Accounting Minor
Department of Business Management
Division of Social Sciences
Jean Davis, Director
The Accounting Minor covers knowledge of the accounting principles and practices fundamental to the capture and analysis of financial information about the firm, the use of accounting information to plan and control activities, accounting theory, and practical application of accounting in the areas such as taxation and auditing. This minor is suitable for students desiring to pursue careers in both private and public accounting and offers courses needed for entry into graduate studies in accounting, a necessary prerequisite for pursuing a career in public accounting. The minor can be combined with the Business Management major for intensive coverage of this field. It can also be taken as a stand-alone minor for students majoring in other disciplines.
Once basic skills of reading financial statements and balance sheets have been learned, accounting is a discipline marked by critical thinking, analytic precision, ethical awareness, and clarity with words, numbers, and visual display of information. Accountants ask questions, communicate answers, and clarify the difficult choices that organizations, both for-profit and not-for-profit, face with regards to budgets and strategic planning. They also ensure that organizations adhere to ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and reporting information and in their internal and external activities.
Given the on-going digital transformation of business, students planning to pursue careers in accounting are also encouraged to minor in either Data Analytics or Information Systems, and take BUS 315 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems and BUS 316 Data Analytics to prepare for future work with enterprise software and analytical tools.