Accounting
About the Program
Within the Gainey School of Business, the accounting program offers a four-year degree that prepares students for many entry-level accountant positions. Students completing the program will have the necessary educational requirements for the Certified Management Accounting (CMA), the Certified Internal Auditing (CIA) and the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) examinations.
Students will develop effective skills, including communication, logic, critical thinking and leadership, and demonstrate a strong intellectual capacity. Students are also encouraged to take additional courses in mathematics, especially calculus.
Why should you choose the accounting program?
- Our graduates consistently find meaningful employment in the accountancy profession within six months of graduation. We maintain strong relationships with regional CPA firms that believe in the quality of SAU graduates.
- In recent years, 95-100 percent job placement rates for accounting graduates were reported.
- Built on the foundation of a biblical worldview, our program stresses the importance of integrity, ethics and content knowledge.
- Our broad-based curriculum provides the best foundation for a student to excel in accountancy or other business-related fields.
- With our low student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll receive a personalized, quality education that makes learning easier and more stimulating.
- Students are well prepared to successfully pass the CPA exam.
Meet the Faculty
Courses, Course Descriptions & Four-Year Plan
The courses for this 58-hour major include such subject areas as cost and managerial accounting theory, statistics, accounting information systems, individual and organization taxation, fund accounting, cost and managerial accounting practice, auditing principles, and accounting theory.
View the course requirements and layout, course descriptions, a sample four-year plan, as well as learn more about the program at Spring Arbor University in the course catalog.
Career Opportunities
This program is a proven entity. Our students and graduates complete the CPA exam with a high rate of success. Several students have also gone on to earn master’s degrees in accounting or taxation in recent years.
So, considering becoming an accountant? Accountants are trusted business advisers and an education in accountancy can lead to a highly respected and rewarding career. Accountants routinely earn incomes that are in the top five percent of the community in which they live. If you elect to major in accounting, you may prepare yourself for a variety of careers in accountancy in the areas of: public accounting (auditing, taxation and consulting), private/industrial accounting (financial and cost accounting), governmental/nonprofit accounting (fund accounting) and forensic accounting (investigative accounting). Accountants are in high demand by government agencies such as the IRS, FBI and CIA.
This program also provides an excellent foundation for alternative business careers, including banking, consulting and small business ownership. In addition, this program provides an excellent undergraduate background for a law degree. Graduates are also prepared for advanced study in accountancy, leading to career opportunities in education in accountancy.To learn more about how Spring Arbor helps its graduates prepare for a career, visit our career development section.
On-Campus Opportunities
Within the Gainey School of Business, there are a wide range of opportunities for students to get involved, apply what they’re learning in the classroom in a practical way, and meet students who have similar passions. Here is a list of just some of the opportunities available: ENACTUS – ENACTUS is an international organization that encourages students to use the skills they are developing to pursue business-related projects that will improve their respective communities. Students from a wide range of majors and academic departments participate in ENACTUS projects. This is sponsored through the Gainey School of Business.
Etiquette Dinner (event) – As students look to graduation, they are invited to participate in the Etiquette Dinner that happens every February, where an expert leads students through a formal dinner, instructing them on the dos and don’ts of dining in a professional setting. This is a service offered through the career development office. See a full list of the various activities and organizations available to students at Spring Arbor University.