Accounting Degree Programs

Accounting students have two options for degree programs.  

The accounting major requires 126 credit hours to graduate and prepares students for careers in private industry, governmental accounting, and banking and finance.  

The public accounting major requires 150 credit hours to graduate, but with careful planning, students can complete the professional certified public accounting major in just four years. The pass rate on the CPA exam following graduation for Hope graduates is consistently one of the highest among Michigan colleges.  

Students who wish to major in either program should contact a member of the accounting staff early in their studies as the programs require a special sequence of courses.

Course Planning for Accounting

Students are encouraged to complete the following courses by the end of sophomore year:

• ECON 211 - Macroeconomics
• ECON 212 - Microeconomics
• ACCT 221 - Financial Accounting
• ACCT 222 - Managerial Accounting
• BUS 222 - Management Perspectives & Theory
• MATH 210 - Statistics

Course Planning for remaining classes is shown below:

	FALL	SPRING
SOPHOMORE		ACCT 333 Accounting Information Systems (sophomore or junior year)
JUNIOR	ACCT 321 Intermediate Acct. I ACCT 375 Cost Accounting BUS 371 Financial Management (junior or senior year, either semester)	ACCT 322  Intermediate Acct. II ACCT 333  Accounting Information Systems (sophomore or junior year) BUS 371 Financial Management (junior or senior year, either semester)
SENIOR	BUS 341 Business Law (either sem.) ACCT 427*  Advanced Accounting ACCT 425*  Individual Tax ACCT 428* Government & Not-for-Profit Accounting	BUS 341  Business Law (either sem.) ACCT 426*  Corporate Tax and Research ACCT 423* Auditing

*Three of these five accounting classes are required.

NOTE:  These two classes are REQUIRED non-business courses

• MATH 210 Statistics
• CSCI 140  Business Computing

Course Planning for Public Accounting

Students are encouraged to complete the following courses by the end of sophomore year:

• ECON 211 - Macroeconomics
• ECON 212 - Microeconomics
• ACCT 221 - Financial Accounting
• ACCT 222 - Managerial Accounting
• BUS 222 - Management Perspectives & Theory
• MATH 210 - Statistics Course

Planning for remaining classes is shown below:

	FALL	SPRING
SOPHOMORE		ACCT 333 Accounting Information Systems (sophomore or junior year)
JUNIOR	ACCT 321 Intermediate Acct. I ACCT 375 Cost Accounting BUS 371 Financial Management (junior or senior year, either semester)	ACCT 322  Intermediate Acct. II ACCT 333  Accounting Information Systems (sophomore or junior year) BUS 371 Financial Management (junior or senior year, either semester)
SENIOR	BUS 341 Business Law (either sem.) ACCT 427 Advanced Accounting ACCT 425 Individual Tax ACCT 428 Government & Not-for-Profit Accounting	BUS 341  Business Law (either sem.) ACCT 426 Corporate Tax and Research ACCT 423 Auditing

NOTES

REQUIRED department elective:

• ACCT 430 or any non-required BUS or ECON 300 course (except BUS 390 or ECON 390) 

These three classes are REQUIRED non-business courses:

• MATH 210 Statistics
• COMM 140 Public Presentations
• CSCI 140  Business Computing

REQUIRED by the State of Michigan to sit for the four-part CPA exam:

• 69 credit hours of business, economics, accounting and statistics. The Hope College public accounting track includes 71 credit hours of these courses.
• See your advisor if you plan to take the exam in another state.

Student Learning Outcomes

Hope College students completing an accounting degree will have:

• Critical Thinking: Enhanced ability to integrate (a) applied and theoretical experiences, and (b) a deep understanding of the content in economics and business, in analytical, problem-solving and creative activities.
• Vocational Discernment: Enhanced ability to make decisions around how to live a life of service through awareness of oneself, the needs of the world and how they intersect.
• Christian Worldview: Enhanced understanding of how a Christian worldview has been, and can be, applied in economics and business.
• Accounting/Finance Competencies: Ability to identify, understand and apply accounting and finance knowledge, concepts and theories in financial accounting, managerial accounting, auditing, taxation, finance, investments and data analytics for analysis and decision-making in a professional environment. 
• Leadership and Service Competencies: Ability to lead and serve in a global society through curricular and co-curricular learning opportunities of experiential relevance within the field of accounting and finance.