Undergraduate Accounting Programs

• Combined BS/MS in Accounting (CPA Track)
• BS in Accounting (CPA Track)
• BS in Accounting (Non-CPA Track)

Minor

• Corporate Accounting

For information on specific accounting courses, visit the Course Catalog below.

Courses

Full Course Catalogue

Our internship programs, including the National Grid Scholarship and Internship Program, help students gain the practical experience they’ll need to become successful members of today’s business world.

Students work at small, mid-size and top 4 accounting firms, as well as banks and private companies including: National Grid, JP Morgan Chase, and American Express.

The primary mission of the Department of Accounting and Business Law is to provide accounting and business majors with the appropriate skills, knowledge, and abilities to become successful professionals. The accounting major prepares students for careers in public accounting, private industry, or not-for-profit accounting (government agencies, foundations and associations, hospitals, colleges and universities, libraries, museums, schools, religious organizations, and arts groups). Upon satisfactory completion of the major in accounting, the student may sit for the CPA examination. The degree requirements are fully registered with the State of New York. (See the section on CPA Certification for clarification.)

Our internship programs provide a guided practical experience in corporate, public, and not-for-profit accounting . Graduates of the accounting program of St. Francis College are employed by a broad range of CPA firms (from large international firms to medium and small regional and local firms), corporations, banks, brokerage houses, manufacturing firms, retail establishments, government agencies, and not-for-profit groups.

Goals & Objectives

● Enable both undergraduate and graduate students to prepare and interpret financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), auditing standards, and other appropriate professional pronouncements of the accounting profession.

● Enable undergraduate and graduate students to use current computer software applicable to specific accounting procedures.

● Enable undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to engage in professional research and prepare written and oral presentations.

● Encourage mutual respect between faculty and students and to graduate students who will conduct themselves in an appropriate ethical and pro­fessional manner, with honesty and integrity in all professional endeavors.

Transfer Students

Students from other institutions may transfer into any accounting program. Transfer credit may be awarded depending on the institution that awarded the original credit and the grade(s) earned. According to department policy, no more than five designated undergraduate accounting [ACC] courses may be accepted for transfer credit. Graduate transfer credit is rarely granted. The prospective transfer student should see the Chairperson for additional information.

Students Seeking C.P.A. Certification

New York State requires that individuals who apply for licensure in public accountancy must complete 150 credit hours in a registered program. Accounting majors at St. Francis who seek to obtain the CPA credential can pursue either the 151 credit combined BS/MS program (if acceptance criteria are met) or the 151 credit BS program. Both programs fulfill the course of study required by the New York State Department of Education and the New York State Board of Accountancy. The first six semesters of both programs are identical. Students must qualify for entry into the BS/MS degree program. Those students not qualified for entry can complete the 151-hour BS degree program.

In order to enter the combined BS/MS program, students are required to have a minimum grade point average of 2.8 in six specific accounting courses. Students not meeting this requirement may be given reconsideration if a satisfactory score is achieved on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Additionally, students in the B.S./M.S. program are required to maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in their graduate courses.

Alternatively, students who do not qualify for admission into the B.S./M.S. degree program may pursue the 151-credit B.S. degree program in accounting.

In addition to the combined B.S./M.S. program, the College also offers a stand-alone M.S. degree in Professional Accountancy.

This degree is offered to students who already possess an undergraduate degree in Business Administration/Management (e.g., Finance, IT, Marketing, Management, HR, etc.) and now want to pursue additional studies to enable them to acquire the knowledge and skills to enter careers in accounting and to accumulate the necessary credits to sit for the CPA examination. Completion of this M.S. degree fulfills the course of study required by the New York State Education Department and the New York State Board of Accountancy.

Students Not Seeking C.P.A. Certification

Students interested in an accounting program who do not need or want C.P.A. certification may pursue a four-year program culminating in a B.S. degree. This program primarily prepares students for careers in management or industry where a solid foundation in accounting is helpful or required, but C.P.A. certification is not necessary.