Accounting
Accounting majors study the process of recording and interpreting financial data, as well as examining accounting concepts, procedures, and standards. Accounting and financial ethics are emphasized throughout the major. Best current practices in the field are constantly explored.
The Lewis Accounting curriculum qualifies majors to pursue professional licensing as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
A 150 credit hour prerequisite has been recently established for the CPA exam. This means that a student must have transcripts showing that he or she has completed 150 credit hours of coursework prior to applying for the Accountancy licensing exam.
Under this prerequisite, Lewis University Accounting students interested in taking the exam have two options:
- They can earn an additional 22 credit hours any time prior to applying for an Accountancy licensing exam in Illinois,
- They can apply to the Lewis University 4+1 Program MBA Program which requires 30 MBA credit hours. Note: This option requires that International Business (BSAD 42000) be taken as part of the undergraduate curriculum. In order to sit for an Illinois Accountancy licensing examination, a person need have completed only 150 credit hours; thus completion of the Accounting/ MBA degree option program is not a prerequisite for sitting for a licensing exam.
For definitive answers to questions about coursework and hours earned, only the Illinois Board of Examiners in Champaign is authoritative. Contact them at: Phone (217) 531-0950, Fax (217) 531-0960, or Website www.illinois-cpa-exam.com. Anyone interested in obtaining CPA licensing should first contact the board of examiners.
For further information about the Lewis University Accounting/MBA degree option program, see College of Business Academic Programs at the beginning of this section. Qualified College of Business Accounting majors must apply for admission as a student-at-large to the joint Accounting/MBA program prior to the semester in which they will graduate.