Accounting (BS)
The Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree provides a general business foundation including courses in business statistics, statistical programming and business analytics with a depth of specialization in accounting issues and skills. Students develop interpersonal, teamwork and problem-solving skills, and learn how to apply technology in the accounting field. The curriculum includes financial and managerial accounting, taxation, auditing, analytics and accounting information systems and provides students with the necessary credit hours to sit for the CPA exam.
High achieving students completing the Bachelor of Science in Accounting program may choose to apply directly to the Master of Accounting (MAC) program, earning the graduate degree with just one additional year of coursework.
Accounting Department
Poole College of Management
3102 Nelson Hall
Raleigh, NC 27695
Phone: (919) 515-4443
https://poole.ncsu.edu/accounting
Roby B. Sawyers, Ph.D., CPA
Department Head
FORVIS Professor of Accounting
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Social Sciences | |||
| Acad Writing Research 1 | 4 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Public Speaking | |||
| Interpersonal Communication | |||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | |||
| PSY 200 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | |||
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | |||
| Principles of Microeconomics | |||
| EC 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | |||
| Communication for Business and Management | |||
| Communication for Science and Research | |||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | ||
| Select one of the following: (verify requirement) | |||
| Managing Ethics in Organizations | |||
| History and Archaeology of Ancient Latin America | |||
| Contemporary Moral Issues | |||
| Ethical Problems in the Law | |||
| Ethics | |||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Mathematical and Natural Sciences | |||
| GEP Natural Sciences | 7 | ||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3 | ||
| Elements of Calculus | |||
| Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | |||
| Calculus I | |||
| MA 114 | Introduction to Finite Mathematics with Applications | 3 | |
| or MA 242 | Calculus III | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Economics and Business Statistics | |||
| Economics and Business Statistics | |||
| Introduction to Statistics II | |||
| Probability and Statistics for Engineers | |||
| Introduction to Statistical Inference and Regression | |||
| BUS 351 | Introduction to Business Analytics | 3 | |
| ST 307 | Introduction to Statistical Programming- SAS | 1 | |
| or ST 308 | Introduction to Statistical Programming - R | ||
| Interdisciplinary Perspectives | |||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | ||
| Physical Education | |||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| Corequisites | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Major Requirements (Non-Acc) | |||
| M 100 | Personal and Professional Identity Development 4 | 1 | |
| or M 120 | Professional Development and Career Planning | ||
| MIE 201 | Introduction to Business Processes | 3 | |
| BUS 320 | Financial Management | 3 | |
| MIE 330 | Human Resource Management | 3 | |
| BUS 340 | Information Systems Management | 3 | |
| BUS 360 | Marketing Methods | 3 | |
| BUS 370 | Operations and Supply Chain Management | 3 | |
| MIE 305 | Legal and Regulatory Environment | 3 | |
| MIE 480 | Business Policy and Strategy | 3 | |
| Major Requirements (Acc) | |||
| ACC 210 | Concepts of Financial Reporting 2 | 3 | |
| ACC 220 | Introduction to Managerial Accounting 1 | 3 | |
| ACC 310 | Intermediate Financial Accounting I 1 | 3 | |
| ACC 311 | Intermediate Financial Accounting II 1 | 3 | |
| ACC 330 | An Introduction To Income Taxation 1 | 3 | |
| ACC 340 | Accounting Information Systems 1 | 3 | |
| ACC 450 | Auditing and Assurance Services | 3 | |
| Analytics Focus (ACC) | |||
| Concentration | |||
| BUS/ACC 458 | Analytics: From Data to Decisions | 3 | |
| ACC 459 (BUS 459, ACC 411, ACC 440) | 3 | ||
| Accounting Elective | |||
| Free Electives 3 | 13 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Individual Income Taxation | |||
| Business Valuation | |||
| Cost Accounting for Effective Management | |||
| Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Implementation, Risk, and Analytics | |||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
- 1
C- or better
- 2
C+ or better
- 3
Students should consult their academic advisors to determine how to complete this requirement.
- 4
M 100 for MGMTFY only
Acad Writing Research
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acad Writing Research | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 | |
| WLEN 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 | |
| Transfer Sequence | |||
| ENG 202 | Disciplinary Perspectives in Writing | 3 | |
| ENG 1GEP | 3 | ||
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
GPA Graduation Requirements
- Overall GPA for all courses attempted at NC State must be 2.0 or higher; and
- Overall GPA for all ACC courses attempted at NC State must be 2.0 or higher
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| M 100 or M 120 | Personal and Professional Identity Development 5 or Professional Development and Career Planning | 1 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research (or GEP Natural Sciences with Lab) 1 | 4 |
| Select one of the following: 2 | 3 | |
| Elements of Calculus | ||
| Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| MIE 201 | Introduction to Business Processes | 3 |
| Free Elective 4 | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MA 114 or MA 242 | Introduction to Finite Mathematics with Applications or Calculus III | 3 |
| Communications or Humanities | 3 | |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research (or GEP Natural Sciences with Lab) 1 | 4 |
| EC 201 or ARE 201 | Principles of Microeconomics or Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| ACC 210 | Concepts of Financial Reporting 3 | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ACC 220 or ACC 200 | Introduction to Managerial Accounting 3 or Introduction to Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| BUS 340 | Information Systems Management | 3 |
| BUS/ST 350 | Economics and Business Statistics or Probability and Statistics for Engineers or Introduction to Statistical Inference and Regression | 3 |
| GEP Natural Sciences | 3 | |
| EC 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ACC 310 | Intermediate Financial Accounting I 3 | 3 |
| BUS 351 | Introduction to Business Analytics | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Financial Management | ||
| Marketing Methods | ||
| Operations and Supply Chain Management | ||
| Legal and Regulatory Environment | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| PSY 200 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| ST 307 or ST 308 | Introduction to Statistical Programming- SAS or Introduction to Statistical Programming - R | 1 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ACC 311 | Intermediate Financial Accounting II 3 | 3 |
| ACC 340 | Accounting Information Systems | 3 |
| Select two of the following: 12 | 6 | |
| Financial Management | ||
| Marketing Methods | ||
| Operations and Supply Chain Management | ||
| Legal and Regulatory Environment | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| Advanced Writing (select one of the following) 15 | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ACC 330 | An Introduction To Income Taxation 3 | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Financial Management | ||
| Marketing Methods | ||
| Operations and Supply Chain Management | ||
| Legal and Regulatory Environment | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| BUS 458 | Analytics: From Data to Decisions | 3 |
| Communications or Humanities | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ACC 450 | Auditing and Assurance Services 3 | 3 |
| ACC 459 or Accounting Elective 17, 18 | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| Free Elective 4 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Accounting Elective or ACC 459 17, 18 | 3 | |
| MIE 480 | Business Policy and Strategy | 3 |
| Free Electives 19 | 6 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
A grade of C- or better is required.
- 2
MA 131 or MA 141 are encouraged for students who qualify and aspire to take additional calculus. For students completing MA 141, one credit of MA141 will count as free elective credit.
- 3
ACC COURSES REQUIRING “C- or C+” PREREQUISITES:
ACC 310: C+ or better in ACC 210
ACC 311: C- or better in ACC 310
ACC 330: C- or better in ACC 210
ACC 410: C- or better in ACC 210
ACC 420: C- or better in ACC 200 or 220
ACC 440: C- or better in ACC 340
ACC 450: C- or better in ACC 311
- 4
Free elective credit will not be allowed for FL 101 or 105 (in any language in which proficiency requirement is met), and MA 101, 103, 105. ACC 495/498/499 can count for up to 6 hours of free electives. Free electives may be taken for credit only
* Students must also complete as a part of their degree requirements one course from the GEP U.S. Diversity list (no credit hour requirement) and one course from the GEP Global Knowledge list (no credit hour requirement)
- 5
M 100 for MGMTFY only
Career Opportunities
The field of accounting deals with identifying, measuring and communicating information to assist individuals and companies in making informed economic decisions. Accounting provides students with excellent career opportunities. Individuals graduating with an accounting degree can expect to be exposed to all aspects of an organization from a broad top-down perspective.
Career Titles
- Actuary
- Bank and Branch Managers
- Benefits Manager
- Bookkeeper
- Brokerage Clerk
- Budget Accountant
- Budget Analyst
- Business Professor
- Buyer
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Chief Financial Officer
- Compensation Administrator
- Controller
- Cost Accountant
- County or City Auditor
- Credit Analyst
- Economics Professor
- Economist
- Financial Aid Counselor
- Financial Aid Director
- Financial Analyst
- Financial Examiner
- Financial Manager
- Financial Planner
- Financial Services Sales Agent
- Foreign Exchange Trader
- General and Operations Managers
- Government Budget Analyst
- Import/Export Customs Broker
- Insurance Adjuster
- Insurance Claim Examiner
- Insurance Claims Adjuster
- Insurance Underwriter
- Internal Auditor
- Investment Fund Managers
- Loan Counselor
- Loan Officer
- Market Research Analyst
- Operations Research Analyst
- Property Accountant
- Purchasing Agent
- Purchasing Manager
- Retail Buyer
- Securities and Commodities Sales Agent
- Securities Broker
- Systems Accountant
- Tax Accountant
- Tax Auditor
- Tax Collector
- Tax Examiner
- Tax Preparer
- Title Searchers
- Treasurer
Learn More About Careers
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Occupational Outlook Handbook
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Career One Stop Videos
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Focus 2 Career Assessment (NC State student email address required)
This career, major and education planning system is available to current NC State students to learn about how your values, interests, competencies, and personality fit into the NC State majors and your future career. An NC State email address is required to create an account. Make an appointment with your career counselor to discuss the results.
American Institute of CPAs: Student Careers
Focus 2 Apply Assessment (Available to prospective students)
A career assessment tool designed to support prospective students in exploring and choosing the right major and career path based on your unique personality, interests, skills and values. Get started with Focus 2 Apply and see how it can guide your journey at NC State.