Accounting

Major: Accounting
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 180.0
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years); No Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 52.0305
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 13-2011; 11-3031; 13-2051

About the Program

Why Major in Accounting?

Interested in a career in a profession respected for integrity and ethics where you routinely face new challenges, engage in life-long learning, work in dynamic teams, and have in demand skills? Consider accounting!

The accounting profession is in an exciting time of evolution with automation, data analytics, remote work, as well as the “usual” changes in financial reporting and tax regulations. 

It is no longer true that accountants sit in the back room working by themselves.  Accountants fill key roles on teams as business partners and financial experts in consulting, professional services, public accounting, companies of all sizes, startups, nonprofit organizations and all levels of government. 

A Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from LeBow empowers you with a solid foundation in accounting and tax principles, analysis and communication skills, and the ability to collaborate to solve complex issues. 

Many students enrolling in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree with a major in Accounting are interested in becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Licensing for the CMA certification is administered by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and is not dependent on state/jurisdiction. Certification eligibility criteria consist of prerequisite requirements including work experience, educational requirements, and the CMA exam. The required curriculum for the BSBA with a major in Accounting meet the education requirements to earn a CMA license. For more information, please see the IMA’s CMA Certification requirements.

The requirements for becoming a certified public accountant (CPA) vary by state but generally include completing 150 semester (225 quarter) credit hours in an accounting program at a college or university, passing the CPA exam, and a specific amount of relevant work experience. This NASBA resource provides links to each of the state boards of accountancy to learn more about the specific requirements for your state. 

The required curriculum for the BSBA with a major in Accounting by itself does not meet the education requirements to earn a CPA license. The LeBow College of Business offers courses that may allow an individual to meet the education requirements to earn a CPA license. Students planning to obtain a CPA license should consult with their academic advisor and the Department of Accounting upon declaring the major to ensure ample time to fulfill such requirements.

Degree Requirements

Students planning to take the CPA exam should review the educational requirements established by the State Board of Accountancy in the state in which they plan to sit for the examination. Students are qualified to sit for the examination in Pennsylvania by meeting the degree requirements above. Students planning to apply for a CPA license in Pennsylvania have to obtain 225.0 quarter credit hours—the equivalent to 150 semester hours.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

5 Year 3 Co-Op 

*

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

4 Year 1 Co-Op 

*

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

4 Year No Co-Op 

*

Students not participating in co-op will take one additional credit of Free Elective instead of COOP 101.

Co-op/Career Opportunities

A degree in accounting provides a wide variety of career opportunities.  You can specialize, becoming an accounting, audit, or tax expert.  You can also use the business understanding and analysis skills an accounting degree provides to enter the industry of your choice.  All industries use accounting/financial data to make sound decisions.  You can also combine areas of interest for example law and accounting as a forensic accountant (fraud examiner) or sports and accounting working for a sports team.  The possibilities meet your ambitions. 

Drexel’s co-op program provides an added advantage to accounting students; time spent working in accounting co-op positions is often accepted as part of the experience needed for CPA and CMA certifications.

Drexel’s Accounting graduates accept positions in public accounting, private industry, government, and non-profit organizations. Many also choose to continue their studies in graduate schools, pursuing such degrees as an MBA, master’s in taxation, master's in accounting, or a PhD. Overall, Drexel’s graduates enjoy a high placement rate.

Visit the Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center page for more detailed information on co-op and post-graduate opportunities. To learn more about career opportunities and resources, see the Career Guides provided by the Steinbright Career Development Center.

Facilities

The 12-story, 177,500-square-foot home for LeBow College of Business is located at the heart of the Drexel University campus, at the intersection of Woodland Walk and Market Street, where it forms a gateway to Drexel and a backdrop to the historic statue of A. J. Drexel (Moses Ezekiel, 1904). The diagonal massing of the lower floors follows Woodland Walk and combines with the new Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building (Diamond & Schmitt, 2011) to energize the University’s central quadrangle. The building’s tower will mark the LeBow College and Drexel campus from all directions while the open, glassy Market Street façade will showcase the College’s student activities to passersby.

The building’s organization unites the school’s various constituencies around a five-story-high atrium ringed by classrooms, student lounges, events spaces, and offices. The atrium is immediately accessible from main entrances at the three corners of the building. An open stair within the atrium leads to a 300-seat auditorium and 100-seat lecture hall one floor below and to a divisible multipurpose room and additional classrooms above. The building’s upper floors contain faculty offices interspersed with seminar rooms and group study rooms. The top floor houses the Dean’s suite and a boardroom and conference suite that opens to east- and west-facing terraces.

The building’s warm masonry and glass exterior reflects the emerging vocabulary of the next generation of Drexel buildings. Sophisticated solar shading devices allow maximum transparency between the inside and outside while supporting the building’s high environmental aspirations.

Key Building Features

• Five-story atrium
• Finance trading lab with Bloomberg Terminal Room
• 300-seat auditorium
• 160-seat event space
• 100-seat lecture hall
• 45-seat seminar rooms
• 44-seat computer classrooms
• 60-seat classrooms
• Executive MBA classroom
• 24-seat classrooms
• Special areas for experiential learning simulations and business consulting
• Videoconferencing capabilities
• Integrated teaching technology in all classrooms
• Recording studio to support LeBow College’s online programs
• Extensive areas for students to gather socially and for collaborative study, including student collaboration rooms, two quiet study areas, and 3,500 square feet of student social space
• EMBA Alumni Lounge for the exclusive use of EMBA alumni
• Behavioral Studies Lab
• Starbucks
• Green Globe certifiable, meeting worldwide sustainability standards

Gerri C. LeBow Hall brings together faculty, students, and staff in a state-of-the-art building on the University City campus. Please visit the LeBow College of Business webpage, the Behavioral Lab webpage, and the Finance Trading Lab webpage to learn more about Gerri C. LeBow Hall.

Accounting Faculty