Certificate Program in Accounting

The accounting department offers a credit certificate in Accounting, designed to prepare individuals who hold, or are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a field other than accounting for entry into the accounting profession.

Prerequisites (28 units)

Admissions to university with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than accounting or as an undergraduate majoring in a field other than accounting.

Completion of the lower division Business Administration core courses listed below with a minimum 2.5 grade point average.

ACCT 210 Principles of Financial Accounting (4)

ACCT 211 Principles of Managerial Accounting (4)

CIS 100 Business Computer Systems (4)

ECON 201, 202 Principles of Economics I, II (4, 4)

ECON 209 Applied Business and Economic Statistics I (4)

FIN 205 Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business I (4)

Submission of transcripts or official grade reports for the above courses to the Department of Accounting for evaluation.

A minimum of 48 units, a minimum of 2.5 grade point average, a minimum C grades in all accounting courses are required for completion of the program.

Requirements for the Certificate (48 units)

Required Courses (40 units)

ACCT 310 Accounting Information for Decision Making (4)

ACCT 320AB Intermediate Financial Accounting and Reporting I, II (4, 4)

ACCT 321 Taxation of Individuals (4)

ACCT 322 Cost Accounting (4)

ACCT 325 Leadership and Professional Skill for Accountants (4)

ACCT 424A Accounting Information Systems (4)

ACCT 495 Case Studies in Accounting (4)

BUS 305 Business Communications (4)

FIN 303 Business Finance (4)

Electives (8 units)

Select 8 units from the following:

ACCT 420, 421ABC, 422, 424B, 427, 428AB, 433, FIN 305

 For admission to the University, applicants must have: 

1. Submit an official CSU Graduate Application to the University
   (You will need to create an account in order to fill out the application.)

2. A baccalaureate from an accredited institution, or equivalent academic preparation as determined by Admissions and University Outreach or another appropriate campus authority.

3. Two official transcripts, which must include verification of the bachelor's degree.

4. A grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 (4.0=A) in their latest 90 quarter (or 60 semester) units attempted and good standing at the last college attended.

5. A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 213 (computer version) or 550 (paper version) for those applicants who earned a bachelor's degree to a school where English was not the principal language of instruction.