Program Overview

Accounting & Business Analysis Major

The Accounting & Business Analysis Major is a Bachelor of Science in Business degree program offered by the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.

Program Overview

The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in accounting and business analysis, preparing them for careers in public accounting, industry, government, and non-profit organizations.

Degree Requirements

To graduate, students must complete a total of 125 credit hours, including:

• Degree Core Requirements (21 credits)
  • ACIS 2116: Principles of Accounting 1, 2 (3 credits)
  • BIT 3414: Operations and Supply Chain Management 2 (3 credits)
  • FIN 3104: Introduction to Finance 2 (3 credits)
  • FIN 3054: Legal and Ethical Environment of Business 2 (3 credits)
  • HTM 2314 or MGT 2314: Introduction to International Business 2 (3 credits)
  • MGT 4394: Strategic Management 2 (3 credits)
  • MKTG 3104: Marketing Management 2 (3 credits)
• Major Requirements (46 credits)
  • ACIS 1104: Careers in Accounting and Information Systems (1 credit)
  • ACIS 1504: Introduction to Business Analytics and Business Intelligence 1, 2 (3 credits)
  • ACIS 2115: Principles of Accounting 1, 2 (3 credits)
  • ACIS 2504: Introduction to Accounting Analytics (3 credits)
  • ACIS 3115: Intermediate Financial Accounting 4 (3 credits)
  • ACIS 3504: Accounting Systems and Controls 4 (3 credits)
  • ACIS 4214: Cost Planning and Control 4 (3 credits)
  • ACIS 4544: Applied Accounting Analytics (3 credits)
  • ACIS 4654: Accounting Analytics 4 (3 credits)
  • ACIS Restricted Elective (12 credits)
  • MGT 1104: Foundations of Business 2 (3 credits)
  • MGT 3404: Principles of Management 2 (3 credits)
  • SOC 1004: Introductory Sociology 6 (3 credits)
• Free Electives (18 credits)
  • ACIS Restricted Elective or Free Elective (15 credits)
• Pathways to General Education (40 credits)
  • Pathways Concept 1: Discourse (6 credits)
    • ENGL 1105 or COMM 1015: First-Year Writing (3 credits)
    • ENGL 1106 or COMM 1016: First-Year Writing (3 credits)
    • COMM 2004: Public Speaking (or Advanced/Applied Discourse; 1A) (3 credits)
  • Pathways Concept 2: Critical Thinking in the Humanities (6 credits)
  • Pathways Concept 3: Reasoning in the Social Sciences (6 credits)
    • ECON 2005: Principles of Economics 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • ECON 2006: Principles of Economics 1, 2 (3 credits)
  • Pathways Concept 4: Reasoning in the Natural Sciences (6 credits)
  • Pathways Concept 5: Quantitative and Computational Thinking (7 credits)
    • MATH 1524: Business Calculus (5F) 1, 2 (4 credits)
    • BIT 2405: Introduction to Business Statistics, Analytics, and Modeling (5F) 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • BIT 2406: Introduction to Business Statistics, Analytics, and Modeling (5A) 1, 2 (3 credits)
  • Pathways Concept 6: Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts (3 credits)
  • Pathways Concept 7: Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States (3 credits)

Graduation Requirements

To graduate, students must:

• Complete a total of 125 credit hours
• Achieve a grade of C- or higher in select business courses
• Earn a grade of C- or higher in ACIS 3115, ACIS 3504, ACIS 4214, and ACIS 4654
• Have an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher and an in-major GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Complete the foreign language requirement (if applicable)

Foreign Language Requirement

Students who did not successfully complete at least two years of a single foreign, classical, or sign language during high school must successfully complete six credit hours of a single foreign, classical, or sign language at the college level.

Plan of Study

The plan of study for the Accounting & Business Analysis Major is as follows:

• First Year:
  • Fall Semester:
    • ACIS 1504: Introduction to Business Analytics and Business Intelligence 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • MGT 1104: Foundations of Business 2 (3 credits)
    • ENGL 1105 or COMM 1015: First-Year Writing (3 credits)
    • MATH 1524: Business Calculus (5F) 1, 2 (4 credits)
    • Critical Thinking in the Humanities (3 credits)
  • Spring Semester:
    • ACIS 1104: Careers in Accounting and Information Systems (1 credit)
    • ACIS 2115: Principles of Accounting 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • BIT 2405: Introduction to Business Statistics, Analytics, and Modeling 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • HTM 2314 or MGT 2314: Introduction to International Business 2 (3 credits)
    • ECON 2005: Principles of Economics 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • ENGL 1106 or COMM 1016: First-Year Writing (3 credits)
• Second Year:
  • Fall Semester:
    • ACIS 2116: Principles of Accounting 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • ACIS 2504: Introduction to Accounting Analytics (3 credits)
    • BIT 2406: Introduction to Business Statistics, Analytics, and Modeling 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • ECON 2006: Principles of Economics 1, 2 (3 credits)
    • Critical Thinking in the Humanities (3 credits)
    • Reasoning in the Natural Sciences (3 credits)
  • Spring Semester:
    • ACIS 3115: Intermediate Financial Accounting 4 (3 credits)
    • ACIS 3504: Accounting Systems and Controls 4 (3 credits)
    • SOC 1004: Introductory Sociology 6 (3 credits)
    • Critique & Practice in the Arts (3 credits)
    • Reasoning in the Natural Sciences (3 credits)
• Third Year:
  • Fall Semester:
    • ACIS Restricted Elective (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective or Free Elective (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective or Free Elective (3 credits)
    • BIT 3414: Operations and Supply Chain Management 2 (3 credits)
    • FIN 3104: Introduction to Finance 2 (3 credits)
  • Spring Semester:
    • ACIS 4654: Accounting Analytics 4 (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective (3 credits)
    • MGT 3404: Principles of Management 2 (3 credits)
    • MKTG 3104: Marketing Management 2 (3 credits)
    • COMM 2004: Public Speaking (or Advanced/Applied Discourse; 1A) (3 credits)
• Fourth Year:
  • Fall Semester:
    • ACIS 4214: Cost Planning and Control 4 (3 credits)
    • ACIS 4544: Applied Accounting Analytics (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective or Free Elective (3 credits)
    • FIN 3054: Legal and Ethical Environment of Business 2 (3 credits)
  • Spring Semester:
    • ACIS Restricted Elective (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective or Free Elective (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective or Free Elective (3 credits)
    • ACIS Restricted Elective or Free Elective (3 credits)
    • MGT 4394: Strategic Management 2 (3 credits)

ACIS Restricted Electives

All ACIS 3000-level or above courses, except ACIS 4194 and ACIS 4344, may be counted as an ACIS restricted elective. Some examples of ACIS restricted electives include:

• ACIS 3116: Intermediate Financial Accounting
• ACIS 3314: Tax Impact on Decisions
• ACIS 4024: Information Systems Audit and Control
• ACIS 4114: Advanced Financial Accounting
• ACIS 4124: Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting
• ACIS 4364: Taxation of Business Operations
• ACIS 4414: Financial Statement Auditing
• ACIS 4444: Forensic Accounting
• ACIS 4454: Artificial Intelligence in Accounting and Auditing
• ACIS 4664: Sustainability Accounting
• ACIS 4684: Information Systems Security and Assurance

CPA Exam Preparation

Students planning to take the CPA Exam in Virginia are required to have a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration or equivalent and at least 120 semester credit hours (SCH). An accounting concentration or equivalent is comprised of 24 SCH of upper-level accounting coursework and 24 SCH of business coursework. 150 SCH are ultimately required for CPA licensure. The best preparation is to obtain a master's degree. The serious CPA exam candidate should take a reputable CPA review course. Students who plan to take the CPA Exam and/or be licensed as CPAs in states other than Virginia should be aware that some states have education requirements that differ from Virginia (consult the state board of accountancy of interest).