Accounting

• As an accounting major, you will learn U.S. and international accounting standards and be able to plan, coordinate, and control the financial activities of businesses at a bottom-line level.
• You'll dive into the business world and apply what you've learned during an internship your junior or senior year, or both.
• Your SAU degree is based on the Ambrose Core Curriculum which helps you develop strong inquiry, communication, and writing skills – something employers highly value in our student interns and graduates.

• Our location is one of your biggest resources. The Quad Cities is home to world-class accounting and Fortune 500 firms. We've created strong relationships with companies such as Deloitte, RSM, Modern Woodmen, and HNI (HON).
• Give yourself an edge: intern. We've had students intern for Deere & Company's worldwide headquarters (which is 15 minutes from campus) and graduates, like Alex Denton, who have accepted a position in the corporation's elite career development program. You can intern in the spring, summer, or fall.
• Amplify your skills while helping others. Each spring, you can take an Accounting seminar and provide free tax preparation to low-income residents through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. At SAU, you can express your generosity and care for the community in so many ways. Learn about your service learning and volunteer opportunities.
• You can major in accounting and earn your master's degree in just five years, like Nathan Funke '15, '16 MAcc did. If you maintain a 3.0 undergraduate GPA, you automatically qualify for admission to our MAcc program. You will continue to enjoy small class sizes and learn from professors you know (and who know you, too). Nathan explains the strength of his Ambrosian education in this video.

Accountants can specialize in public accounting, perform tax audits, and conduct tax planning for CPA firms. You can work for corporations such as Deere & Company doing cost, financial, or international accounting or internal auditing. Working for local, state, or federal government entities also are options.

Some accountants use their expertise in nonprofit agencies such as United Way or Red Cross, or they work as a tax specialist, forensic accountant, controller, chief financial officer, financial planner, or international accountant.

We have the resources to prepare you for life after college. SAU Academic and Career Planning will help you create a résumé, write a cover letter, offer tips on how to have a successful interview, and more. If you are determined to go to grad school, the center can help you with the application and prepare you for the interview.

• After earning his undergraduate accounting degree in 2008, John Hammar stayed at SAU for a master's degree in accounting in 2009. He is now an audit manager at Deloitte in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• Katie Zorn '15 was a rare triple-major in Accounting, International Business, and Theology. She works as a Cost Accountant for HNI in Cedartown, Georgia.

Allison Ambrose, PhD, Professor

Michael Cipriano, PhD, Assoc. Professor
Janene Finley, PhD, Assoc. Professor

Accounting majors are required to have earned a 2.25 average GPA in all accounting courses; have earned a C in all accounting classes (if an accounting major earns below a C, the student must retake the course); and have earned 18 of their 33 hours of accounting at St. Ambrose, including ACCT 300, 301, 302, 305, and 415.

View Accounting courses and descriptions in the online course search

Required: 
ACCT 201 Financial Accounting
ACCT 202 Managerial Accounting
ACCT 300 Accounting Fundamentals and Professionalism
ACCT 301 Intermediate Accounting I
ACCT 302 Intermediate Accounting II
ACCT 305 Income Tax Procedures I
ACCT 307 Cost Accounting
ACCT 312 Accounting Information Systems
ACCT 415 Auditing

Accounting Electives (6 credits):
ACCT 314 Internal Auditing
ACCT 402 Accounting Seminar
ACCT 404 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program*
ACCT 406 Income Tax Procedures II
ACCT 410 Advanced Accounting
ACCT 414 Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation
ACCT 417 Law for Accountants
ACCT 420 Seminar in Accounting Topics
ACCT 460 Internship for Credit*

Business Core Requirements (31 credits):
BUS 201 Legal Environment in Business
ECON 201 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics
FNCE 300 Principles of Finance
MKTG 209 Principles of Marketing
MGMT 210 Principles of Management
MGMT 449 Strategic Management and Policy
INTL 400 International Experiential Portfolio (1 credit)
STBE 137 Quantitative Reasoning in Business
STBE 237 Statistics for Business and Economics
PHIL 305 Business Ethics

Experiential Learning
Students must also demonstrate an experiential learning experience which may include a documented internship, service learning, study abroad, or in rare cases, an alternative to one of the Electives above.

*These classes (and EXPL 202) also count toward the experiential learning requirement for all BA ACCT majors

St. Ambrose offers excellent scholarships and grants, work-study and other financial aid options! Full-time students may be eligible based on your strong academic performance in college, your talent in fine arts or athletics or your demonstrated financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The SAU school code for the FAFSA is 001889.

Our accounting majors are eligible for several special scholarships and financial aid – more than $40,000 in scholarships are awarded each year. Students must re-apply every academic year.

Click here to apply for one of the Accounting Scholarships below:

• Derrek Drexler Accounting Scholarship – available to full-time (at least 12 hours) accounting majors with at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Preference given to graduates of Wahlert Catholic High School (or any Catholic high school); college juniors or seniors; and those involved in student activities and/or Wellness and Recreation.
• Edward R. Frick Accounting Scholarship – available to full-time undergraduate and graduate accounting majors with at least a 3.25 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The scholarship is based on financial need with the preference that applicants be Hispanic and/or active in athletics and/or student activities.
• Shapley Accounting Scholarship – for graduate and undergraduates.
• George Till Scholarship – available to full-time students with at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The Scholarship is based on financial need, academic ability, and varies from $500 to $4,000 per year.
• Van de Voorde Accounting Scholarship – available to accounting majors who have financial need.
• Wahl Accounting Scholarship – available to undergraduate accounting majors who have a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

There are also jobs and work study opportunities throughout campus. Work study will be indicated on your financial aid award letter, and you can apply for campus jobs through the Career Center. Keep in mind that 98% of First-Year students receive financial aid from St. Ambrose!