Undergraduate Program
accounting
Table of Contents
Contacts
- Department Secretary: Maureen Chancey, 617-552-3940, maureen.chancey@bc.edu
- www.bc.edu/accounting
Undergraduate Program Description
The objective of the curriculum sequence is to prepare the undergraduate accounting major for a professional career in accounting or a related field. This curriculum is broadly based in its scope and coverage so as to be relevant and useful for a professional career, whether that be in public accounting, industry, financial institutions, government, information systems, law, or not-for-profit organizations.
There are three majors housed in the Accounting Department: Accounting, Corporate Reporting and Analysis, and Information Systems and Accounting. Students will not be allowed to concentrate in more than one of these three.
Concentration in Accounting
Accounting is the language of business. To concentrate in accounting is to understand how business information is derived, analyzed, and communicated to its users. The traditional accounting concentration exposes students to all facets of accounting: managerial and financial accounting, auditing, and taxation. It prepares students for a career in public accounting, industry, financial institutions, government, consulting, law, or not-for-profit organizations.
Required 12 credits in:
MA 301 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory I
MA 302 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory II
MA 307 Managerial Cost and Strategic Analysis
MA 405 Federal Taxation
And at least three credits from one of the following five courses:
MA 309 Audit and Other Assurance Services*
MA 351 Financial Statement Analysis
MA 602 Theory and Contemporary Issues in Accounting
MA 618 Accounting Information Systems**
MA 635 Forensic Accounting
*Auditing is a requirement to sit for the CPA exam in all states, and a requirement for admission to the Boston College M.S. in Accounting program.
**If you plan to enroll in the M.S. in Accounting program at Boston College, be advised that AIS or an equivalent systems course is a requirement to graduate. The systems course can be taken as an undergraduate or graduate student. Information Systems is a requirement for the CPA exam in many states including Massachusetts.
Concentration in Corporate Reporting and Analysis
The Corporate Reporting and Analysis (CRA) concentration is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in finance, but would like to develop a deeper understanding of financial statement preparation and analyses.
Unlike the traditional accounting concentrations, the CRA concentration focuses solely on financial accounting and provides a valuable complement to a finance concentration. Most students who concentrate in CRA end up working for investment and commercial banks, mutual funds, and consulting and private equity firms.
Required nine credits in:
MA 301 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory I
MA 302 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory II
MA 351 Financial Statement Analysis
And at least three credits in:
MA 601 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory III
MA 602 Theory and Contemporary Issues in Accounting
MA 610 International Financial Reporting Standards
And at least three credits from one of the following four courses:
MD 384 Applied Statistics
MD 606 Forecasting Techniques
EC 228 Econometric Methods
EC 229 Economic and Business Forecasting
Concentration in Information Systems and Accounting
Employers continually emphasize the value of professionals who understand business and the information systems (IS) that support them. While IS specialists have strong technical knowledge of the information system, accountants have a broad understanding of the accounting processes and controls. The combination of the two skill sets provides a compelling package.
Students fulfilling this concentration will satisfy all of the requirements for an IS concentration and also obtain a background in Accounting. The curriculum entails 18 credit hours in accounting and IS, and is designed for students interested in careers either with the consulting divisions of professional services firms (e.g., major accounting and consulting firms), IS departments of companies, or as IS auditors. Students should see a faculty advisor in selecting an appropriate Accounting elective.
This concentration is administered jointly by the Accounting Department and the Information Systems Department.
Required 15 credits in:
MA 301 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory I
MA/MI 618 Accounting Information Systems
MI 157 Introduction to Programming for Management (or CS 101)
MI 257 Database Systems and Applications
MI 258 Systems Analysis and Design
And at least three credits from one of the following four courses:
MA 302 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory II
MA 307 Managerial Cost & Strategic Analysis
MA 309 Audit & Other Assurance Services
MA 351 Financial Statement Analysis
Other Accounting Department Electives
MA 398 Directed Research
MA 399 Directed Readings
MA 588 Business Writing & Communication
MA 601 Financial Accounting Standards and Theory III
MA 610 International Financial Reporting Standards
MA 615 Advanced Federal Taxation
MA 634 Ethics & Professionalism in Accounting
MA 641 Information Systems Security Management/Forensic Accounting
Information for Study Abroad
Given the international scope of the profession, Accounting concentrators are encouraged to study abroad. The Accounting Department will recognize certain Core and elective courses for transfer to BC (primarily Managerial Cost Analysis and Accounting Information Systems). Prior approval is required in every case. All Accounting concentrators should meet with the department assistant chair, chair, or secretary to plan their study abroad programs and to obtain definitive course approvals.
C.P.A. Recommendations
The Department recommends that students who intend to practice as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) check the board of accountancy of the state in which they plan to practice for its specific educational requirements (www.nasba.org). In almost all states, students are now required to complete 150 semester hours of course work to qualify for CPA licensure. In addition, a minimum number of accounting courses with specific topical coverage may be necessary. For more information please refer to the BC Guide to Meeting CPA Requirements available online or in the department office.
Because Boston College students typically graduate with only 120 credit hours (ignoring AP credits and overloads), students may require an extra year of course work in order to meet the 150 credit hours. Boston College offers a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program to meet these additional requirements. For more details on the program, refer to the Boston College MSA website: www.bc.edu/msa. Students who enter BC with Advanced Placement credits may be able to satisfy the 150-hour requirement in less time. Please contact the Accounting Department in Fulton 520 or via email at csom.accounting@bc.edu if you have any additional questions.