Accounting, B.S.

Accounting Mission Statement

The mission of the Westminster College Accounting program is to enhance and disseminate knowledge of accounting practice, the accounting profession, and accounting’s purpose in business by providing students the opportunity to develop the competencies required for entry into any branch of the accounting profession. The program will:

• assist students in the development of critical thinking, effective oral and written communication, moral reasoning and awareness of professional ethics.
• facilitate students’ development of interpersonal, technological, leadership, and organizational skills to promote adaptability in a constantly changing professional environment.
• prepare students in their selection of an appropriate career path, encourage a commitment to lifelong learning, and provide an understanding of accounting for non-accounting careers and personal life.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify and understand foundational accounting principles, theories, and concepts.
2. Analyze financial data, demonstrating the ability to assess business activities and their financial implications in order to make informed decisions and recommend appropriate solutions.
3. Exhibit effective oral and written communication skills, convey complex financial information clearly and coherently, facilitate communication within the professional accounting environment, and promote transparency in financial reporting.
4. Evaluate moral and ethical challenges in applying accounting and tax principles, while demonstrating a strong awareness of professional ethics.
5. Demonstrate leadership agility in a dynamic professional environment, including the development of interpersonal, technological, and organizational skills.

Accounting majors learn the importance of accurate, relevant, and timely information. Majors develop, interpret, and evaluate data capturing the financial activities of a business. Assessing business activities and their financial consequences make accountants ideally capable of developing business solutions. Imagine yourself a CPA, a partner at an accounting firm, working for a corporation, the government, or a nonprofit, or as an entrepreneur.

Pennsylvania’s State Board of Accountancy follows the national educational standard for granting a CPA license by requiring 150 semester hours of undergraduate or graduate level courses. At least 36 hours must be in accounting and accounting related subjects such as auditing, tax, finance, and business law. Students should consider class work beyond the 125 semester hours required to graduate in order to take advantage of opportunity to achieve the CPA licenses’ 150 credit hour requirement. Westminster accounting majors planning to become licensed CPAs can achieve 150 hours in four years by working closely with their accounting adviser beginning in their first year. The courses listed for Westminster’s major in accounting meet the requirements for sitting for the CPA examination in the state of Pennsylvania after graduation. Generally, the School of Business offers courses that meet the CPA licensing requirements for the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio and other states requiring 150 semester hours for CPA licensure.