Accounting Certificate

Undergraduate Accounting Certificate

Summer Accounting Certificate Program

Priority Deadline: March 15

Complete a certificate in a discipline that employers will value. Learn how to analyze and interpret financial statements, how managers analyze accounting data and make important decisions and gain a broad perspective on federal taxation, along with how individuals are taxed. This accounting certificate is intended to sharpen your accounting knowledge and will differentiate you from others in your business major.

The Accounting Department offers an Accounting Certificate Program for (non-Accounting) Eller College undergraduates. The accounting certificate helps students create value in any type of business, nonprofit or government organization. The program will broaden a student’s learning experiences and professional opportunities by providing training in accounting topics and analysis.

The 9-unit upper division coursework required to complete the certificate is designed so that all admitted students will complete the accounting certificate coursework during one summer. 

The accounting certificate required courses include Intermediate Accounting I and Intermediate Accounting II and the elective courses include Principles of Federal Taxation and Cost and Managerial Accounting. 

Program Benefits

The Accounting Certificate Program can also be a valuable addition to your major course of study. After completing ACCT 200, ACCT 210 and being admitted to the Eller BSBA Professional Program this 9-unit, one-summer cohort program is an efficient way to complete an accounting certificate in the Eller College of Management with guaranteed access to the needed courses. Instructors with academic and experiential credentials will provide the instruction. The accounting skills offered in the program may be utilized in a variety of careers related to all non-accounting degrees.

The Accounting Certificate Program can be beneficial to students who are looking to apply for the Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) Program. The classes taken for the Accounting Certificate will assist in satisfying the prerequisite courses for the MSA Program. This can allow a student to finish the MSA Program in a shorter amount of time.

  • A certificate that employers value: Today’s employers are looking for students who can immediately add value. Understanding accounting beyond the introductory courses allows you to differentiate yourself from other students.
  • Fast Completion: The accounting certificate courses will be completed in one summer of classes.
  • Admission: Admission to the program is competitive. Applications are accepted during the spring semesters. The priority application deadline is March 15 preceding the summer that classes will be taken. Applicants will be notified March 31 of the admission decision. Applications will continue to be accepted until summer classes begin. 
  • Commitments: The Accounting Department will make it possible for admitted students to complete the accounting certificate in one summer. As an accounting certificate student, you must commit to registering for the two required courses and at least one elective course in one summer.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite Requirements

Students must have met the requirements for Eller Professional Admission and been accepted into an Eller Business major (BSBA) other than accounting. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required.

Required Courses

Students will complete the following courses during 7 Week Session One and 7 Week Session Two:

This course begins with an overview of the theoretical basis of financial accounting and a review of the four principal financial statements. The course then examines valuation, measurement and reporting issues related to selected financial statement items, with an emphasis on assets and revenues. Students are expected to understand the accounting theory and concepts that underlie the accounting issues covered in class as well as to become technically proficient with respect to the accounting principles governing the reporting of financial statement items.

Grading basis: Regular Grades
Co-convened with: ACCT 500A

This course is an intermediate accounting course that examines the valuation, measurement and reporting issues related to selected financial statement items, with an emphasis on liabilities and expenses. It is assumed that students have a strong accounting background since this is a second Intermediate class. There are two main goals of the class. The first is to become technically proficient in financial reporting. The second is to understand how, why and where any given transaction affects the firm’s financial statements.

Grading basis: Regular Grades
Co-convened with: ACCT 500A

Elective Courses

Students will complete one of the following courses during 7 Week One or 5 Week Two session:

This course covers the principles of federal taxation, with an emphasis on how individuals are taxed. The course integrates tax compliance, tax planning, financial accounting, economics and finance. Mastering the material in this course will allow students to apply the framework learned to personal and business decisions, assess potential compliance and planning ramifications of current and prospective tax rules, understand tax computations for individuals and business entities and devise strategies that minimize taxes and maximize after-tax wealth.

Grading basis: Regular Grades
Equivalent to: MGMT 420
Co-convened with: ACCT 520

Cost and Managerial Accounting covers concepts and analytical procedures necessary in the generation of accounting data for management planning control. Topics covered in this class include cost volume profit analysis, job costing, process costing, standard costing, allocating support costs, budgets and the decision making process.

Grading basis: Regular Grades

TOTAL: 9 units minimum (not included ACCT 200 & ACCT 210)

Admission

The priority application deadline is March 15 for the upcoming summer. Applicants will be notified by the end of March of the admission decision. For the students applying after March 15, decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified within two weeks of submitting their application of the admission decision. 

Several criteria will be considered in the application process: your application essay, grade point average, resume, etc.

For more information about the Accounting Certificate Program, please email Katie Maxwell, director of undergraduate programs for accounting at maxwellk@email.arizona.edu.

Accounting Certificate Application Form

To apply, please email your resume to Katie Maxwell at maxwellk@email.arizona.edu and complete the form below. The priority application deadline is March 15. All other applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis.