Accounting B.B.A.

Bachelor of Business Administration Degree
Coles College of Business, School of Accountancy
(770) 423-6084

The faculty of the School of Accountancy strives to be a team of creative, highly qualified professionals dedicated to preparing students for entry-level opportunities and long-term career success. The faculty also makes meaningful contributions to the professional and academic accounting communities.

Accounting provides the tools to measure, interpret and communicate economic information for decision-making. A basic understanding of financial and managerial accounting information is necessary for all business majors. Accounting majors develop their knowledge of accounting within the framework of accounting information systems. The development of a student’s technical, communication, computer, critical-thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership skills are critical consequences of the program.

Upon graduation, Accounting majors have a wide range of job opportunities. Many go into public practice (CPA firms), which involves independent auditing, accounting, consulting and tax services provided to clients. This is the traditional path for becoming a Certified Public Accountant. Others choose private accounting, becoming financial, tax, systems or managerial accountants or internal auditors in business and industry. Still others enter the specialized fields of not-for-profit or governmental accounting. Accounting also serves as a solid background for graduate work in any business area or law. Many find rewarding lifetime careers in Accounting; others use it as a stepping-stone to high-level management positions.

The State of Georgia requires everyone who wishes to be licensed as a CPA to have five years of education (150 semester hours), including a baccalaureate degree. 123 hours are required to earn the bachelors degree; hence 27 additional hours are needed. While these can be undergraduate hours, the faculty recommend that prospective CPAs earn a Masters degree to satisfy the five year requirement.

Business majors must meet the Coles College Sophomore GPA Requirement and be admitted to the Coles College Professional Program. In addition, Business majors must earn a grade of “C” or better in the courses that constitute the Lower Division Major Requirements (lower division business core) and the Upper Division Major Requirements (including upper division business core courses, information technology requirement, major field requirements, and major field electives).