Students who wish to earn the Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting must be admitted to the accounting program. Undergraduate accounting majors are subject to the probation and dismissal rules described in the Bachelor of Business Administration section of the catalog and are governed by the Tippie Honor Code.
The Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including at least 25 s.h. of work for the major. All required major coursework must be taken at the University of Iowa. Students must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 in all college coursework attempted, all college coursework attempted in business, all college coursework attempted in the major, all coursework attempted at the University of Iowa, all business coursework attempted at the University of Iowa, and all coursework in the major attempted at the University of Iowa.
Students must complete certain prerequisite courses for admission to the college as well as courses required to declare a major in accounting. Students usually spend the first and second year completing prerequisites and other coursework required for all BBA students. To view the common BBA requirements, see the Bachelor of Business Administration in the catalog. In addition, students must have a University of Iowa GPA and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00, and a grade of at least B-minus in ACCT:2100 Introduction to Financial Accounting.
Students must be admitted to the accounting program before they begin work in courses required for the major. They must have a combined GPA of at least 2.67 in ACCT:2100 Introduction to Financial Accounting and ACCT:2200 Managerial Accounting Analytics and Data Visualization. Coursework provides concentrated coverage of professional accounting subjects and closely related topics in commercial law, business, and information systems.
Students who wish to declare accounting as a major but do not satisfy the automatic admission requirements may submit a petition for admission.
Accounting Major
These business core classes are prerequisites to major-level courses: ACCT:2200 Managerial Accounting Analytics and Data Visualization, MGMT:2000 Introduction to Law, BAIS:2800 Foundations of Business Analytics, and BAIS:3005 Information Systems.
Students may not count ACCT:3020 Financial Accounting and Reporting toward the BBA in accounting due to overlap in course content.
Students who major in accounting are required to take the following major coursework at the University of Iowa.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| ACCT:3100 | Professional Accounting Seminar (must be taken by the second semester in the program) | 1 |
| ACCT:3200 | Income Measurement and Asset Valuation | 3 |
| ACCT:3300 | Valuation of Financial Claims | 3 |
| ACCT:3400 | Introduction to Taxation | 3 |
| ACCT:3600 | Accounting Systems and Analytics | 3 |
| ACCT:4100 | Auditing | 3 |
| ACCT:4200 | Advanced Managerial Accounting Analytics | 3 |
| ACCT:4300 | Accounting Ethics and Law | 3 |
| And one accounting elective during the fourth year from these: | ||
| ACCT:3500 | Advanced Tax Topics (offered fall only) | 3 |
| ACCT:4280 | Cybersecurity (offered spring only) | 3 |
| ACCT:4400 | Advanced Financial Accounting (offered spring only) | 3 |
Optional Accounting Electives
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT:3450 | Tax Practicum (VITA) I | 1 |
| ACCT:3451 | Tax Practicum (VITA) II | 2 |
| ACCT:4600 | Tax Research | 2 |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam and Licensure
A significant percentage of accounting graduates pursue the CPA license. Requirements to sit for the CPA exam and for CPA licensure vary by state. Each state requires 150 s.h. to become a licensed CPA, including specific courses and a minimum number of accounting hours. In many states, the required accounting hours exceed the minimum requirements of the BBA. Students should review their state’s educational requirements at the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) website and consult with the undergraduate accounting program director as needed.
In the most recent Pomerantz Career Center graduate survey, 98% of graduating students reported that they found permanent employment, planned to attend graduate school, or were not seeking employment within six months of graduation.
The Pomerantz Career Center offers multiple resources to help students find internships and jobs; for more information about careers, visit the Pomerantz Career Center website.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.
Accounting, BBA
| Academic Career | ||
|---|---|---|
| Any Semester | Hours | |
| Pre-business students must be admitted to the Tippie College to declare the accounting major. Students not already admitted to Tippie generally apply for admission during their second year as they are completing the prerequisite courses. a | ||
| Completion of prerequisites and Business Core Part I, a grade of B-minus or higher in ACCT:2100 Introduction to Financial Accounting, and UI and cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher is required to declare the major. | ||
| Students are required to complete 52 s.h. of non-business coursework. Courses with a prefix of ACCT, BAIS, BUS, ECON, ENTR, FIN, MGMT, and MKTG will not count towards non-business hours. Check degree audit for non-business hours or confer with academic advisor. | ||
| Students who need to complete the World Language requirement should consult with their academic advisor about when to add courses to plan of study. World Language counts as non-business coursework. | ||
| To fulfill the Tippie RISE experiential learning requirement, complete an approved course in at least one of the following categories: research with faculty, internship course, study abroad, experiential course. b | 0 - 3 | |
| Students must satisfy the Tippie College of Business residence requirement: 45 s.h. of UI coursework after admission to Tippie. c | ||
| Hours | 0-3 | |
| First Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MATH:1350 | Quantitative Reasoning for Business d | 4 |
| RHET:1030 | Rhetoric | 4 |
| GE: Historical Perspectives e | 3 | |
| GE: Social Sciences e | 3 | |
| CSI:1600 | Success at Iowa | 2 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| STAT:1030 | Statistics for Business | 4 |
| ECON:1100 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| BAIS:1500 | Business Computing Essentials | 2 |
| ENGL:1200 | The Interpretation of Literature | 3 |
| GE: Diversity and Inclusion e | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACCT:2100 | Introduction to Financial Accounting f, g | 3 |
| BAIS:2800 | Foundations of Business Analytics | 3 |
| MGMT:2000 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| GE: Natural Sciences without Lab e | 3 | |
| BUS:2200 | Foundations for Success in Business | 1 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACCT:2200 | Managerial Accounting Analytics and Data Visualization h | 3 |
| ECON:1200 | Principles of Macroeconomics g | 4 |
| BUS:3000 | Business Communication and Protocol i | 3 |
| BAIS:3005 | Information Systems | 2 |
| BAIS:3000 | Operations Management | 2 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACCT:3100 | Professional Accounting Seminar j | 1 |
| ACCT:3200 | Income Measurement and Asset Valuation | 3 |
| ACCT:3400 | Introduction to Taxation | 3 |
| FIN:3000 | Introductory Financial Management | 3 |
| GE: International and Global Issues e | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACCT:3300 | Valuation of Financial Claims | 3 |
| ACCT:3600 | Accounting Systems and Analytics | 3 |
| MGMT:2100 | Introduction to Management | 3 |
| GE: Values and Culture e | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACCT:4100 | Auditing | 3 |
| Major: Accounting elective course k, l | 3 | |
| MKTG:3000 | Introduction to Marketing Strategy | 3 |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACCT:4200 | Advanced Managerial Accounting Analytics | 3 |
| ACCT:4300 | Accounting Ethics and Law | 3 |
| Major: Accounting elective course l, m | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Degree Application: apply on MyUI before deadline (typically in February for spring, September for fall) n | ||
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120-123 | |
- a
- Prerequisite courses include RHET:1030, MATH:1350, STAT:1030, ECON:1100 and BAIS:1500. Refer to the Tippie website for admission requirements and deadlines.
- b
- See degree audit for course options.
- c
- All major courses in accounting must be completed at the University of Iowa.
- d
- Enrollment in math courses requires completion of a placement exam.
- e
- GE courses may be completed in any order unless used as a prerequisite for another course. Students should consult with an advisor about the best sequencing of courses.
- f
- Students must have a UI and cumulative GPA of at least 3.00, and earn a grade of B-minus or better in ACCT:2100 in order to declare the accounting major.
- g
- Business Core Part I component; required to declare major.
- h
- To begin accounting major coursework, students must have accounting major declared and grade of B-minus or higher in ACCT:2200.
- i
- Must be admitted to Tippie to enroll in BUS:3000. Generally completed during the second year, but should be taken no later than the third year.
- j
- A significant percentage of accounting graduates pursue the CPA license. Requirements to sit for the CPA exam and for CPA licensure vary by state. Each state requires 150 s.h. to become a licensed CPA, including specific courses and a minimum number of accounting hours. In many states, the required accounting hours exceed the minimum requirements of the BBA. Students should review their state's educational requirements at the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) website and consult with the undergraduate accounting program director as needed.
- k
- ACCT:3500 recommended; typically this course is offered in fall semesters only. Check MyUI for course availability since offerings are subject to change.
- l
- One accounting major elective required, but both are highly recommended for students taking the CPA exam.
- m
- Either ACCT:4280 or ACCT:4400 recommended; typically both of these courses are offered in spring semesters only. Check MyUI for course availability since offerings are subject to change.
- n
- Please see Academic Calendar, Office of the Registrar website for current degree application deadlines. Students should apply for a degree for the session in which all requirements will be met. For any questions on appropriate timing, contact your academic advisor or Graduation Services.