By pursuing the accounting major, you will develop strong technical and professional skills to succeed in a dynamic profession. Learn how emerging technologies are changing the landscape of business and gain an appreciation for the global and diverse nature of a career path in accounting.

Topics, skills, and concepts:

•  Financial and managerial accounting, cost accounting, accounting systems, emerging technologies, taxation, audit and advisory services.
• Evaluate the economic transactions on which businesses are built, and organize and report the impact of those transactions. Learn to evaluate the tax impact of business decisions.
• Critical analysis, group dynamics, problem solving, and communication skills.

Related Student Organizations

Beta Alpha Psi
Institute of Management Accountants
Women in Finance and Accounting

How to Get in

Current UW–Madison Students

Prospective First-Year Applicants

All prospective UW–Madison students must apply through the central Office of Admissions and Recruitment.  Prospective high school students may be considered for direct admission to Business based on their application to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Simply list a Business interest as your top academic area of interest on the University application.

Prospective Transfer Applicants

Transfer students at University of Wisconsin System campuses or Wisconsin Technical Colleges may apply separately for admission to both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the School of Business during the spring term for fall enrollment. Information for prospective transfer students can be found here: https://business.wisc.edu/undergraduate/admissions/transfer-students/.

Additional Information

Students declared in Business: Accounting BBA cannot earn the Certificate in Accounting, Summer Certificate in Business Fundamentals, Certificate in Business, or the Certificate in Entrepreneurship due to curriculum overlap.  

University General Education Requirements

All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below. Consult your advisor for assistance, as needed. For additional information, see the university Undergraduate General Education Requirements section of the Guide.

School of Business Requirements

The Wisconsin Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program combines UW–Madison’s general liberal education requirements, broad coverage of core business disciplines, and cutting-edge signature courses to create a strong academic foundation upon which students delve deeply into their majors.

Business: Accounting Major Requirements

The accounting major is a total of 25-30 credits, distributed as follows:

Recommended Electives¹

¹

Students who are interested in sitting for the CPA Exam may consider taking 1–2 extra accounting courses, as CPA requirements vary from state to state. Further, students interested in sitting for the CPA Exam should take INFO SYS 322, which covers many CPA exam learning objectives and meets a requirement to sit for the CPA exam in Wisconsin prior to graduation with a MSABA degree. 

²

Students interested in pursuing a Graduate Accounting degree from UW-Madison will have the ability to transfer up to 6 credits of undergraduate coursework to their graduate degree.  These courses would be eligible to transfer under this policy.  

University Degree Requirements 

Learning Outcomes

1. Apply Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) (and relevant assumptions, principles, and constraints) to prepare financial statements.
2. Recognize that management accounting and control systems, providing financial and non-financial performance information, are integral to the successful design and implementation of an organizational strategy.
3. Interpret and validate business events and transactions through the lens of business processes and systems.
4. Demonstrate technical competence in income taxation of individuals, partnerships, corporations, and international organizations.
5. Identify the legal implications of their choices and how the law impacts their interactions with others in a business setting.
6. Explain how to complete an audit from beginning to end, applying auditing standards, assessing risk, and gathering evidence.

Four-Year Plan

This page includes four sample four-year plans, two plans for students directly admitted into the School of Business from high school and two plans for students not directly admitted from high school. In each of the two sets of plans, the first plan represents the accounting major and the second plan represents the accounting major with the integrated Master of Science in Business: Accounting and Business Analysis (MSABA) degree. We encourage all students to consult with their academic advisor to develop an individualized plan that meets their specific needs. 

Plan 1: Accounting Major - Direct Admit

¹

Students are highly encouraged to take INFO SYS 322 Introduction to Databases.  Material in this course is covered on the Uniform CPA examination.

²

Students are highly encouraged to consider ACCT I S 640 Foundation in Accounting Analytics.

³

We recommend that non-MSABA students complete their internship in the summer.

Note: A student pursuing this plan may end up taking more credits to reach 150 total credits to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam. 

Plan 2: Accounting Major with MSABA - Direct Admit

Advising and Careers

Advising

Advising is an integral part of any student’s educational journey in the School of Business Undergraduate Program. Starting at Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR), we encourage all students to connect with academic advisors. Business academic advisors have a wealth of knowledge about courses on campus, as well as policies and procedures.

Business career coaches help students with career exploration, internships, resumes, job search, interviewing, and more. We encourage students to connect with their career coach once they arrive on campus.

Business academic advisors and career coaches are passionate about student success. Students experiencing academic difficulty or personal struggles are encouraged to talk to their advisor about how their individual situation may affect their academic performance.

Assigned Academic and Career Coaches

Admitted business students will have one assigned academic advisor. Career coaches are assigned by academic major to be able to provide industry-specific career guidance. If a student has more than one major, they may have more than one assigned career coach. Students can find their assigned advisor and coach by logging into the Starfish portal through MyUW.

For students not yet admitted to the School of Business, there is a team of pre-business advisors available.

Accessing Advising

Drop-in advising and scheduled appointments are available for admitted business students. Pre-business students may also schedule an appointment with a pre-business academic advisor or utilize drop-in academic advising. 

For more information on accessing academic advising, please see our Academic Advising page.

For more information on accessing career coaching, please see our Career Coaching page.

People

For more information about the faculty and their research interests, please visit the directory.

Certification/Licensure

Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

The state of Wisconsin, and most other states, mandate that candidates for the CPA license must have earned a bachelor’s or higher degree and 150 credit hours.  There are several degree options for completing these requirements at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, including:

1. Master of Science in Business: Accounting and Business Analysis (MSABA): Students who earn the MS in Business: Accounting and Business Analysis degree will meet the CPA requirements in most states.  The MSABA is designed for students with an undergraduate major in accounting.
   1. Integrated: Students enrolled in and pursuing an undergraduate accounting major at UW-Madison can declare their candidacy for the integrated MSABA program at any time.  The integrated program is designed as a 4+1 program whereby students will earn both a BBA degree with a major in accounting and a Masters of Science in Business: Accounting and Business Analysis.  Students with sufficient credits may be able to complete the full program in as little as four years.
   2. Stand-alone: Students with, or currently pursuing, a four-year undergraduate business degree with a major in accounting, or equivalent, from an accredited university may pursue the stand-alone MSABA degree.  Students should apply for the stand-alone program during their final year of undergraduate studies.
2. Undergraduate Business Degree with Accounting Major (this program): Students can meet the eligibility requirements for the CPA exam by completing a 120-credit BBA degree with a major in accounting along with 30-additional credits to meet the 150-credit requirement.  Students pursuing this option should carefully consider the CPA eligibility requirements in the state in which they intend to get certified as many states will require additional accounting credits beyond what is included in the BBA accounting major.  Students can earn the additional 30-credits as follows:
   1. Advanced Credits from High School: College credits earned in high school that are reflected on a student’s UW-Madison transcript may count towards the 30-additional credits for CPA eligibility.
   2. Double Major: Students may pursue an additional undergraduate major to achieve the additional 30-credits for CPA eligibility.
   3. Non-accounting Advanced Degree: Students who earn an undergraduate degree with a major in accounting and any other advanced degree (specialized masters, MBA, Law School, etc.) may be eligible for the CPA exam as long as they have 150-total credits.
   4. Undergraduate Credits: Students may earn the additional 30-credits by taking any undergraduate courses at a degree-granting institution.

Please consult the Department of Accounting and Information Systems for additional information.

Professional Certification/Licensure Disclosure (NC-SARA)

The United States Department of Education requires institutions that provide distance education to disclose information for programs leading to professional certification or licensure about whether each program meets state educational requirements for initial licensure or certification. Following is this disclosure information for this program:

The requirements of this program meet certification/licensure in the following states:

Wisconsin

The requirements of this program do not meet certification/licensure in the following states:

Not applicable

Updated: 1 June 2024

Accreditation

AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Accreditation status: Accredited. Next accreditation review: 2026–2027.