The BBA in Accounting program at EKU is nationally accredited and is designed to provide students with the solid educational foundation that employers expect of today’s graduates. This foundation not only includes the technical accounting knowledge necessary to successfully pass the various professional examinations, but also includes a strong general business background that allows accounting professionals to move quickly into upper management positions or become business entrepreneurs themselves.
IMA® Endorses Our Accounting Program
The College of Business accounting program has received recognition and endorsement from the IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants), a prestigious and influential organization dedicated to the advancement of the management accounting field.
IMA’s Endorsement of Higher Education initiative recognizes programs that meet high educational standards, enabling students to pursue and earn the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) credential.
IMA’s globally-recognized CMA program is a relevant assessment of advanced accounting and financial management knowledge in areas such as financial planning, analysis, control and decision support – each of which is increasingly critical in meeting the changing needs of business, and therefore, essential learning for students of accounting and finance.
Accounting Careers
Students in accounting are preparing to enter careers which will lead them into public accounting, private accounting, or governmental organizations.
In Public Accounting (CPA firm), students can specialize in: Auditing, Taxation, Management Consulting Services, Forensic Accounting, Litigation Support, Financial Planning, and Business Valuation.
Private Accounting (working in business, industry, or non-profit organizations) gives students careers opportunities in: General Accounting, Cost Accounting, Taxation, Internal Auditing, Computer Systems Analyst, Security Analyst, and more.
Local, state, and Federal governments need accountants in many different agencies: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, General Accounting Office, Kentucky Revenue Cabinet, and many others.
To learn more about careers in accounting, visit www.AICPA.org or www.accounting.com/careers.
Rewarding Career Opportunities
Students in accounting are preparing to enter careers that will lead them into public accounting, private accounting, or governmental organizations.
In Public Accounting (CPA firm), students may specialize in:
Auditing
Taxation
Management Consulting Services
Forensic Accounting
Litigation Support
Financial Planning
Business Valuation
Private Accounting (working in business, industry, or non-profit organizations) prepares students for career opportunities in:
General Accounting
Cost Accounting
Taxation
Internal Auditing
Computer Systems Analyst
Security Analyst
Local, State, and Federal governments need accountants in many different agencies:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Internal Revenue Service
General Accounting Office
Kentucky Revenue Cabinet
Many others
Which Accounting Concentration Should You Choose?
Accounting prepares students for careers in public accounting, industry, non-profit, and government organizations. As a result, demand for accounting graduates and starting salaries in accounting have consistently been among the highest for new college graduates.
The accounting degree opens the door to many professional possibilities including: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Forensic Accountant (Cr.FA), Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), among others.
Management Accounting Concentration
Management accountants are seen as the “value-creators” among accountants – more interested in forward looking decisions that will affect the future of the organization than in historical recording and compliance (score keeping) aspects of the profession.
Management accounting knowledge and experience can be obtained from varied fields and functions within an organization, such as information management, treasury, efficiency auditing, marketing, valuation, pricing, logistics, etc.
The BBA degree with the Management Accounting concentration opens the door to professional possibilities in business and industry and can lead to: Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), among others.
Public Accounting Concentration
In Public Accounting (CPA firm), students can specialize in: Auditing, Taxation, Management Consulting Services, Forensic Accounting, Litigation Support, Financial Planning and Business Valuation.
Private Accounting (working in business, industry, or non-profit organizations) gives students careers opportunities in: General Accounting, Cost Accounting, Taxation, Internal Auditing, Computer Systems Analyst, Security Analyst and more. Local, state and Federal governments need accountants in many different agencies: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, General Accounting Office, Kentucky Revenue Cabinet and many others.
Students with a college degree in a field other than Accounting who want to take courses to meet the requirements to sit for the CPA Exam can enroll in the Certificate in Accounting program which can be completed in as little as two years while taking classes only at night.
Additional Concentrations Offered
Accelerated 3 + 2 Dual Degree
EKU College of Business also offers a 3+2 academic program in which students earn both a BBA degree in Accounting and an MBA during their five years at the EKU. In other words, students accepted into the Accelerated Dual Degree Option are able to complete their BBA degree and MBA degree within 5 academic years because of the accelerated curriculum; nine semester hours of graduate coursework will apply to both the undergraduate BBA degree and the graduate MBA degree.
Check out our curriculum option below:
- Accounting, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) [Public Accounting Concentration] and Master of Business Administration (MBA) [Accounting Concentration] Accelerated 3 + 2 Dual Degree Program
To apply for the 3+2 BBA in Public Accounting, click: https://success.eku.edu/register/3+2enrollment
Reach out to us if you have any questions and/or if you are interested in applying to the MBA program!
- Dr. Weiling Zhuang (MBA Director); weiling.zhuang@eku.edu, office 126
- Kennedy Easterling-Graduate Assistant for the MBA program; kennedy.easterling@eku.edu, office 127
Claude K. Smith Endowed Lecture Series on Accounting
Claude K. Smith | 1932-1998
An EKU alum (1954, BS Accounting), Smith joined the faculty in 1964 and was named the inaugural Chair of the Department of Accounting two years later. Smith was one of the first two Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) to be hired at Eastern. Prior to joining EKU faculty, Smith taught at McKee High School, graduated from Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville with a Master of Religious Education degree, and was Chair of the Department of Business at Bluefield College in Virginia. Smith earned an MBA at the University of Kentucky and was a CPA in both Kentucky and Indiana. Following 25 years of dedicated service to Eastern Kentucky University, Smith retired in 1989.
Contact Us Today!
Dr. Mary Beth Healy
Associate Professor of Accounting
Accounting Program Coordinator