Professional Accountancy (BS)
Go beyond accounting
Explore your interests in finance and money management to prepare for a successful career as a professional accountant. Our professional accountancy bachelor’s degree prepares students to sit for the CPA Exam. As an accounting major you’ll take coursework related to business, information systems, and, of course, accounting!
In South Dakota, CPA candidates are required to have 150 semester hours of college credit before taking the CPA certification test. Our degree is intentionally designed to align with this requirement. Students can choose elective credits, a second major, a minor, or a graduate degree to reach the 150 credits necessary to become a CPA.
Online or on-campus
DSU’s professional accountancy degree is available on-campus or 100% online.
This program meets the educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in South Dakota. DSU attempts to comply with the educational licensure requirements of locations in addition to South Dakota, and will provide up-to-date information as it becomes available on the program availability map.
On-campus and online students living in or moving to any state other than South Dakota seeking to establish CPA licensure will need to meet the unique licensure requirements for that location. Detailed information about these requirements can be found at the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).
A degree worthy of recognition
With real-world skills such as Microsoft Suite, QuickBooks, and tax preparation embedded into our curriculum, you’ll have a competitive edge amongst your peers. You’ll also get a solid background in various technical systems, which will help you understand, manage, and lead accounting teams.
While you’re on the road to becoming a CPA, you’ll assemble skills in organization, detail, management, taxes, and more. Our curriculum incorporates the knowledge of legal business entities, ethics and social responsibilities, and more. The business expertise you gain will enable you to go far in your field. You might even become a company’s go-to accountant.
Our professional accountancy major is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). This means that, in addition to meeting all evaluation criteria and curriculum standards, DSU is also involved in the creation of innovative programs.
A graduate degree just for you
Business and accountancy frequently complement each other. If you want to continue your education, check out our Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the BS degree in Professional Accountancy, in addition to the Accountancy Learning Outcomes, students will be able to:
- Analyze business information to provide business strategies that are viable and evidence-informed.
- Deliver effective oral communications for a variety of business purposes.
- Produce credible written communications for a variety of business purposes.
- Apply data analytical tools to inform decision-making about business issues.
Integrate the principles of ethics into corporate social responsibility business decision-making. - Analyze the complexity of business operations in a global environment.
- Apply federal tax law.
- Differentiate between legal structure of business entities.
