BS in Accounting: Public Accounting Emphasis

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Overview

Build a Foundation for Pursuing Your CPA License

This Bachelor of Science in Accounting with an Emphasis in Public Accounting is designed to teach you how to interpret and communicate financial information, assist organizations in complying with government and industry financial regulations, serve as an ethical leader within organizations and collaborate in business decision-making processes within organizations.

Upon graduating, you may decide to gain hands-on work experience and/or apply to a master’s degree in accounting for the purpose of meeting state licensure requirements to become a certified public accountant (CPA).1 This bachelor’s degree is intended to provide a firm foundation for students seeking a graduate degree in accounting.
 

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Why GCU

Shape Your Future as an Accountant at GCU

Accounting is about more than calculating numbers and preparing financial reports. Through quality accounting practices, you have the potential to generate key insights that will enable people and companies to make data-driven decisions. In short, accounting is a way to help clients meet their financial goals while monitoring their progress.

Our accounting students are immersed in a supportive learning environment. You will work through the curriculum under the guidance of dedicated faculty members, taking a close look at a breadth of topics, including organizational behavior, managerial best practices and professional ethics.

This bachelor’s degree in accounting teaches all five of GCU’s critical competencies: 
 

Effective communication

Critical thinking

Christian worldview

Leadership and global awareness

Perspectives and ethics

Take Courses Geared Toward Becoming a Certified Public Accountant

As an on-campus student at GCU, you can benefit from face-to-face interactions with your peers and hearing from a diverse range of perspectives in classroom discussions. Get to know your instructors and ask for additional help during office hours as you take in all that our campus life has to offer. Located in the heart of Phoenix, our campus is home to a thriving community of Christian students, offering plenty of opportunities to get involved in clubs, sports and other activities.

Coursework

Focus Your Studies in Public Accounting

As you work toward your degree, you will be taught by dedicated faculty members. As you approach completion of this degree, you will have the opportunity to apply the concepts and skills you’ve been taught during a writing-intensive capstone course. You will be expected to demonstrate proficiency with a variety of business competencies.

In your courses, you will explore necessary accounting subject matter, including:

The accounting cycle

Individual and entity taxation

Financial, managerial and cost accounting

Auditing

Macro and microeconomics

Business finance fundamentals

Accounting ethics

Intermediate accounting

Statistics for business

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Examine Critical Skills for an Accounting Career

This BS in Accounting with an Emphasis in Public Accounting degree program teaches a strong foundation of skills intended to prepare graduates to tackle a range of challenges in the workplace. 

These skills include:

  • Financial reporting in accordance with GAAP 
  • Data analytics 
  • Analysis of financial statements 
  • Cost-volume-profit analysis 
  • Taxation and auditing 
  • The use of information systems for accounting 
  • Assessment of risk 
  • Capital budgeting 
     
Careers

Career Opportunities for Accounting Graduates

GCU’s public accounting program is ideal for students who plan to pursue CPA licensure. It is expected that most students will go on to earn their master's degree in order to complete the academic eligibility requirement for CPA licensure that is mandated in most states and territories.1

With a solid framework of competencies in financial reporting, auditing and taxation, you may be prepared to pursue work as an accountant within the fields of public accounting, corporate accounting, financial analysis, tax preparation, auditing and consulting.
 

$79,880

Median annual wage for accountants and auditors as of May 20232

Accreditation

Earn Your Degree From an Institutionally Accredited University

GCU is proud to carry on our longstanding tradition of thoroughly preparing our graduates to elevate their communities, make positive contributions to their respective fields and tackle modern challenges with innovation and integrity. 

As an institutionally accredited university, we prioritize the quality of our academics. The Higher Learning Commission has continually accredited GCU since 1968. The Colangelo College of Business shares the university’s commitment to upholding the principles and standards established by our accrediting bodies.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re interested in accounting and aspire to become a CPA, read through our frequently asked questions to learn more about this career path and what you can expect from a certified public accounting program.

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Kickstart Your Accounting Journey

Prepare to empower individuals and companies with financial insights.

Apply Now

1 Arizona State Board of Accountancy. (n.d.). Examination. Retrieved Sept. 18, 2024. 

2 The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Accountants and Auditors, as of May 2023, retrieved Sept. 18, 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as accountants and auditors, nor does it reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc., against a pool of candidates.

3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, Aug. 29). How To Become an Accountant or Auditor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved Sept. 18, 2024.

4 Indeed Editorial Team. (2024, April 18). Public vs. Private Accounting: Definition and Key Differences. Indeed. Retrieved Sept. 18, 2024. 

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