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

Undergraduate How to Get in - Requirements

Requirements	Details
How to get in	Application required. Meeting the requirements listed below does not guarantee admission. (https://admissions.wsb.wisc.edu/BbaPreBusiness)
Courses required to get in	Students are required to complete each of the 4 requirements below. Requirements can be completed via coursework, test credit, transfer work, or placement exam (if applicable). Communication A ENGL 100 COM ARTS 100 ESL 118 LSC 100 Quantitative Reasoning A MATH 112 MATH 114 MATH 171 COMP SCI/​L I S  102 Economics ECON 101 ECON 111 Human Behavior PSYCH 202 SOC/​C&E SOC  211 ANTHRO 104 GEN&WS 102 HDFS 263
GPA requirements to get in	Minimum 3.0 UW-Madison GPA.
Credits required to get in	If you started at UW-Madison as a first-year student, 24 credits completed/in-progress at UW-Madison are required for application. If you started at UW-Madison as a transfer student, 12 completed/in-progress at UW-Madison are required for application. In-progress course credits towards this minimum must be completed at the end of the spring application term.
Other	Pre-Business 101 workshop required during the intended application year. Pre-Business applicants may apply once within their first four terms (Fall/Spring) at UW-Madison, based on enrollment date. There is no credit maximum.

Undergraduate How to Get in - Application Deadlines

Semester	Deadline to apply	Decision notification timeline
To apply for a fall start	Mid March	On or before July 1st.
To apply for a spring start	This program does not accept applications to start in the spring.
To apply for a summer start	This program does not accept applications to start in the summer.

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 Requirements

All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later. 

Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.

Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Civics & Perspectives	3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework.
Communication & Literacy	6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement
Humanities & Arts	6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework.
Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning	6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement
Natural Science & Wellness	Complete both: 6 credits of Natural Science & Wellness or Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework. one course must be in Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework.
Social & Behavioral Science	3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework.
Total Credits	30 credits.

For more information see the policy.

University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements

All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Total Degree	120 degree credits.
Residency	Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and: is offered by UW-Madison and completed on the UW-Madison campus or at an approved off-site location, or is offered by UW-Madison in an online or distance format, or is completed during participation in a UW-Madison study abroad/study away program.
Quality of Work	Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program.
Math	Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by: placing above MATH 96, successfully completing MATH 96 at UW-Madison, or transferring the equivalent of MATH 96 or a more advanced mathematics course from another institution (content such as MATH 112, 114, 211, 221, 222, 234).
English Language	If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by: earning credit for ESL 118 at UW-Madison, or achieving a qualifying MSN-ESLAT placement test score.
Language	Complete one: 2 high school units of a single language other than English, or one course with the second semester Language designation.
Major Declaration	Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major.

School of Business BBA Requirements

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

Business Liberal Studies

Liberal studies requirements must be completed prior to graduation. A single course cannot be used to fulfill multiple liberal studies requirements.

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Communications A	Complete either: one course with the Communication A designation, or satisfaction of Communication A based on UW Placement Test.
Microeconomics	Complete one: ECON 101 ECON 111 A A E 101
Macroeconomics	Complete either: ECON 102 ECON 111
Social Science	One 3+ credit course with the Social Science designation. Courses in or cross-listed with the following subjects do not satisfy this requirement: ACCT I S, ACT SCI, FINANCE, GEN BUS, INFO SYS, INTL BUS, M H R, MARKETNG, OTM, R M I, REAL EST.
Calculus	Complete either: MATH 211 MATH 221
Literature	One 3+ credit course with the Literature designation.
Science	6 credits with the Biological, Natural, or Physical Science designations. Courses in or cross-listed with MATH or STAT cannot be used to meet this requirement.
Ethnic Studies	One 3+ credit course with the Ethnic Studies designation.
Humanities	One 3+ credit course with the Humanities designation.
Ethics	Complete one: PHILOS 241 PHILOS 243 PHILOS 244 PHILOS 341 PHILOS/​ENVIR ST  441 L I S 461

Business Fundamentals

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
GEN BUS 106	Foundational Skills for Business Analysis	1
GEN BUS 107	Introduction to Artificial Intelligence in Business	1
GEN BUS 301	Business Law	3
GEN BUS 360	Workplace Writing and Communication	3
ACCT I S 100	Introductory Financial Accounting	3

Business Analytics Sequence 

Complete one of the sequence options below. Courses should be taken in subsequent semesters.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Option 1
GEN BUS 306 & GEN BUS 307	Business Analytics I and Business Analytics II	6
Option 2 (Required for Actuarial Science Majors):
MATH 331	Introductory Probability	3
or STAT/​MATH  309	Introduction to Probability and Mathematical Statistics I
GEN BUS 317	Mathematical Foundations of Business Analytics (Recommended for Actuarial Science majors)	3
or STAT/​MATH  310	Introduction to Probability and Mathematical Statistics II
Option 3 (Recommended for Economics Double Majors or Econ Certificate Students):
ECON 310	Statistics: Measurement in Economics	4
ECON 400	Introduction to Applied Econometrics	4
or ECON 410	Introductory Econometrics

Business Core

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ACCT I S 211	Introductory Managerial Accounting	3
FINANCE/​ECON  300	Introduction to Finance	3
MARKETNG 300	Marketing Management	3
M H R 300	Managing Organizations	3
OTM 300	Operations and Supply Chain Management	3
Total Credits		15

Business Experiential Learning

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
GEN BUS 110	Personal and Professional Foundations in Business	1
GEN BUS 210	Artificial Intelligence Enabled Business Solutions Lab	2
GEN BUS 410	Business Solutions Capstone	3
Total Credits		6

Business Signature

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Complete one of the following:		3
INFO SYS 322	Introduction to Databases
INTL BUS 200	International Business
REAL EST/​A A E/​ECON/​URB R PL  306	The Real Estate Process
R M I 300	Principles of Risk Management
Complete one of the following:		2
GEN BUS/​DS  240	Human-centered Design and Business
GEN BUS 250	Sustainable Capitalism
GEN BUS 265	The Business of Health Care
GEN BUS 308	Cloud Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Tools for Business
Total Credits		5

Business Graduation Requirements

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Cumulative Credits	Students must earn 120 degree credits.
Quality of Work	Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000.
Residency	Students must complete 30 degree credits in residence at UW–Madison.

Business: Accounting Major Requirements

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

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ACCT I S 301	Financial Reporting I	3
ACCT I S 302	Financial Reporting II	3
ACCT I S 310	Cost Management Systems	3
ACCT I S 340	Accounting Information Systems	3
ACCT I S 401	Business Organizations and Negotiable Instruments	3
ACCT I S 406	Accounting and Analysis for Reporting Entities	1-6
or ACCT I S 600	Professional Experience in Accounting
ACCT I S 620	Fundamentals of Taxation	3
ACCT I S 621	Corporate and Advanced Taxation	3
ACCT I S 630	Foundations of Auditing	3
Accounting majors must take a minimum of 18 credits of ACCT I S courses numbered 301 or higher at UW-Madison
Total Credits		25-30

Recommended Electives¹

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ACCT I S 406	Accounting and Analysis for Reporting Entities 2	3
ACCT I S 600	Professional Experience in Accounting	1-6
ACCT I S 603	Financial Statement Analysis 2	3
ACCT I S 640	Foundation in Accounting Analytics 2	3
The following courses are recommended as program electives outside of accounting. The student is encouraged to elect as many as a program will permit.
FINANCE/​ECON  320	Investment Theory 2	3
FINANCE 325	Corporation Finance	3
FINANCE 602	Wealth Management & Financial Planning 2	3
FINANCE 635	Business Valuation 2	3
FINANCE 650	Mergers and Acquisitions 2	3
INFO SYS 322	Introduction to Databases	3
M H R 310	Challenges & Solutions in Business Sustainability 2	3
M H R 617	Diversity in Organizations 2	3
R M I 300	Principles of Risk Management 2	3
R M I 650	Sustainability, Environmental and Social Risk Management 2	3
R M I 660	Risk Analytics and Behavioral Science 2	3
R M I 670	Data Privacy and Cyber Risk 2	3

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.  

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

Freshman
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
MATH 211 or 221	4-5	ECON 101 or 111	4
Communications Part A	3	PSYCH 202, SOC 211, ANTHRO 104, GEN&WS 102, or HDFS 263 (Human Behavior)	3-4
Ethnic Studies	3	ACCT I S 100	3
Science	3	Science	3
GEN BUS 106	1	Humanities	3
GEN BUS 110	1
	15-16		16-17
Sophomore
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
ECON 102 or 111	4	ACCT I S 302	3
ACCT I S 211	3	GEN BUS 306	3
ACCT I S 301	3	ACCT I S 310	3
GEN BUS 360	3	MARKETNG 300	3
Elective	2	FINANCE/​ECON  300	3
		GEN BUS/​DS  240, 250, or 308	2
	15		17
Junior
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
GEN BUS 307	3	ACCT I S 630	3
ACCT I S 620	3	ACCT I S 401	3
M H R 300	3	OTM 300	3
ACCT I S 340	3	Elective	3
GEN BUS 301	3	R M I 300, REAL EST 306, INTL BUS 200, or INFO SYS 3221	3
	15		15
Senior
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
GEN BUS 400	3	ACCT I S 600 or 4063	1-6
Literature	3	ACCT I S 621	3
Elective	4	PHILOS 241, 243, 341, or 441 (Ethics)	3-4
Elective2	3	Elective	3
GEN BUS 250, 240, or 308	2	Elective	2
	15		12-18
Total Credits 120-128

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.

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 (via 34 CFR Part 668) requires institutions that provide distance education to disclose information for programs leading to professional certification or licensure. The expectation is that institutions will determine whether each applicable academic program meets state professional licensure requirements and provide a general disclosure of such on an official university website.

Professional licensure requirements vary from state-to-state and can change year-to-year; they are established in a variety of state statutes, regulations, rules, and policies; and they center on a range of educational requirements, including degree type, specialized accreditation, total credits, specific courses, and examinations.  

UW-Madison has taken reasonable efforts to determine whether this program satisfies the educational requirements for certification/licensure in states where prospective and enrolled students are located and is disclosing that information as follows.

Disclaimer: This information is based on the most recent annual review of state agency certification/licensure data and is subject to change. All students are strongly encouraged to consult with the individual/office listed in the Contact Information box on this page and with the applicable state agency for specific information.

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 2025

Accreditation

AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

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