331 – Intermediate Accounting II	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
ACCTG 335 – Taxation of Business Entities and Individuals	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
ACCTG 338 – Cost Accounting	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
ACCTG 433 [M] – Accounting Systems and Auditing	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
ACCTG 439 [M] - Auditing	No	Yes	No	No	No	No

Accounting Electives

6 semester credits

Note: All upper division courses are seven weeks

ACCTG 420 – Accounting and Culture
MGMT 487 – Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
OR
Any 300/400 level MIS or Finance (FIN) course

Additional College of Business Graduation Requirements

* 6 credits of additional social sciences or humanities coursework: ANTH, ASIA, CES, CRM J, DTC, ECONS, ENGL, FINE ART, HIST, HUM, PHIL, PSYCH, SOC, HD, POL S, and WOMEN ST
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
3 credits Written Communications: ENGLISH 402 [WRTG] [M] – Technical and Professional Writing OR ENGLISH 403
2.5 cumulative grade point average in all business courses
Nine upper division (300 and 400-level) courses must be taken at WSU

*Cannot be used for any other requirement

International Experience Requirement

The College of Business has a six-credit international experience requirement to help students develop the skills to succeed in the global marketplace. A variety of options exists to fulfill this requirement, including study abroad, international internships, and approved coursework.

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.