BAE Department: Accounting at Otterbein College


Four-Year Degree Program
Five-Year Degree Program
Careers In Accounting
Internships
Graduate Placement

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Who Majors in ACCOUNTING?

Accounting is one of the primary functional areas of business administration. The gathering, summarizing and analysis of cost and revenue data concern all organizations. The accountant plays an integral role in this process and in the decision-making that results from this process.

Accountants are professionals whose contributions are respected by their employers and society. They are involved both with managers within an organization and with other professionals such as bankers, clients, and auditors outside the firm. Knowledge of an organization's finances places the accountant in a position of key importance, increasing both job satisfaction and the potential for promotion.

A prospective accountant should display a facility for analyzing, comparing and summarizing data. Good mathematical skills are important. however, an interest in or facility for working with numbers is only part of a set of necessary skills. An ability to attach meaning to those numbers and communicate that meaning to others is crucial. Good communication skills are necessary, both in written and spoken form.

Accounting Curriculum

Otterbein offers both a four-year and a five-year accounting major in response to the new State of Ohio Law. The four-year academic program requires 180 quarter hours for graduation. Normally, a student schedules at least 15 quarter hours (three or four courses) during each of the three 10-week quarters every year. Approximately 40 percent of the academic work is in courses in the major field. About 30 percent of the academic work is selected from Otterbein's liberal arts core courses (the Integrative Studies program) designed to increase your understanding of society and yourself. The remaining 30 percent are electives -- courses which you may choose on the basis of your interests and career goals.

The five-year program requires that a student take all 11 accounting courses, a marketing course and other courses to be selected in consultation with an advisor (225 quarter hours total). Otterbein offers the option of completing the fifth year as part of an MBA or Master's in Accountancy program at schools that offer these programs.

The accounting major has the choice of earning either a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree. Foreign language and mathematics requirements differ for each degree. Please refer to the Otterbein College Course Catalog. Those students whose future plans include pursuing a Master of Business Administration are urged to consider the Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. The following program is for the four-year program. The five-year program varies in that all accounting courses are core or required, except "Seminar -- Accounting Topics."

Degree Programs

A student may choose one of two majors in Accounting -- the four-year major or the five-year major. If a student wants to become a CPA, he or she can immediately sit for the CPA examination with the five-year major. With the four-year major, the student must first pass a qualifier exam administered by the State Board of Accountancy to sit for the CPA examination. If students do not pass the qualifier exam, but want to become a CPA, they must complete a fifth year of course work at Otterbein, at another institution, or as part of a Master's program.

A recommended option for students seeking to become a CPA is to complete the four-year major at Otterbein, and enter into a Master's of Accountancy Program, or Master's of Business Administration (MBA) in their fifth year. Otterbein has an MBA program. Admission to the program is competitive and not guaranteed.

B.A. or B.S. degree with a major in Accounting (4-yr. degree)
Requirements in the Core Curriculum:

Integrative Studies - 50 hrs
Foreign Language - 10 hrs for B.A. or 15 hrs for B.S.
Mathematics - 5hrs for B.A. or 15 hrs for B.S.
Physical Education - 3 hrs
Senior Year Experience - hrs depend upon course selected

Requirements in the major (90 hrs or equivalent):

ACCT 200	Financial Accounting	5 hrs
ACCT 210	Managerial Accounting	5 hrs
ACCT 330	Accounting and Management Information Systems	5 hrs
ACCT 370	Intermediate Accounting I	5 hrs
ACCT 380	Intermediate Accounting II	5 hrs
ACCT 385	Intermediate Accounting III	5 hrs
BADM 300	Principles of Management	5 hrs
BADM 340	Business Finance	5 hrs
BADM 350	Business Law	5 hrs
BADM 480	Business Policy	5 hrs
COMM 280	Business and Professional Speech	5 hrs
ECON 210	Principles of Microeconomics	5 hrs
ENGL 335	Technical and Report Writing	5 hrs
MATH 230	Elementary Statistics I	5 hrs
MATH 260	Decision Making for Business (BA only)	5 hrs

Additional Accounting - 15 hrs. of any ACCT electives
For careers in auditing and internal accounting, recommended additional courses include:

ACCT 350	Cost Accounting	5 hrs
ACCT 420	Auditing	5 hrs
ACCT 430	Advanced and Governmental Accounting	5 hrs

For a career in managerial accounting, recommended additional courses include:

ACCT 310	Taxes	5 hrs
ACCT 350	Cost Accounting	5 hrs
BADM 330	Operations Management	5 hrs

Required total hours for the degree: At least 180 hours

Application for Degree
A prospective graduate must request an Application for Degree at the Registrar's Office two terms prior to the term in which the degree is to be completed.

B.A. or B.S. degree with a major in Public Accounting (5-yr. degree)
Requirements in the Core Curriculum:

Requirements in the major (110 hrs or equivalent):

ACCT 200	Financial Accounting	5 hrs
ACCT 210	Managerial Accounting	5 hrs
ACCT 310	Taxes	5 hrs
ACCT 330	Accounting and Management Information Systems	5 hrs
ACCT 350	Cost Accounting	5 hrs
ACCT 370	Intermediate Accounting I	5 hrs
ACCT 380	Intermediate Accounting II	5 hrs
ACCT 385	Intermediate Accounting III	5 hrs
ACCT 410	Advanced Taxes	5 hrs
ACCT 420	Auditing	5 hrs
ACCT 430	Advanced Governmental Accounting	5 hrs
BADM 300	Principles of Management	5 hrs
BADM 310	Principles of Marketing	5 hrs
BADM 340	Business Finance	5 hrs
BADM 350	Business Law	5 hrs
BADM 480	Business Policy	5 hrs
COMM 280	Business and Professional Speech	5 hrs
ECON 210	Principles of Microeconomics	5 hrs
ECON 220	Principles of Macroeconomics (B.A. only)	5 hrs
ENGL 335	Technical and Report Writing	5 hrs
MATH 230	Elementary Statistics I	5 hrs
MATH 260	Decision Making for Business	5 hrs

It is recommended that a second major and an internship be taken. Students who complete this major may immediately sit for the CPA Examination.

Application for Degree
A prospective graduate must request an Application for Degree at the Registrar's Office two terms prior to the term in which the degree is to be completed.

Minor in Accounting:
Required (at least 25 total hrs): All hours from among any ACCT courses.

Students planning graduate study in Accounting are advised to take BADM 310, 330, 420; ECON 220; and MATH 170.

Internships are recommended for all majors; students planning to pursue an internship are recommended to take BADM 380: Transition to the Work Force.

Careers in Accounting

A college graduate in accounting has a wide choice of career options both in the traditional areas of management accounting, public accounting and government accounting as well as in other fields such as banking, insurance, sales and general management.

Management Accounting

Management Accountants work in the industry as cost accountants, internal auditors, tax specialists, budget directors, financial analysts, plant accountants, chief accountants, controllers and treasurers. Sixty percent of all accountants are employed in the management accounting field. To become a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), an individual must pass a four-part uniform examination and fulfill a practical experience requirement. The CMA certification is comparable to the licensing of CPAs, doctors and lawyers.

Public Accounting
Public accountants may work for an accounting firm or be in business for themselves. Public accounting firms provide services such as auditing, tax work and management advice to business firms and to individuals. To become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an individual must pass a four-part uniform examination and fulfill a practical experience requirement. The CPA certification is comparable to the licensing of doctors and lawyers.

Government Accounting
The various governments--municipal, county, state and federal (and the specialized bureaus, agencies, departments and commissions within them) require accountants and financial experts. Government positions include accountants, senior accountants, accounting supervisors, controllers and treasurers, plus a variety of specialized positions such as auditors and budget directors.

Forensic Accounting
Various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the DEA and the U.S. Treasury Department, hire accounting graduates. Many fill positions on the law enforcement staff. Others specialize in developing evidence of "white-collar" crime.

Internships

An excellent way to prepare for a career is to supplement your education with on-the-job experience. At Otterbein, we strongly encourage students to seek internships. With an internship, you will receive considerable experience in public accounting, industry accounting, government accounting or not-for-profit accounting.

Otterbein accounting faculty work closely with their industry counterparts to plan for and supervise quality work-based learning experiences for the internship participants. Many of the internships are with "excellent" companies located close to campus. Interns have had successful experiences with Worthington Industries, Liebert Corporation, Bank One, Cellular One, and The Limited, among others. In addition, a number of on-going part-time positions are available with these companies.

Graduate Placement

Recent Otterbein graduates who have majored in accounting are employed in various public and private accounting firms, as well as in Central Ohio businesses, including Nationwide Insurance, The Limited, Bank One, Liebert Corporation, Battelle Memorial Institute, Deloitte & Touche, KPMG Peat Marwick, and Coopers & Lybrand.

At Otterbein, about 90 students are enrolled in the accounting program and about 20 graduate annually. Career prospects have been excellent for students who have combined a strong academic record with an internship experience.

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