Accounting (BS)

Affiliation: School of Business and Professional Studies

THE MAJOR

The Business and Economics Department offers a four-year program of study in accounting that emphasizes entry-level skills necessary for the practice of accounting in the private sector. Students who complete the undergraduate program are eligible to sit for a number of professional certification exams including: Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Missouri (and other states that have similar requirements), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

In recognition of the extensive body of knowledge needed for the professional practice of public accounting, the School offers a Master of Accountancy degree program. Students completing the Master of Accountancy program meet the education requirements for CPA licensure in the state of Missouri (and other states that have similar requirements). Students should determine the specific requirements of their state early in their program. Students are encouraged to complete both the undergraduate and graduate accounting programs at Truman. However, students may enter the undergraduate program as transfer students or enter the graduate program after receiving an undergraduate degree at Truman or another university. 

ACCREDITATION

The undergraduate and graduate business and accounting programs offered by the Business and Economics Department are accredited in both Business and Accounting by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.  These programs include the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and Master of Accountancy.  Truman is one of fewer than 200 schools worldwide holding accreditation in both Business and Accounting.

AACSB is recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and by the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, as a specialized accrediting agency for undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration and accounting. 

BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTING PROGRAMS MISSION STATEMENT

The Business and Accounting programs graduate ethically-aware prospective business and civic leaders who are effective communicators, team leaders, critical thinkers, and problem solvers.

We fulfill this mission by:

• Admitting high-potential students from the Midwest and beyond;
• Offering programs that embrace the knowledge, skills, and perspectives of the liberal arts;
• Using effective teaching and learning strategies with appropriate technologies to prepare students for rapidly evolving business careers;
• Engaging with business professionals, civic leaders, and community members to enhance student learning and readiness for the workforce, and;
• Emphasizing faculty scholarly activity related to contributions to practice and teaching/learning with a secondary emphasis on discipline-based scholarship.

ACCOUNTING PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT

Building on a liberal arts and sciences education, Truman accounting graduates will integrate analytical, research, communication, interpersonal and critical thinking skills with business and financial knowledge to be effective financial professionals and prospective leaders.

ADMISSION TO THE ACCOUNTING PROGRAM

Students wishing to major in accounting must meet the following admission requirements before enrolling in upper division business and/or accounting courses:

1. Completion of 40 credits including the following courses with a grade of C or better:

• ENG 190 - Writing as Critical Thinking
    
• COMM 170 - Public Speaking
    or the successful test out of COMM 170
• STAT 190 - Basic Statistics
    
  OR
  STAT 290 - Statistics
    
• MATH 192 - Essentials of Calculus
    
  OR
  MATH 198 - Analytic Geometry and Calculus I
    
  OR (MATH 187 - Calculus I with Precalculus Review I  and MATH 197 - Calculus I with Precalculus Review II )
• BSAD 153 - Introduction to Business Data Analytics  
• ACCT 220 - Introduction to Financial Accounting
    

2. Students should currently be enrolled in or have completed the following courses with a grade of C or better in the semester before they begin in upper-level major courses:

• BSAD 234 - Legal Environment of Business
    
• (
  ECON 200 - Principles of Macroeconomics
    and
  ECON 201 - Principles of Microeconomics
   )
  OR
  ECON 205 - Principles of Economics
    
• ACCT 221 - Introduction to Management Accounting
    

Students are required to earn a grade of C or better in these courses before their second semester of upper level major courses.

3. An overall cumulative GPA of 2.75

4. Submit a semester-by-semester planned class schedule that would fulfill graduation requirements.

5. Pass an Excel competency test. Students who have taken BSAD 153 with Truman and received a grade of C or better have passed the competency test.

6. Complete the Application for Approval to Enroll in Upper-Level Accounting and Business Courses and submit a current résumé.

ACCOUNTING COMMUNICATION

Effective oral and written communication is essential for accountants.  To develop these skills in our graduates, a number of courses in the Accounting curriculum involve informal speaking and writing experiences in a variety of settings, culminating with the Accounting Capstone (ACCT 498 ).  ACCT 498 is both a writing and speaking enhanced course requiring students to research an accounting topic, write about their research, and make oral presentations.  In addition to classroom communication projects, many students also have the opportunity to develop their speaking skills through extracurricular activities.  

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

1. An overall cumulative 2.25 GPA
2. A 2.25 GPA in major requirements
3. 40 credits of 300-400 level courses
4. Students must complete 26 semester hours of the required business courses (including 15 hours of ACCT courses) at Truman, have a 2.25 GPA in major requirements taken at Truman, and have a 2.0 GPA in all courses taken at Truman.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: