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Accounting

Accounting skills have broad applications in business, helping companies avoid mistakes and use money efficiently. If you are interested in pursuing a career as a certified public accountant, or if you are not planning to become a CPA but want to gain a solid background in these critical skills, our accounting degree program is for you.

The extraordinary placement rate of graduates of Valparaiso University’s accounting program demonstrates that accounting is an excellent foundation for a variety of careers. By attending our Indiana college for accountants, Valpo students learn to understand an organization’s bottom line in an environment that emphasizes ethics, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication.

Many accounting majors combine this 125-credit program with a second business major; it is also a popular option for students who plan to continue their education in an MBA program.

All College of Business majors begin with two core groups of courses:

The major requirements for a bachelor’s in accounting ensure students have a thorough grounding in accounting and quantitative methods.

Major Requirements for Accounting
ACC 310 Intermediate Financial Accounting I 3 credits
ACC 311 Intermediate Financial Accounting II 3 credits
ACC 315 Accounting Information Systems 3 credits
ACC 320 Cost Accounting 3 credits
ACC 350 Concepts of Tax Accounting 3 credits
ACC 413 Auditing and Assurance Services 3 credits
ACC 430 Research and Analysis in Accounting 3 credits
International Business Requirement
One course from the following options: 3 credits
FIN 430 International Finance
MGT 440 Cross-Cultural Management
MKT 430 International Marketing
Total 24 credits
One course from the following options: 3 credits
ACC 316 Gov’t & Not-for-Profit Accounting
ACC 411 Advanced Accounting
ACC 412 Concepts of Taxation II
Total 27 credits
Free Electives 3 credits
Grand Total (all courses) 125 credits

In addition to the required courses outlined below, each student in the accounting program is required to complete one of the following:

  • A Cooperative Education experience combining full-time professional, paid work experience with academic coursework, or
  • An Internship

Admissions are rolling throughout the year. To be considered for admission to Valparaiso University, students should keep the following in mind:

  • No application fee
  • Students applying for the 2021-2022 academic year will be able to apply test optional, meaning SAT or ACT test scores are not required
  • Students can apply with the Valpo application or the Common Application

Requirements to sit for CPA exam

Two options:

  1. 125 credits in accounting with a double major will get you 150 credits to sit for the CPA exam.
  2. 125 credits in accounting and a fifth year in Valparaiso University’s MBA program will get you 150 credits without doing evening courses.