According to the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and the American Accounting Association, “Accounting is the art of recording, classifying and summarizing in a significant manner and terms of money, transactions and events, which are, in part at least, of a financial character and interpreting the result thereof”. The accounting profession offers almost infinite opportunities for men and women to build exciting and rewarding careers. Accounting professionals increasingly use Data Analytics to identify patterns in data leading to opportunities for improvement. Advances in Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning and Robotics have all been applied to improve the quality of accounting services and support efficiencies. Capable accounting professionals are needed to use these technologies to support their clients and employers. Technology is driving changes in the way business is done, which means more new opportunities for accounting professionals who are prepared to support organizations of all sizes and structures to harness the enormous potential of transactional information and the technologies used to capture and report that information. Accountants and auditors are the most trusted financial information professionals.

The accounting program at Georgia Southern University is one of only 189 accredited by the AACSB, the international business, and accounting accrediting organization.

Students are offered the following curriculum options:

4- Year Track - B.B.A.

The four-year program, B.B.A. prepares students for a wide range of professional careers in industry, finance, government, and non-profit organizations. This program includes accounting coursework that prepares students for work in areas such as fraud examination, financial management, financial reporting and analysis, internal auditing, data analytics and management consulting. Upon completion of the 4-year track, students receive a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Students may want to also minor in another area of business to enhance their business skill sets. Many Accounting students find that Data Analytics  and information systems are a very valuable added area of emphasis.Students should also consider completing the highly regarded Certificate in Fraud Examination.

5- Year Track - B.B.A. M.Acc.

The five-year professional accounting program, B.B.A. plus M.Acc., prepares students for careers in public accounting as certified public accountants (CPA). To become certified in the State of Georgia, candidates must have 150 credit hours of post-secondary education. During the last year of BBA coursework, highly qualified students apply for and are competitively admitted to the Master of Accounting program. During the fifth year, students complete 30 additional credit hours of accounting and graduate electives to complete their master’s level education. This curriculum is designed to prepare them for work asobjective advisors for their clients, providing such services as auditing and assurance services, data analytics, sustainability, and environmental accounting, forensic accounting, information technology services, international accounting, consulting services, government and not-for-profit financial services, personal financial planning, and tax advisory services. We offer a course specifically designed to help prepare for a pass the exam. Graduate students in the MAcc also have the opportunity to earn a Certificate in Taxation and a Certificate in Forensic Accounting. Please refer to the graduate portion of the catalog for a detailed description of the Master of Accounting degree and Certificates.

WebMAcc

We also offer a highly rated online Masters of Accounting called the WebMAcc as an alternative to the MAcc. The online program is taught by the same high-quality faculty who teach in our traditional on-campus Master of Accounting. More information is available in the Graduate catalog.

Programs

• Accounting, B.B.A.

• Fraud Examination Certificate

• Accounting, M.Acc.
• Accounting, Web M.Acc. (The Web-Based Master of Accounting)