Program Overview

Program Overview

Penn State Beaver’s Bachelor of Science in Business degree is designed for students seeking a broad-based education to prepare them for the business world. The program combines core business fundamentals with applied study and internships in a practical setting.

Accounting Option

The accounting option is the perfect choice for students who aspire to work in business services, especially the financial sector. The curriculum is designed to allow students to master not only their chosen focus of accounting, but also core business concepts like management and marketing. The scope of the major ensures that graduates are marketable and well-rounded.

Program Details

• This four-year, professionally oriented program prepares students for a fast-paced and ever-changing workplace.
• Students develop solutions to real-world problems, learning to collect and analyze financial data, think critically, and communicate effectively.
• Because accountants are essential to an organization’s financial health, they continue to be in demand.
• The hiring outlook is positive in the Pittsburgh region and beyond, with employment in accounting and auditing expected to grow faster than average over the next several years.

Who Should Choose the Accounting Option?

The accounting option is open to high school graduates, adult learners, and transfer students from other colleges and universities. Students in the program will build on foundational courses like mathematics and economics before delving into upper-division courses such as Business Logistics Management, Accounting Information Systems, and Principles of Taxation. The accounting option is also designed to maximize real-world experience through internships and work with local corporations, small business, and nonprofit organizations.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the accounting option will be prepared for many types of business careers, including:

• Accountants
• Underwriters
• Business analysts
• Auditors Through coursework, internship, and research experience, students will be ready for the demands of employment in areas as diverse as banking, government, nonprofit, retail, and financial services.

Smeal Conditional Early Acceptance Program

The Smeal College of Business offers a Conditional Early Acceptance (CEA) program, a two-year pathway to earning an accounting-related graduate degree immediately following undergraduate studies. This program does not require a deposit and is open to Penn State undergraduates who are currently in their junior year and are majoring in accounting at University Park or another Penn State campus.

Additional Resources

• Suggested Academic Plan: Accounting Option
• Course descriptions

See Also

• Business: Management and Marketing Option
• Business Minor
• MBA in Pittsburgh

About Penn State Beaver

Situated on 105 wooded acres just 40 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, Penn State Beaver features small class sizes, a close-knit community, award-winning faculty, and access to all of the opportunities of a Big Ten university.

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