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

  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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