Accounting Major
Accounting is defined broadly as the process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information. Because sound decisions based on reliable information are essential for the efficient allocation of resources, accounting plays an important role in our economic system. Each year the largest accounting firms visit Holy Cross to recruit majors for employment opportunities in public accounting. Although most majors choose to start their careers in public accounting, the curriculum is sufficiently broad to permit careers in business, government and nonprofit institutions.
The accounting major is designed to offer students the benefits of a liberal arts education while providing a core accounting curriculum for students interested in becoming certified public accountants. Educational requirements for professional certification vary by state, with many states requiring additional courses beyond the four-year bachelor’s degree. Faculty advisors will help students develop a program to meet these requirements.
Department Advanced Placement Policy
Students with AP credit in both Macroeconomics and Microeconomics will place out of ECON 110 Principles of Economics. Students with an AP credit in either Macroeconomics or Microeconomics should enroll in ECON 110 Principles of Economics.
Students with AP credit in Statistics will forfeit that credit if they enroll in ECON 249 Statistics and students with AP credit in Calculus will forfeit that credit if they enroll in MATH 133 Calculus 1 with Fundamentals or MATH 135 Calculus 1. Accounting majors with advanced placement credit in calculus, economics or statistics are not required to replace those credits with additional electives.
Requirements
Majors must take a minimum of 13 courses for the major (as well as completing Calculus 1) as follows:
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| MATH 135 | Calculus 1 (or equivalent) |
| or MATH 133 | Calculus 1 with Fundamentals |
| ECON 110 | Principles of Economics |
| ECON 249 | Statistics |
| ACCT 181 | Financial Accounting * |
| ACCT 277 & ACCT 185 | Intermediate Accounting 1 and Excel Accounting Lab |
| ACCT 278 | Intermediate Accounting 2 |
| ACCT 282 | Auditing |
| ACCT 292 | Federal Income Taxation |
| ACCT 360 | Ethics, Acctg & Organizations |
| ACCT 387 | Business Law |
| ACCT 389 | Cost Accounting |
| ACCT 390 | Advanced Accounting |
| Two Accounting elective courses. | |
| * | Students interested in declaring the accounting major must complete ACCT 181 Financial Accounting in the fall of their first or second year. |
Electives
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| ACCT 270 | Governmental & Nonprofit Acctg |
| ACCT 275 | Corporation Finance |
| ACCT 362 | Taxation of Entities |
| ACCT 285 | Accounting Information Systems |
| ACCT 286 | Data Analytics (or a 200-level economics elective) |
Other requirements:
- Accounting majors must complete a minimum of 16 classes outside of the department.
- Accounting majors may complete up to three major requirements away from Holy Cross. Prospective majors are expected to complete ACCT 277 Intermediate Accounting 1 at Holy Cross.
- An Accounting major's first four accounting electives must be completed on a graded basis.
Admissions Process
Class of 2026
Prospective majors were required to complete ACCT 181 Financial Accounting and ACCT 277 Intermediate Accounting1 by the end of their second year.
Class of 2027 and Class of 2028
Beginning with the class of 2027, prospective majors must complete ACCT 181 Financial Accounting in the fall of their first or second year. Students may be signed into the major by the program coordinator after they successfully complete ACCT 181 Financial Accounting. First year students cannot be signed into the major until February of their first year.