The Bachelor of Science in Accounting offers you the necessary theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and research know-how to address complex accounting issues. This online degree program helps to provide additional knowledge for those interested in financial fields in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, such as accounting, auditing or examiners.
This program has been designed in consultation with industry business leaders and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP®), and has earned additional ACBSP Specialized Accounting Accreditation.
This program is not designed to prepare graduates for any state-issued professional license or certification and therefore has not been approved by any state professional licensing agency.
ACBSP® is a registered trademark of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Explain the roles accountants perform in society.
- Discuss Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and their controlling authorities and relate these concepts with appropriate accounting practices.
- Analyze and prepare financial information for management and stakeholders utilizing appropriate accounting analyses and reports.
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the ethical framework for accountants adopted by professional accounting organizations, such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA®) and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA®).
- Articulate a basic knowledge of legal and business terms and concepts relating to the practice of accounting.
AIPCA® is a registered trademark of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
IMA® is a registered trademark of the Institute of Management Accountants.
Programmatic Admission Requirements
You will be required to submit a signed statement of understanding (SOU) to enroll in this program.
Please visit our AMU or APU undergraduate admission page for more information on institutional admission requirements.
Need help?
If you have questions regarding a program’s admission requirements, please contact an Admissions Coach at 877-755-2787 or info@apus.edu.
Degree at a Glance
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | 30 | |
| Major Required | 42 | |
| General Concentration | 27 | |
| Final Program Requirements | 3 | |
| Elective Requirements | 18 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120 | |
Degree Program Requirements
General Education Requirements (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (6 semester hours) 1 | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Arabic I | ||
| Arabic II | ||
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Survey of Photography | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop® | ||
| French I | ||
| French II | ||
| German I | ||
| German II | ||
| Introduction to Japanese | ||
| Literature of American Encounters, Revolution, and Rebellion | ||
| From Abolition to #MeToo: Literature of the American Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Pivotal Figures in Early British Literature | ||
| British Literature from Wordsworth through the Wasteland | ||
| Leadership in World Literature: Antiquity to the Early Modern Period | ||
| Literature of the Newly Globalized World: The Individual’s Struggle to Adapt | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Jazz and Rock | ||
| World Music and Cultures | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese | ||
| Introduction to the Study of Religion | ||
| Introduction to World Religions | ||
| Russian I | ||
| Spanish I | ||
| Spanish II | ||
| Thinking and Acting Ethically | ||
| Civics, Political and Social Sciences (6 semester hours) 1 | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Microeconomics for Business | ||
| Macroeconomics for Business | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| World Archaeology | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Planning Your Future with Purpose in Business | ||
| Social Media and Society | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Microeconomics | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
| Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Geography | ||
| Practical Food Safety and Awareness | ||
| International Relations I | ||
| Forgotten America--Under Represented Cultures in American Literature | ||
| Introduction to Political Science | ||
| American Government I | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Death and Dying | ||
| Race & Religion | ||
| Hope and Resilience | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| American Popular Culture | ||
| Exploring Society and Cultures via Science Fiction | ||
| Communication: Writing, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours) | ||
| COMM120 | Information and Digital Literacy | 3 |
| ENGL110 | Making Writing Relevant | 3 |
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Proficiency in Writing | ||
| Argumentation and Rhetoric | ||
| Introduction to Literature | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Scientific Writing | ||
| Effective Business Communication | ||
| Human Relations Communication | ||
| Information Literacy and Global Citizenship | ||
| Introduction to Information Technology Writing | ||
| Human Relations | ||
| History (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| American History to 1877 | ||
| American History since 1877 | ||
| World Civilization before 1650 | ||
| World Civilization since 1650 | ||
| Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War | ||
| Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War | ||
| African-American History before 1877 | ||
| African-American History since 1877 | ||
| History of the American Indian | ||
| History of Science | ||
| The History and Context of STEM | ||
| Mathematics and Applied Reasoning (3 semester hours) | ||
| MATH110 | College Algebra | 3 |
| Natural Sciences (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Biology | ||
| Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Chemistry | ||
| Introduction to Meteorology | ||
| Introduction to Geology | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science | ||
| Introduction to Physics | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy | ||
| Introduction to STEM Disciplines | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101 - Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110 - Making Writing Relevant. |
Major Required (42 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MATH111 | College Trigonometry | 3 |
| MATH225 | Calculus | 3 |
| ACCT100 | Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT101 | Accounting II | 3 |
| ITCC111 | Basic Productivity Applications | 3 |
| ITCC112 | Advanced Productivity Applications | 3 |
| MKTG201 | Fundamentals of Marketing | 3 |
| BUSN310 | Business Theory | 3 |
| BUSN311 | Law and Ethics in the Business Environment | 3 |
| BUSN312 | Operations Research | 3 |
| FINC400 | Principles of Financial Management | 3 |
| MATH302 | Statistics | 3 |
| MGMT310 | Principles and Theory of Management | 3 |
| MGMT314 | Management Ethics | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 42 | |
General Concentration (27 semester hours)
This concentration helps to prepare students to for a variety of accounting fields such as public accounting, governmental accounting, and not-for-profit accounting. Students gain the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and research skills needed to address complex accounting issues.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Explain the roles accountants perform in society.
- Discuss Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and their controlling authorities and relate these concepts with appropriate accounting practices.
- Analyze and prepare financial information for management and stakeholders utilizing appropriate accounting analyses and reports.
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the ethical framework for accountants adopted by professional accounting organizations, such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
- Articulate a basic knowledge of legal and business terms and concepts relating to the practice of accounting.
Concentration Requirements (27 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT301 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT302 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
| ACCT303 | Intermediate Accounting III | 3 |
| ACCT400 | Auditing | 3 |
| ACCT401 | Cost Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT420 | Individual Federal Taxes | 3 |
| Select 3 courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Introduction to Payroll | ||
| Financial Accounting | ||
| Accounting Information Systems | ||
| Managerial/Cost Accounting | ||
| Law for Accountants | ||
| Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 27 | |
Final Program Requirements (3 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT499 | Senior Seminar in Accounting (to be taken as the last course before graduation) 1 | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 3 | |
| 1 | Prerequisite: Senior Standing and completion of all major courses prior to enrollment. |
Elective Requirements (18 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select any courses not already taken to fulfill the requirements listed above. Credits applied toward a minor or certificate in an unrelated field may be used to fulfill elective credit for the major. | 18 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 18 | |