Accounting Bachelor of Science Degree

From technology and entertainment and travel and government, accounting is a key function to all businesses. It’s the collection, organization, and analysis of data that can reveal the financial state of a business. It can tell a company how well its products and services are performing, and if the products are making a profit. Financial data can help accountants make short- and long-term projections and estimate an organization’s tax liabilities. Accounting also helps an organization plan for its future. Short- and long-term profit projections can help guide an organizations’ growth and in which areas new employees will be needed. It can also help guide decision-making on which product lines to change and grow and which to downsize or eliminate. Accounting is essential to understanding which areas of your business are making money and which are not.

Explore RIT’s Accounting Degree Curriculum

RIT’s BS accounting degree covers financial and managerial accounting disciplines, while:

• Introducing you to the technology used within the profession
• Developing account management and service skills, using digital tools to communicate with, attract and retain clients.
• Exposing you to courses in the liberal arts, sciences, and management
• Leveraging our nationally ranked management information systems (MIS) major to give you the technical skills needed to design, operate, and control accounting information systems

Accounting Certifications: How to Become a CPA

The accounting bachelor’s degree starts you on the right path to completing specific requirements of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification. Additional graduate work is required in order to fulfill New York State CPA exam requirements. Students who complete the 24-credit hour minimum at the bachelor’s degree level will need to complete at least nine credit-hours of graduate accounting courses in order to meet the requirements to sit for the exam. Students completing 30 undergraduate-level accounting credit hours may only need one graduate accounting course to meet NYS CPA exam eligibility rules.

While the CPA license is not required to work in the field of accounting it is highly recommended for students. Learn more about becoming a CPA, CPA requirements, the CPA Exam, and other certifications.

The BS accounting program prepares students for success, as demonstrated by CPA Exam passing rates for RIT students that are consistently above passing rates overall and for all New York state candidates.

Furthering Your Education in Accounting

RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years, giving you a competitive advantage.

• The Accounting BS/Accounting and Analytics MS: In this accelerated dual degree, you'll combine a BS degree in accounting with an MS degree in accounting and analytics to gain a solid accounting background while enhancing your knowledge of the accounting technologies that will help you analyze an organization's data so you can gain significant insights, predict future outcomes, and ascertain risk.
• +1 MBA Early Acceptance Pathway: Successful RIT applicants who are offered admission into the accounting bachelor’s degree as an incoming first-year student may also be offered conditional early acceptance into the +1 MBA Early Acceptance Pathway. This option enables you to earn both your BS degree and an MBA in as little as five years of study. Learn how the +1 MBA Early Acceptance Pathway adds a competitive advantage to your studies.
• +1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.