Accountancy
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Business | Farmer School of Business
What is Accountancy?
Accountancy is the language of business, providing a way to describe and report business transactions. Accountants organize, analyze, and interpret the business information necessary to make decisions and plan for the future. They prepare profit and loss statements, balance sheets, cost studies, and tax reports, and they advise clients on other accounting and tax problems.
What are the features of Miami's program?
Top national ranking
The Farmer School of Business is ranked in the top 25 undergraduate business schools, according to Business Week's seventh annual survey of the nation's best undergraduate business programs. The Farmer School placed 23rd overall and 8th among those programs offered by public universities and colleges in the U.S. In addition to being in the nation's top 5% of schools, the Farmer School was the only Ohio program in the top 25 and one of only two Ohio institutions in the top 50.
Additionally, a number of the programs within the Farmer School of Business have received national recognition. The survey of accounting educators conducted by Public Accounting Report ranked Miami's undergraduate accountancy program 17th and its Master of Accounting (MAcc) program 25th.
Skills-oriented program
Miami's accountancy program focuses on the skills that result in highly recruitable graduates. The program is designed to emphasize oral and written communication, computer technology, critical thinking and problem solving, professional research, and working in teams.
Scholarship opportunities
Miami's accountancy program offers many scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. These scholarships are funded by individual donors, professional services firms, and corporations.
Target school for recruitment
Miami has traditionally been a target school for Fortune 500 companies and the Big Four and other national, regional, and local accounting firms. More than 88% of Miami business students secure employment within six months of graduation, while 10% continue with graduate education. Our alumni prove the quality of their career preparation. More than 2,000 Miami business graduates are presidents, CEOs, or owners of companies.
Are there special admission requirements?
Miami's Farmer School of Business is annually recognized as one of the nation's best undergraduate business schools. Each year, the number of first-year applications for the Farmer School of Business (FSB) exceeds the number of spaces available. Admission to FSB is holistic and comprehensive, considering many variables during the review process to establish the context of a student's achievements and demonstrated potential to be successful in its rigorous curriculum.
The middle 50% of students gaining direct entry into the FSB will typically have an academic profile as outlined below. Please note that an estimated 25% of students offered direct admission will have an academic profile that exceeds these ranges and an estimated 25% will have an academic profile that falls below these ranges.
- ACT Composite Score: 27–30
- SAT (CR+M): 1220–1340
- GPA (on a 4.00 scale): 3.48–4.00
- Class Rank: 7%–26%
Please note that for the 2012–13 academic year, there is an additional $75 per credit hour fee for most business school courses. This credit hour fee will increase to $100 per credit hour for the 2013–14 academic year. For additional details on tuition and fees, visit the Office of the Bursar.
What courses would I take?
The accountancy major begins with courses in the principles of accounting. Then you will take courses in financial and managerial accounting, accounting systems, and taxation and auditing.
The State of Ohio has adopted legislation that requires you to have 150 hours of education to become a CPA. Similar legislation has been adopted in almost all other states. This requires additional education beyond Miami's graduation requirements.
To meet these requirements, Miami's accountancy program offers a five-year program consisting of a four-year bachelor's degree and a one-year master's degree. Five-year program students graduate at the end of four years with a bachelor's degree and continue on for a fifth year to earn a master's degree. (You must apply to the Graduate School for admission to the Master of Accountancy program during your senior year.)
High-achieving students have the option of pursuing a dual-degree program in which they can earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in accountancy within four years. After completing the program, they are qualified to sit for the CPA examination in the state of Ohio and most other states that have adopted the 150-hour education requirement. (Contact the department's Academic Program Coordinator to learn more about this option.)
Alternately, students may graduate at the end of four years with a bachelor's degree and find employment with accounting firms, corporations, and nonprofit organizations where undergraduate education is sufficient. You may also choose to continue your graduate education elsewhere or build toward 150 hours of undergraduate education.
What can I do with this major?
Accountants have a variety of career paths from which to choose. Within public accounting, you can work for any size firm, ranging from a large international CPA firm to a small, local accounting practice. Miami is a target recruiting school for the Big Four accounting firms—Deloitte LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, KPMG LLP, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP—and they hire many Miami graduates each year. You can also work for any type of business, from a corporate giant to a small operation. Miami graduates have gone on to work for companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International, CNA Insurance, Dow Chemical, Fifth Third Bank, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, JPMorganChase, Procter & Gamble, and Sherwin-Williams. Accountants can also work for nonprofit organizations or federal, state, or local government.
Who can I contact for more information?
Farmer School of Business
Student Services Office
1022 FSB
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-1712
www.fsb.muohio.edu/advising
