Baker School of Business at The Citadel announces new accounting program

The Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business at The Citadel is readying principled business leaders of tomorrow with a new accounting program. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education recently approved the Baker School of Business’s reclassification proposal to change accounting from a concentration pathway to a full-fledged academic major at the college. The Baker School of Business will begin to offer accounting as an academic major fall 2017.

The change comes 25 years after accounting was a program concentration, and three years after it transitioned into a professional pathway for students. In the Baker School of Business, professional pathways provide students with focused learning opportunities relevant to specific career goals.

The accounting program will be one of two new programs that The Citadel will offer beginning in the 2017-18 academic year. The criminal justice department in the School of Humanities recently announced a new intelligence major.

Students who graduate from The Citadel with a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting will be able to demonstrate several learning objectives including:

• An understanding of financial and managerial accounting concepts, terminology and their importance in making business decisions
• Knowledge of organizations and regulatory bodies responsible for national and international accounting standards and principles, auditing standards, guidelines and commercial tax law
• The ability to prepare, analyze, interpret and communicate the results of financial and qualitative information for decision-making purposes

A growing, in-demand industry

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects growth in the field of accounting to be 11 percent yearly from now until 2024. As the economy continues to grow, more accountants and related financial industry professionals will be needed to review, analyze and communicate financial records for private, public and non-profit organizations. According to PayScale, starting salaries in the first year of employment for accountants and auditors can average over $40,000. Certifications obtained, such as passing the uniform certified public accountant (CPA) exam, make those looking to break into the field more marketable.

Over the last five years, more than 90 percent of students who completed the accounting pathway went on to successfully secure jobs within public accounting firms, industry and government. Baker School of Business graduates have gone on to work as accountants and financial analysts for many reputable employers such as E&Y, Dixon Hughes Goodman, and Google.

Accounting courses in the program will include intermediate and advanced financial accounting, commercial law and auditing, and assurance services. For the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, the accounting degree will consist of 132 credit hours of general education, leadership and accounting courses. Completing the program of study will prepare students to sit for the CPA exam in South Carolina and many other states.

For more information about The Citadel’s new accounting major, please visit: http://www.citadel.edu/root/csb-cadet-programs/accounting.

About The Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business
Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the mission of the Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business is to educate and develop principled leaders to serve a global community through its undergraduate and graduate programs. The school offers coursework for students in the fields of accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, professional selling, and supply chain and logistics management. The Baker School of Business is committed to integrity, fairness, concern for others, and the continuous pursuit and spreading of knowledge to promote enlightened changes in society. As one of The Citadel’s five schools, the Baker School of Business is part of a teaching institution with a long tradition of high-quality education and leadership development.