Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Accounting

Careers in accounting include being an auditor, management accountant, financial accountant, tax accountant, budget analyst, public accountant, forensic accountant, fraud examiner, and working in the government sector.

Not only do our students get a solid academic background that prepares them for a competitive job market, but they are also offered an array of opportunities to enhance their academic careers after graduation. We have an exclusive partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) to provide a Certificate in Finance, Accounting, and Business (CFAB). In fact, our students can earn the CFAB qualification by passing just one exam because our accounting major program provides them with exemptions from five of the six ICAEW modules. Our program is endorsed by the Institute of Management Accountants in the US, in addition to having a partnership with the Federal Tax Authority in the UAE.

Upon the completion of their degree, our students: 

• gain a foundation in the primary areas of the accounting discipline
• develop their communication skills, integrate and advance their technological skills
• critical thinking skills to analyze ambiguous situations and provide relevant business alternatives
• are able to obtain professional certificates such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)

Admission to the Program

Admission to the BSBA degree program follows the university’s undergraduate admission requirements. Due to the quantitative emphasis of the business program, new students are required to take the business school mathematics placement examination, in addition to the English language placement test.

AUS students transferring into the program must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 and the permission of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. Further conditions could apply. For information, please check with the head of the department housing the major.

Degree Plan

Bachelor Of Science In Business Administration (BSBA)

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree program provides students with a 45-credit hours core curriculum that offers a broad knowledge of business functions while emphasizing their application in a global business environment. Imbedded in this core curriculum is a business internship requirement that provides students with the opportunity to experience the corporate world for the first time, to apply the knowledge gained throughout their business program, and to plot a possible career path.

In addition to the business core, the student must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in a professional area constituting a major. The major allows each student to obtain in-depth knowledge in accounting, economics, finance, information systems and business analytics, management or marketing.

Students must also meet the minimum university requirements in general education courses, the innovation and entrepreneurship requirement, as well as complete a minimum of nine credit hours in free electives. With an appropriate choice of courses, students can benefit from their free electives to complete a minor.

Students in the BSBA degree program complete a common two-year program in which they are introduced to the foundation courses of each of the six subject areas constituting the major offerings of the degree program, allowing students a more informed decision as they work towards meeting the matriculation requirements of their major of choice (detailed in Choice of Major later in this section of the catalog).

Program Objectives

SBA prepares undergraduate students for careers in business and for further education by providing an American-style curriculum that applies global business perspectives to the historical and cultural context of the Gulf Region. The BSBA degree program seeks to:

• provide students the theoretical foundations across business functions
• develop students’ understanding of ethical and social responsibility
• foster teamwork, interpersonal communication and leadership skills
• advance students’ critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills
• ensure proficiency in a chosen business discipline

Program Outcomes

Graduates from the BSBA degree program are expected to be able to:

• integrate the basic principles of economics, accounting, finance, management, information systems, marketing and operations in the context of a global economy

• apply concepts and theories of ethics and social responsibility to practical business dilemmas, recognizing the implications of management decisions for the interests of key internal and external stakeholders
• demonstrate competency in teamwork, presentation, writing and leadership skills through participation in group projects requiring industry analysis and using the latest business communication tools
• evaluate business situations and critique managerial decisions using financial statements, statistical tools, and other appropriate methods to organize, analyze and present data
• examine common business scenarios using broad knowledge of a specific business discipline, applying concepts, theories and models appropriate to their fields of study

Degree Requirements

To qualify for graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree,
students must successfully complete the following minimum requirements:

a minimum of 123 credit hours, including a minimum of 36 credit hours in courses at the 300 level or above, as follows:

General Education Requirements: Minimum of 36 credit hours

Every undergraduate student must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours in core and non-core general education requirements (GERs) with a minimum grade of C- to graduate. In addition, students must successfully complete one course from each areas of the major-designated requirements. For more information on course requirements, please visit the General Education Program webpage.

BSBA Core Requirements: 45 credit hours

Students in the BSBA degree program must successfully complete the following business core courses:

• ACC 201 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting (3 credits)
• ACC 202 Fundamentals of Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
• BLW 301 Business Law (3 credits)
• BUS 100 Introduction to Business (3 credits)
• ECO 201 Principles of Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 202 Principles of Macroeconomics (3 credits)
• ENG 225 Writing for Business (3 credits)
• FIN 201 Fundamentals of Financial Management (3 credits)
• ISA 201 Fundamentals of Management Information Systems (3 credits)
• MGT 201 Fundamentals of Management (3 credits)
• MGT 360 Business Ethics and Social Responsibility (3 credits)
• MGT 406 Business Policy and Strategy (3 credits)
• MKT 201 Fundamentals of Marketing (3 credits)
• QBA 201 Quantitative Business Analysis (3 credits)
• SCM 202 Operations Management (3 credits)

Major Requirements and Major Electives: Minimum of 30 credit hours

A minimum total of 30 credit hours of course work must be successfully completed in one of the following majors: accounting, economics, finance, information systems and business analytics, management or marketing. Required and elective courses for each major are listed within the corresponding major sections that follow. Students must successfully complete these courses with a minimum CGPA of 2.00.

Free Electives: Minimum of 9 credit hours

BSBA students must successfully complete a minimum of nine credit hours of free electives, excluding MTH100.

AMP students may use graduate-level courses, successfully completed while in the AMP, towards meeting the free electives requirement.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Requirement: 3 credit hours

Students must successfully complete the following course:

• IEN 301 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Mindset

Internship

Students in the AUS School of Business Administration are required to complete BUS 397 Business Internship (or BUS 497 Business Practicum) to fulfill their graduation requirements depending on their catalog. Participation in an internship allows students to combine on-the-job career learning experience with related academic coursework to enhance their total educational experience. Refer to the Internship Handbook for further details.

Internships that contribute to meeting graduation requirements must be the equivalent of a minimum of five consecutive weeks of full-time employment. Some degree programs require internships of a longer duration, ranging from five to 15 weeks.

To be eligible to pursue an internship, students should normally have completed a minimum of 75 undergraduate credit hours.

For more information on internship requirements and guidelines, please visit the Internships and Placement webpage.

Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP)

Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) students may use a maximum total of six credit hours from graduate-level courses, successfully completed while in the AMP, towards meeting the major electives and/or free electives requirements, as it applies to their major. For details on the AMP, please refer to the Accelerated Master’s Program section earlier in the catalog. Graduation residence requirements must be met. For details, refer to Graduation Requirements in the Academic Policies and Regulations section earlier in the catalog.

Proposed Sequence of Study

BSBA students complete a common first-year and second-year program, followed by the sequence of study for their chosen major in their third and fourth years.

Students who, based on the results of their placement tests, are required to complete the preparatory writing course (WRI 001) and/or the business mathematics preparatory course (MTH 002) are strongly advised to complete a summer term at the end of their first year of study to get back on track with the proposed sequence of study. BSBA students are expected to follow the recommended sequence of study for their chosen major. Students who do not follow the recommended sequence of study might require more than four years to complete their program.

Choice of Major

Prior to starting their major courses, BSBA students must declare their choice of major. A Change of Major Form must be submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs for approval, by the last day of the 12th week of classes of the semester in which the student will complete 60 credit hours. The approved form must be filed with the Office of the Registrar by the end of the add and drop period of the semester in which it will be effective. Students must meet the following minimum requirements:

• A cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above
• Successful completion of at least 60 credit hours at the end of the semester in which the choice of major is declared, with 21 credit hours completed from business core courses. Credit hours may not include preparatory 00X courses or Achievement Academy Bridge Program courses.
• Passing of BUS 100
• Passing of the 200-level business core course introductory to the intended major. Students with an intended major in economics complete ECO 201 as the introductory 200-level course.

Further conditions could be required by the different departments. Students are strongly advised to register for 300- and 400-level courses in their SBA major field of study after having completed the above requirements.

Major in Accounting

This major prepares its graduates for positions in industry, public accounting, government and not-for-profit organizations, as well as for graduate study. It provides students with a foundation in the primary areas of the accounting discipline including cost accounting, financial accounting, accounting information systems, assurance services, federal income taxes and related business areas.

Students are also provided with an opportunity to develop their communication skills,
integrate and advance their technological skills, and to use critical thinking to analyse
ambiguous situations and provide relevant business alternatives. In addition, the accounting major helps prepare students to obtain professional certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). In addition to meeting the common BSBA graduation requirements (detailed earlier under Degree Requirements), students in the accounting major must meet the following requirements. Students must successfully complete courses taken as major requirements and major electives with a minimum CGPA of 2.00.