In addition to meeting with your advisor throughout your time at Tippie, you'll also use the course planning worksheet—it will help you know what courses you need to take for your major, as well as help you plan when you'll take them. Plan your course schedule with the worksheet and read about the courses you'll be taking below.

Course planning worksheet (pdf)

Required courses

Professional Accounting Seminar (ACCT:3100)
Seminar topics, including accounting careers, curriculum, MAC program, internships, CPA examination and other professional certificates, Beta Alpha Psi, ethics, and global standards. Offered fall semesters. Corequisites: ACCT:2200 or ACCT:3200. (1 s.h.)

Income Measurement and Asset Valuation (ACCT:3200)
Accounting rules that determine how economic events and transactions are described in published financial reports; emphasis on revenue and expense recognition, asset valuation, accrual accounting model. Corequisite: ACCT:3400. Requirement: admission to Professional Program in Accounting.

Valuation of Financial Claims (ACCT:3300)
Current and long-term liabilities and stockholders' equity, off-balance sheet financing, cash flow statement, earnings-per-share, financial instruments. Prerequisites: ACCT:3200 and ACCT:3400. Corequisite: ACCT:3100. (3 s.h.)

Introduction to Taxation (ACCT:3400)
Federal income taxation of individuals and businesses, including corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships; emphasis on developing a broad perspective on structure, administration, and rationale of federal income tax system. Corequisite: ACCT:3200. Requirement: admission to Professional Program in Accounting. (3 s.h.)

Accounting Information Systems (ACCT:3600)
Application of computer technology to accounting and transaction processing systems; information systems infrastructure and trends; problem solving with microcomputer spreadsheets, databases; accounting cycle operations. Prerequisites: (MSCI:3005 or CS:2110) and ACCT:2200 and ACCT:2100. Same as MSCI:3100. (3 s.h.)

Auditing (ACCT:4100)
General framework underlying auditing, role of audit standards in planning and conduct of audits, effect of regulation, ethics, liability on audit practices. Prerequisites: ACCT:3300 and (ECON:2800 or ECON:4800 or STAT:2020 with a minimum grade of B or STAT:4101) and MSCI:3100 and ACCT:3100. Requirement: senior standing. (3 s.h.)

Accounting for Management Analysis and Control (ACCT:4200)
Advanced topics in cost estimation, measurement, accumulation; use of cost data for decision making, performance evaluation in multi-unit organizations. Prerequisites: (STAT:2020 with a minimum grade of B or ECON:4800 or STAT:4101 or ECON:2800) and (CS:2110 or MSCI:3005). Requirement: admission to Professional Program in Accounting. (3 s.h.)

Accounting Ethics and Law (ACCT:4300)
Legal issues involving contracts, sale of goods, agency and partnership law, business structures including corporations and limited liability companies, employment law, and an overview of accountant's legal liability and securities regulation. Prerequisite: MGMT:2000. Requirement: senior standing. (3 s.h.)

Elective courses

Advanced Tax Topics (ACCT:3500)
Taxation of corporations and partnerships from organization through liquidation; relative merits of conducting business as C corporation, partnership, S corporation; the alternative minimum tax; introduction to tax research. Prerequisite: ACCT:3400. Requirement: senior standing. (3 s.h.)

Advanced Financial Accounting (ACCT:4400)
Accounting and reporting standards for business combinations, including mergers, consolidations, and multinational enterprises; accounting for partnerships, business segments, transactions denominated in foreign currency, including hedges using foreign currency derivate instruments; reporting standards for interim financial statements and fund accounting applied to government and nonprofit entities. Prerequisite: ACCT:3300. Requirement: senior standing. (3 s.h.)

Optional courses

Tax Practicum (VITA) I (ACCT:3450)
Transformative opportunity to work on real-world tax problems with real clients; application of skills learned in classroom to real-world problems; development of crucial accounting career soft skills, including communication (explaining complicated ideas in simple language), moving out of one's comfort zone, working as a team, and having an appreciation for the importance of community service. Corequisite: ACCT:3400. Requirement: acceptance to undergraduate accounting program. (1-2 s.h.)

Tax Practicum (VITA) II (ACCT:3451)
Transformative opportunity to work on real world tax problems with real clients; application of skills learned in classroom to real world problems; development of crucial accounting career soft skills including communication (explaining complicated ideas in simple language), moving out of one's comfort zone, working as a team, and having an appreciation for importance of community service. Prerequisite: ACCT:3450. (2 s.h.)

Tax Research (ACCT:4600)
Understanding the validity and use of various tax law sources; performing tax research using printed and electronic tax materials; evaluation of tax law provisions and application to specific facts and circumstances; preparing tax memorandums. Prerequisite: ACCT:3500. (2 s.h.)