Programs

Southern offers a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting program for individuals interested in pursuing a career in accounting who currently hold a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college in a discipline other than accounting. This program has been developed in response to the tremendous demand for CPAs in the state of Connecticut. Students in the Certificate of Accounting program will be included in the regularly scheduled undergraduate accounting classes which are currently offered day, evening and online.

Students in the program take eight required courses in undergraduate accounting for a total of 27 credit hours. Graduates from the program will be eligible to sit for the CPA examination in Connecticut providing they have also earned 22 credit hours in general business courses.

To be licensed as a CPA, a cumulative total of: (1) 150 hours of education, (2) 36 hours in accounting, and (3) 30 hours in business education are required.

Admission to the Certificate of Accounting Program requires the following:

• An earned bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
• A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 with conditional acceptance being considered for those with undergraduate GPAs from a 2.5.

The accounting concentration is designed to prepare students for accounting careers in public practice, industry, finance, government and non-profit organizations. The accounting field provides excellent career opportunities; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2012 and 2022 our economy will grow 50,000 or more new accounting jobs. These positions will pay a median salary ranging from $55,000 to $74,000.

A factor that sets the SCSU concentration in accounting apart is that 36 credit hours in accounting are required for our undergraduate degree, which satisfies the requirement to be licensed as a Certified Public Accountant “CPA.” Accounting courses offered include International Accounting, Fraud and Forensic Accounting, Accounting Internships, a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) course, and an Accounting Capstone course. Students may complete the overall 150- hour educational requirements to be a licensed CPA while at SCSU by earning an additional 30 credits in general education courses; a graduate degree is not a requirement. Many of our students actually do accomplish this by stockpiling extra courses through high school Advanced Placement or summer classes; CPA firms prefer to hire graduating seniors meeting CPA educational requirements.

SCSU accounting students are frequently placed at Deloitte; PwC; E & Y; KPMG; RSM; Blum Shapiro; Dworken, Hillman, Lamorte & Sterczala, P.C.; Marcum; Webster Bank; and dozens of other organizations, both large and small. Every year we hold an Accounting and Finance Career Fair to help our students meet potential employers. In addition, the SCSU Accounting Society regularly hosts speakers from accounting professionals employed in public, private, and governmental accounting positions. The Society’s activities also include an annual awards banquet, and community service projects.

Finally, the SCSU accounting program boasts a highly respected collection of 10 full-time accounting faculty with either doctoral qualifications or significant practical experience as former “Big Four” firm partners. Faculty members have accomplished significant research projects in the form of scholarly journal articles and presentations on cutting-edge topics.

The minor consists of a minimum of 18 credits.  Following ACC 200, students select 15 additional credits which enhance their individual career goals.  Departmental faculty advisors assist in the selection of courses.  Students must satisfy any prerequisites.

The following stipulations apply:

1. A maximum of two courses or six credits may be transferred into the accounting minor from other institutions.  These courses are the equivalent of ACC 200 and ACC 210.
2. The remaining twelve credits must be taken at SCSU and must be chosen from the Accounting Courses at the 300 or 400 level.