Accounting 4-Year Plan | Accounting Links | Becoming a CPA - Presentation

Welcome to the Accounting Program's Homepage

If you are interested in a degree in business with an accounting emphasis, you will find an exciting and professional program at Bethel University. While classroom instruction offers the foundation you need for a career in public, corporate, governmental, or non-profit accounting, you also have many opportunities to put that knowledge into action while still working on your degree.

THE PROGRAM

Accounting students take a core set of business courses and specific courses related to the accounting discipline. See the college catalog for specific details at:

http://www.bethel.edu/college/catalog/acadprog/dept/business.html

Many of our students are able to incorporate a second emphasis, such as finance, into their four-year program at Bethel. This allows them to gain greater insight into another area of business, as well as increase their job opportunities after graduation.

A graduate with an accounting emphasis has the appropriate background to obtain a position in public, corporate, governmental, or non-profit accounting. A student who wishes to work in public accounting in order to become a certified public accountant (CPA) can sit for the CPA exam in the State of Minnesota with a four-year degree from Bethel. Other states may have different requirements. Effective July 1, 2006, students must have earned 150 semester credits in the State of Minnesota in order to become a licensed CPA. However, they may still take the CPA exam and earn their certificate with 122 credits that are required for a four-year Bethel degree.

Students can complete 150 credits in several ways. Many students elect to complete 150 credits while at Bethel prior to receiving their Bachelor of Arts degree. In this situation, it is highly recommended that students complete their business major with a double emphasis and accounting and finance. In addition, the student should also complete a minor in a discipline outside the Department to broaden their perspectives, which is one of the goals of the 150-credit requirement as designed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The exact nature of the courses required for the additional 30 credits have not been specified by any accounting organization. However, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (http://www.nasba.org) is currently in the process of defining course requirements.

If a student elects to obtain 150 credits at Bethel, they may be able to complete their degree within four years, but may need an additional semester to complete their coursework. If the student arrives at Bethel with college credits (such as Advanced Placement or Post-Secondary Education Option credits), this may allow them to complete 150 credits within four years.

Some students may elect to achieve their additional 30 credits by obtaining a master’s degree in accounting or an MBA with an accounting emphasis. Two local universities currently offer one-year, full-time programs, such as a Master of Science in Accountancy, geared towards students who want this type of degree. The advantage of this type of program would be additional accounting knowledge not currently offered through Bethel’s undergraduate program, as well as possible enhancement of your resume upon graduation.

ACCOUNTING INTERNSHIPS

Accounting students are required to complete at least one internship. The Department supports this program with a full-time internship coordinator. Students find that internships allow them to see how organizations operate and also create more value on their resumes when they begin to look for their first full-time job. Internships can also lead to full-time employment after graduation.

The internship can be with a CPA firm, in corporate accounting, government, or with a non-for-profit organization. Many of the internships with CPA firms occur during their “busy season”, which runs from January 15 through April 15.

Students can earn up to nine credits with internships during their junior and senior years. However, the rules for achieving 150 credits for CPA licensing only allow a maximum of six internship credits. Internships can also be completed on a non-credit basis. Most internships are completed during the school year, are part-time, and are paid. See the Department’s website for further information on internships at: http://cas.bethel.edu/dept/business-economics/internship/index

FACULTY

The accounting faculty, which consists of full-time Professors Leo Gabriel and Bruce Olsen, and adjunct faculty John Rudberg and David Lowe, focus on teaching and advising students. They are active in their fields in a variety of ways: through ongoing consulting projects with businesses; research into issues critical to the profession; working with non-profit organizations such as AccountAbility Minnesota to get students more involved in service opportunities; and attending state and national conferences and seminars to stay current with trends in the profession and accounting education.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Employers recognize the value of an accounting education at Bethel. It is common for our graduates to have job offers before they graduate. Most of the large public accounting firms have hired our graduates in recent years, including Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Grant Thornton, McGladrey & Pullen, and Larson, Allen, Weishair & Co. Local and regional accounting firms, such as Virchow Krause, Wilkerson, Guthmann, & Johnson, and Divine, Scherzer & Brody have all benefited from hiring our graduates. Corporations, such as Wells Fargo Bank, Target Corporation, United Health Group, and Kemps have also hired graduates of our program. In addition, we have placed many of our graduates with the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service, as well as with several non-for-profit organizations.

BETHEL BUSINESS & ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION

The Bethel Business & Economics Association can be a vital part of your educational, professional, and community experience at Bethel. This student-led association helps develop a spirit of friendship and cooperation among students in all business and economics disciplines via organized site tours, campus presentations, and social gatherings. For information about BBEA go to their website at: http://cas.bethel.edu/dept/business-economics/student/bbea.html

ACCOUNTING SCHOLARSHIPS

There are a variety of scholarships available for both accounting and other business students. Scholarships are primarily awarded based on academic achievement. See the Department’s website for further information at:

http://cas.bethel.edu/dept/business-economics/student/scholarships.html

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have specific questions or would like to discuss this program, its benefits, and its requirements, contact:

Bruce Olsen, Associate Professor of Accounting
Phone: (651) 638-6320
Email: bruce-olsen@bethel.edu