May 12, 2024  
2023 - 2024 Catalog 
    
2023 - 2024 Catalog

Accounting Major


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Program Director: Dr. Robert Dosch

Degree Type(s): Bachelor of Science (default) or Bachelor of Arts (alternative)

Accounting majors graduating from the University of Mary’s Gary Tharaldson School of Business will be enriched through a curriculum of discovery, development and application to ensure a sound knowledge of the key professional components of business. Students also gain an understanding of how to incorporate servant leadership into their everyday lives as business professionals. In addition to the core competencies of the University, graduates of the Accounting program will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an ability to process information to reach a logical conclusion.
  • Demonstrate professional business communication.
  • Identify major concepts within the core areas of business.
  • Apply decision support tools to business decision making.
  • Apply ethical decision making utilizing the Benedictine values and professional standards.
  • Recognize the global nature of the contemporary business environment.
  • Recognize elements of an audit that was conducted with professional skepticism and in compliance with audit standards.
  • Prepare financial statements in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
  • Apply tax laws to prepare tax returns.
  • Utilize research skills to choose relevant authoritative literature.

Additional Program Information

  • The Accounting program’s curriculum is designed to expose students to content areas covered in the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. A typical bachelor’s degree requires 124 semester hours. Individuals who wish to become licensed CPAs must have a total of 150 semester hours of college credit. Most accounting students who intend to become licensed CPAs choose to complete additional coursework to meet this requirement. The student’s accounting advisor will work with the student to determine the best courses (graduate and/or undergraduate) to meet the needs of the individual in obtaining their career goals.
  • There are additional academic policies which apply to all undergraduate majors within the Gary Tharaldson School of Business. Please review those policies on the GTSB Undergraduate Programs  page. 

Major Requirements


Required Courses:


All of the following courses require a final grade of C or higher to count towards the major. This applies to courses taken at the University of Mary as well as transfer courses.

Transfer & Non-Trad Students


Transfer Students: to graduate with an accounting major, 16 upper-level (300-400) credits must be accounting courses taken from the University of Mary. Upper-level business or computer information electives do not count toward this requirement.

Non-Traditional/Distance Education Students: Students who earn their accounting major in nontraditional (online/ distance sites) modalities are not required to complete BUS 280 .

Total: 124 Semester Credits


Program length: 4 academic years / 128 weeks

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