Total minimum number of credits required for a major in Accounting leading to the B.S. degree - 123.
Total minimum number of credits required for a minor in Accounting - 18.
The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership offers a major in Accounting, providing the necessary background for an entry-level professional position in public, private, or governmental accounting. Students receive the necessary educational background to compete successfully for placement in graduate and professional schools and for licensure as certified public accountants and certified management accountants. Those choosing a career in administration receive the managerial training necessary for success in a full range of leadership roles.
The Accounting curriculum comprises seven tiers. The first tier begins with a comprehensive study of the arts, sciences, mathematics, communications, and humanities. This liberal arts core is a common experience to all majors and provides the basis for a broadly educated individual. To become competitive, effective organizational leaders and self-fulfilled individuals, Accounting graduates are expected to possess the skills and knowledge acquired through this liberating exposure to the arts, sciences, mathematics, and the humanities.
The second tier of the curriculum is the Sidhu School Foundation courses, which transmit a common educational experience to all Majors within the Sidhu School by addressing topics that are recognized to be basic and necessary to all practicing professionals.
The third tier of educational experience provides a general background in statistical, financial, and managerial techniques.
The fourth tier of basic educational skills relates to the field of financial and managerial accounting. A rigorous thirty-six credit hours are devoted to current accounting theory and applications through the use of texts, computer applications, cases, and practical experience. The sequence begins with introductory level accounting and progresses through intermediate, tax, cost, auditing, and accounting information systems.
A fifth tier utilizes an accounting internship to bond classroom knowledge with practical experience. Most students are placed with public accounting firms where it is possible to experience many areas of accounting as well as a broad range of business problems in a short time span. Additionally, for students with a more specialized interest, accounting internships are also available in banks, in private industry, and with the government. The Wilkes internship program is the oldest in Northeast Pennsylvania, and most successful interns have been placed in positions of their choice, including the large international accounting firms.
The sixth tier requires completion of at least 4 credits geared toward the undergraduate student’s Personal & Professional Development. These courses are intended to prepare students to recognize and use their unique strengths and skills while allowing them to reflect and prepare for a meaningful life and career.
A seventh tier, a five-and-a-half-year BS/M.B.A. program, is available for students who wish to meet the needs of a professional in the 21st century. This program offered by The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership has been developed to encompass each of the above-mentioned levels, along with an additional year and a half of graduate coursework. Upon successful completion, the student will have earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree with 161credit hours of course work.
Students in Sidhu School majors and minors must complete all required ACC courses at Wilkes University, except ACC 161 and ACC 162 which may be transferred from accredited institutions if they are determined to be the academic equivalent of the course offered at Wilkes University. Any other course that a student seeks to transfer as an ACC course would only be eligible to transfer as ACC 198, ACC 298 or ACC 398, depending on the rigor of the course.
Accounting alumni can be found in public accounting firms ranging in size from those of individual practitioners to international organizations. Many of our graduates who began their careers in public accounting have since moved into leadership positions with government or private industry.
The Accounting major in The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University will provide an individual with the combined educational skills to be a future success as a leader in the accounting profession, industry, or government.
The Accounting major requires an additional 30 credits, including: