Accounting Concentration

At least one (1) course should be taken from the following group:

If you pursue a career in public accounting, there are numerous roles you could take on within the organization. You may choose a path to pursue auditing, or you could pursue a path to become a tax provider. As an auditor, you would audit client financial statements and assess their internal controls and as a tax provider you would prepare tax returns and assist clients with tax planning. If your goal is to become a CPA and take a position in a public accounting firm, the four courses required as part of the concentration will not be enough for you to pursue this career path. As a result, it is critical you seek the advice of the dean’s office and/or one of the faculty contacts above regarding the design of this concentration if you are following this path, especially if you have plans to go abroad.

Our concentration provides the foundation for taking the CPA exam and becoming a CPA. However, the educational requirements to become a licensed CPA vary by state and typically require more accounting credits than this concentration provides. Since most states require 150 total credits of education, careful planning is essential. If this is your professional path, your advisor and the accounting faculty will work with you to ensure you complete the necessary courses.

The website for the National State Boards of Accountancy provides the detailed requirements of what is required to sit for the CPA exam in each state.

Students should also refer to the applicable state society of CPA’s website to understand the full requirements to apply to obtain your CPA license. See the Massachusetts Society of CPA’s site for more information.

For example in Massachusetts, you need 21 undergraduate credits in accounting to sit for the exam, but need 30 undergraduate credit (or graduate equivalent) hours to apply to obtain your CPA license. This 30 credit requirement would generally be satisfied through taking the following courses: Introduction to Financial Accounting (4), Managerial Accounting (4), Intermediate Accounting 1 (4), Intermediate Accounting 2 (4), Advanced Accounting (4) and the remaining credit hours through your choice of electives with ACC or TAX prefixes, such as Auditing (4), Taxes (4), Tax Policy (4), Financial Planning and Cost Control (4) or others. Remember, this requirement varies by state. It is your responsibility to make sure you have met the requirements of the state in which you want to pursue your CPA license.

In addition, obtaining a CPA license in most states requires 150 credits of college work. Furthermore, most public accounting firms want you to have completed your 150 credits prior to starting your full-time position. If you would like to discuss how to reach 150 credits during your Babson tenure or if you expect to graduate from Babson with less than 150 credits and want to discuss options to obtain these credits after graduation, please contact your Student Success Advisor and/or any of the faculty contacts listed above.