The undergraduate certificate in accounting fundamentals provides non-business students the opportunity to gain accounting knowledge and skills that are fundamental for many careers, but especially for wealth management, financial planning, corporate finance, and other finance-related careers. This certificate allows for a lot of flexibility so that students can customize their coursework to best align with their career interests.
Students who complete the certificate would be prime candidates to continue their study in the MS in Financial Management and Accounting (MS FMA) graduate program, which would expand potential career opportunities. For more information on the MS FMA program, please see the website at https://business.wisc.edu/graduate/masters/financial-management-accounting/ or contact the program director, Brett Killion (bmkillion@wisc.edu).
How to Get in
The Accounting Fundamentals Certificate is open to undergraduate students declared in a major outside of the School of Business. Students declared in a major in the School of Business are not eligible for the certificate and should consider the Accounting Certificate.
To declare the Accounting Fundamentals Certificate, complete the declaration form linked within the Contact Information box.
Requirements
To be eligible to declare students must meet the following requirements:
- Good academic standing
- Currently enrolled UW–Madison student
- Undergraduate, degree-seeking student (non-business)
- Must be declared in a major at UW Madison
Requirements
The Accounting Fundamentals Certificate consists of 12 credits. Students are also responsible for any pre-requisite courses needed for core or elective courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT I S 100 | Introductory Financial Accounting | 3 |
| or ACCT I S 300 | Accounting Principles | |
| ACCT I S 211 | Introductory Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT I S 301 | Financial Reporting I | 3 |
| FINANCE/ECON 300 | Introduction to Finance | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Residence and Quality of Work Requirements
- Students must take all 12 required credits in residence at UW–Madison. Study abroad courses taken through a UW–Madison-sponsored program will count toward the 12 credits in residence.
- To successfully complete the Accounting Fundamentals Certificate program, students must earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 or higher across all courses applied to the certificate.
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While students must pass each required course, there is no minimum GPA requirement for individual courses. The cumulative GPA is calculated based on all courses that count toward the certificate.
Certificate Completion Requirement
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
Learning Outcomes
- Articulate Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) (and relevant assumptions, principles, and constraints) utilized to prepare financial statements.
- Describe management accounting and control systems and their role in the implementation of an organizational strategy.
- Describe conceptual and quantitative tools that are the foundation of corporate finance.
Advising and Careers
Academic Advising
Certificate students will be assigned to the Business Certificate Advising Committee.
Drop-in advising and scheduled appointments are available to students who are declared in the certificate. Students can schedule their appointments via Starfish.
For more information on accessing academic advising, please see the Academic Advising page.
Please note enrollment in required courses is subject to availability. As a result, completion of the certificate within an individual student's intended graduation timeline cannot always be guaranteed.