Bachelor of Science in Accounting
University of Tampa - Sykes College of Business
Key Information
Campus location
Tampa, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 45,878 / per year *
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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* average cost for full-time undergraduate students for 2022-2023 academic year (fall and spring)
Introduction
The accounting major provides students with a comprehensive, well-planned, and balanced learning experience designed to prepare graduates for success in the accounting profession and the business community. Students are prepared for many different career paths and graduate with a foundation well suited for advancement.
Accounting is often called the “language of business.” Businesses plan, assess, and report the results of operations, financial condition, and cash position using accounting principles to prepare financial statements that express business operations to both internal and external users of financial information. External users assess creditability, performance, risk, and investment potential while internal users assess the efficiency of resource allocation, performance, and achievement of strategic objectives in the daily management of a business. All organizations, whether large or small, rely on accountants to record and report the activities of the business.
The accounting faculty encourages internships, and UT’s proximity to Tampa’s vibrant business core provides ample opportunity for internships with accounting firms, industry, government, and nonprofit enterprises. Undergraduate students participate in a service-learning experience, typically in the tax course, applying their learning in live client contact experiences. UT’s small classes and extensive research and writing opportunities provide accounting majors the opportunity to develop superior communication skills, making them highly sought after by employers and graduate programs.
Program Outcome
Accounting students should:
- Be sensitive to ethical issues that arise in the practice of the accounting profession and capable of applying the professional standards applicable to specific ethical issues.
- Have an understanding of the legal and economic forces that impact accounting transparency and reporting.
- Be effective critical thinkers with respect to solving professional accounting and business problems.
- Be technically proficient such that they add value to their accounting professional activities.
- Learn modern professional accounting theories, techniques, methods, and/or laws used by business entities and be effective communicators of accounting information to users.
Curriculum
What Will You Learn?
The major in accounting offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to give graduates flexibility in their careers. Students benefit from small class sizes and personalized attention from professors, as well as regular exposure to real-world business environments. UT frequently partners with local companies and professionals for speaker events and other interactive activities.
Skills and curriculum covered in the accounting major include:
- The science of accounting
- Professional and ethical accounting standards and codes of conduct
- How to formulate accounting responses
- How to implement accepted accounting principles, domestically and internationally
- How to select and apply appropriate tools and models for business problem solving
- How to synthesize data, knowledge, and insight to analyze business problems
- The preparation and communication of accounting proficiency in financial accounting, managerial accounting, auditing, and business law
- The technological and research skills needed to resolve accounting, audit, tax, and legal issues
Sample Courses
- Financial Accounting
- Managerial Accounting
- Intermediate Accounting
- Cost Accounting
- Federal Tax Accounting
- Accounting Information Systems
- Auditing and Attestation
Career Opportunities
Practical Experience and Networking
Internship Program
In today’s challenging job market, companies and graduate schools seek candidates with real-world experience. UT’s accounting internship program enjoys the growing interest of local and national firms in recruiting students for internships.
Accounting internships challenge students to practice what they learn in class. Additionally, they allow students to experience a professional work environment prior to graduation and to make better career decisions.
UT requires that accounting students be paid for their internships. Participating employers value the caliber of UT students and recognize that many are capable of performing the duties of a junior staff member.
Students interested in finding accounting internships should visit HIRE-UT. This website is hosted by the Office of Career Services and lists available internship opportunities.
Companies that recruit and frequently hire UT students include:
- Bankers Financial Corporation
- Citi
- Cohen & Grieb
- Crowe
- Deloitte
- EY
- Florida Department of Revenue
- Gregory, Stuart and Sharer
- KPMG
- PwC
- Raymond James
- Sunera
- Warren Averett
Networking Opportunities
Accounting students can also gain real-world experience by interacting with the local business community through in-class consulting projects, guest speakers, and field trips. UT’s proximity to downtown Tampa provides students with hundreds of networking opportunities within walking distance of campus.
Students also interact with the business community through UT’s Centers and Institutes, which include the Center for Ethics, TECO Energy Center for Leadership, Naimoli Institute for Business Strategy, Florida Directors’ Institute, and Lowth Entrepreneurship Center. They offer both students and community members the chance to participate in conferences, attend development programs, engage in dialog with professors about their research, and many other activities.
What Can You Do With This Major?
All organizations, whether large or small, rely on accountants to record and report the activities of the business. Therefore, accounting graduates become an integral part of business management teams and leaders in organizational decision-making processes.
Accountants and auditors work throughout public accounting, private industry, and government. Diverse career paths include:
- External auditing
- Internal auditing
- IS auditing
- Tax and management consulting
- Financial accounting and reporting
- Strategic management accounting
- Financial analysis and treasury/cash management
- Fraud/forensic accounting
Graduates of UT’s accounting programs consistently secure excellent positions or are accepted to top graduate schools across the country. They work for corporations and organizations such as GTE, Coca Cola, and the American Cancer Society, as well as public accounting firms such as Deloitte, PwC, and EY.
CPA License and Graduate Studies
Most accountant and auditor positions require a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field. Many also require a CPA license. Florida and 40 other states require a fifth year of education to qualify to sit for the CPA examination. Students can complete this requirement in UT’s Master of Science in Accounting program.
With a qualifying GPA, UT undergraduates are not required to take the GMAT entrance exam, which is an admissions requirement for all other prospective master’s degree students.
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