[ Business & Economics ]

Major in Accounting

The undergraduate accounting major prepares students to work in a variety of capacities in public accounting firms, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations as well as graduate study. 

The four-year undergraduate accounting program requires 32 courses, or 128 semester hours. Students are required to complete 150 semester hours of college credit to be eligible to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination. Elmhurst College offers two ways a student can meet the 150-hour requirement. First, the College offers a Master in Professional Accountancy (MPA) degree. Second, a student can finish the four-year undergraduate program and then take additional undergraduate courses from the recommended list to accumulate 150 semester hours. Students choosing to take 150 semester hours at the undergraduate level should work closely with their advisor to select the most appropriate set of courses that meets their needs.

A student specializing in accounting must take the following courses with a minimum grade of C in addition to the core curriculum. A student must maintain a 2.0 overall average in the core curriculum and must also earn a minimum grade of C in BUS 261 and 262 or the transfer equivalent.

Required Courses
Business core curriculum
BUS 361 Intermediate Accounting I
BUS 362 Intermediate Accounting II
BUS 360 Cost Accounting
BUS 365 Business Law
BUS 366 Accounting Information Systems
BUS 462 Income Taxation I

Elective: one course required
BUS 463 Income Taxation II
BUS 464 Consolidations
BUS 465 Governmental, Non-Profit and Partnership Accounting
BUS 466 Auditing

Recommended Additional Courses
BUS 350 Managing Diversity
BUS 441 Corporate Finance
COM 315 Intercultural Communication
COM 319 Business and Professional Communication
ECO 414 Microeconomics
ECO 416 Macroeconomics
PHL 310 Ethics and Business