Program: Accounting, BSBA - University of Pittsburgh

BSBA Degree Requirements

The following sections describe the general requirements for all majors within the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree program:

The degree requirements applicable to a particular student are based upon the student’s term of entry into the program and reflect any requirement changes that have been approved since this bulletin was published. These requirements and the student’s progress toward the BSBA degree are noted on the student’s online Undergraduate Advisement Transcript.

Graduation Requirements

120 credits are required for graduation with a BSBA degree. A minimum of 41 credits must be taken in the arts and sciences.

A student may use one course to fulfill two arts and sciences requirements.

Arts and Sciences Foundations: Basic Skills Requirements

There are seven basic skills that all BSBA students must master; these basic skills prepare students for future classes. The basic skills requirements include:

English Composition

Students who earn 500 or above on SAT Verbal (Critical Reading) are placed into Seminar in Composition (or equivalent course).
Students who earn below 500 on SAT Verbal (Critical Reading) will be placed into a Workshop in Composition course.
Recommendations for ENGCMP 0201 or ENGCMP 0151 (tutorials) will be based on class diagnostic writing during add/drop period.
English as a Second Language students will be placed into appropriate courses based on English Language proficiency.

All students are strongly encouraged to complete their English composition requirement(s) in the freshman year.

Students earning a score of 600 on the critical reading portion of the SAT, who also earn a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) English exam, will be awarded advanced standing credit for ENGCMP 0200 - SEMINAR IN COMPOSITION and 3 additional credits in English composition.

Second Language

Any one of the following fulfills the language requirement:

Three years of study of a single second language in high school, passed with an average of C or better over the three years.
Placement into level III of a second language on a University of Pittsburgh language placement test.
Placement into level II of a second language on a University of Pittsburgh language placement test and completion of the appropriate course from the second course list below.
Completion of an approved two course sequence of a foreign language.

Students should discuss specific foreign language course options with their academic advisor.

Calculus

Taking one course from the following list fulfills this requirement:
Note: Only one of these courses may apply to the 120 total credits required for graduation.

MATH 0120 - BUSINESS CALCULUS
MATH 0220 - ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS 1
or both
MATH 0125 - CALCULUS FOR BUSINESS 1 and
MATH 0126 - CALCULUS FOR BUSINESS 2

Statistics

STAT 1100 - STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY FOR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT fulfills this requirement.

Economics

Both of the following courses must be taken to fulfill this requirement:

ECON 0100 - INTRODUCTION TO MICROECONOMIC THEORY
ECON 0110 - INTRODUCTION TO MACROECONOMIC THEORY

Arts and Sciences General Education Electives

In addition to fulfilling the basic skills requirements, students further supplement their business curriculum by taking courses from six general education categories including:

Literature (one course)
Music/art (one course)
Philosophy (one course)
Social sciences (two courses, each from a different discipline)
Natural sciences (two courses)
Foreign culture (two courses or participation in an approved study abroad program)

Note: All students, including international students and U.S. citizens who have lived abroad for any length of time, must complete the foreign culture requirement.

Contact the school for a complete listing of approved courses that meet these elective requirements.

Business Core Curriculum

The Business Core Curriculum:

The following courses (36 credits) are required of all CBA students:

BUSSPP 0020 - MANAGING COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS
BUSACC 0030 - FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
BUSACC 0040 - MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING
BUSQOM 0050 - DECISION ANALYTICS
BUSENV 0060 - MANAGERIAL ETHICS AND STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
BUSORG 1020 - ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
BUSORG 1101 - FUNDAMENTALS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICTION (prerequisite 30 credits)
BUSFIN 1030 - INTRODUCTION TO FINANCE (prerequisite 30 credits)
BUSMKT 1040 - INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING (prerequisite 30 credits)
BUSECN 1010 - MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS (prerequisite 30 credits)
BUSQOM 1070 - OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
BUSSPP 1080 - STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Other Business Requirements

CBA students must also satisfy one of the following requirements:

BUS 0010 - YOUR ACADEMIC AND CAREER SUCCESS This one-credit course is required of all first-time CBA freshmen. In the course, new BSBA students will explore the majors offered in CBA, investigate global opportunities, develop networking and professional skills, create a resume, and learn how to connect with CBA’s Career Services team regarding events, internship opportunities, and career development.

BUS 0020 - YOUR CAREER SUCCESS This one-credit course is required of all new CBA transfer students. In the course, students will participate in career exploration, develop and implement a personal strategy for career goal setting and planning, learn and practice communication and other professional skills, and become familiar with the internship and job search processes.

Design Specialization Concentration

In the Design Specialization ARCO, students gain design thinking skills that help integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technologies, and the requirements for business success. Students will tackle real-world business issues and learn to create solutions that are functional, emotionally meaningful, and economically viable.

Required Course

Students earning the Design Specialization ARCO will have to complete the following required course:

BUSBIS 1655 - DESIGN THINKING

Course Options

In addition to the required course, students must complete one of the courses from the following list:

BUSBIS 1625 - ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
BUSBIS 1640 - IT ARCHITECTURE & PLATFORMS
BUSBIS 1660 - DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
BUSBIS 1665 - IMPROVING THE USER EXPERIENCE

Total Credits: 6

Enterprise Systems Specialization Concentration

Enterprise systems are the backbone of vital business processes of firms, including enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, and customer relationship management functions. In this track students will learn about the important business processes, their interconnections, and the ways systems can be configured and used to facilitate those business processes.

Required Course

Students earning the Enterprise Systems Specialization ARCO will have to complete the following required course:

BUSBIS 1635 - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS IN SUPPLY CHAINS

Course Options

In addition to the required course, students must complete one of the courses from the following list:

BUSBIS 1625 - ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
BUSBIS 1640 - IT ARCHITECTURE & PLATFORMS
BUSBIS 1655 - DESIGN THINKING
BUSBIS 1670 - DATA WAREHOUSING

Total Credits: 6

IS Consulting Specialization Concentration

IS Consulting is the practice of working with organizations to improve their performance. This ARCO prepares a student to be a consultant who has mastered the hard and soft skills needed to work with a client and engage over an IS Implementation.

Required Course

Students earning the IS Consulting Specialization ARCO will have to the complete the following required course:

BUSBIS 1650 - IS CONSULTANCY PRACTICES SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT

Course Options

In addition to the required course, students must complete one of the courses from the following list:

BUSBIS 1645 - INFORMATION SYSTEMS ETHICS
BUSBIS 1660 - DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
BUSBIS 1665 - IMPROVING THE USER EXPERIENCE
BUSBIS 1670 - DATA WAREHOUSING

Total Credits: 6

Project Management Specialization Concentration

The Project Management ARCO prepares a student to master the skills for handling IS Projects. A project is a time bound endeavor with a specific goal. Almost all initiatives in the industry are managed through projects which needs a thorough understanding of Project Management skills to succeed. This track prepares a student to master the skills needed to be a successful Project Manager.

Required Course

Students earning the Project Management Specialization ARCO will have to complete the following required course:

BUSBIS 1645 - INFORMATION SYSTEMS ETHICS

Course Options

In addition to the required course, students must complete one of the courses from the following list:

BUSBIS 1640 - IT ARCHITECTURE & PLATFORMS
BUSBIS 1650 - IS CONSULTANCY PRACTICES SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT
BUSBIS 1655 - DESIGN THINKING
BUSBIS 1665 - IMPROVING THE USER EXPERIENCE

Total Credits: 6

Requirements

The major in accounting is designed to provide students with the general, business, and accounting knowledge necessary for them to succeed as professional accountants. As accounting is a dynamic field, all accounting majors will learn how to keep their knowledge up to date so they can continue to grow throughout their professional careers. Accounting majors will acquire the communication, computer, and interpersonal skills necessary to successfully resolve complex problems in unstructured settings. Accounting majors benefit from participation in extracurricular activities and organizations such as the University of Pittsburgh Accounting Association and Beta Alpha Psi, the national accounting honorary society.

All accounting majors must complete the two (2) BSBA core courses in accounting, two (2) Intermediate Financial Reporting Courses, and choose four (4) other accounting major courses from the list below for a total of eight (8) Accounting classes for 24 credits (6 credits of BSBA core and 18 credits of Accounting Major courses). All courses are three credits unless noted otherwise.

BSBA Core Courses in Accounting (6 Credits)

Students must complete these courses with a C or better in each course to be eligible to take additional accounting courses:

BUSACC 0030 - FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
BUSACC 0040 - MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING

Required Accounting Courses for all Accounting Majors (6 Credits)

Courses are offered on a rotating basis.

BUSACC 1204 - INTERMEDIATE FINANCIAL REPORTING 1
BUSACC 1205 - INTERMEDIATE FINANCIAL REPORTING 2

Choose 4 Accounting Courses from this List (12 Credits)

Courses are offered on a rotating basis.

BUSACC 1216 - ADVANCED FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
BUSACC 1221 - STRATEGIC COST MANAGEMENT
BUSACC 1236 - ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS
BUSACC 1238 - AUDITING
BUSACC 1242 - TAXES AND DECISION MAKING
BUSACC 1210 - FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS

Additional Accounting Electives

BUSACC 1296 - ACCOUNTING INTERNSHIP (requires CBA approval)
BUSACC 1298 - ACCOUNTING INDEPENDENT STUDY (requires CBA approval)

BSBA Program Learning Goals

Graduates of the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Business Administration should achieve the following learning outcomes in the four broad components of the BSBA program (major, electives, core and foundations):

Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and skills in at least one academic/career focus through completion of majors, certificates, minors and electives.

Demonstrate what every BSBA graduate is expected to know about business and management at graduation. This literacy is developed in courses taught in CBA and in particular courses required of all students and offered by the School of Arts and Sciences.

Demonstrate competency in the fundamentals of analyzing problems and making decisions with standard business data and data sources using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Demonstrate competency in interpersonal skills, including concise and persuasive written and presentation communication.

Demonstrate competency in applying acquired knowledge and skills in real-world situations.

Acquire a basic knowledge of at least one nation, region or culture in areas such as language, history, political systems, literature and artistic expression.

Acquire an exposure to the knowledge and methodologies used to explore natural, individual, social and cultural phenomena.

Students preparing for the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Exam will need to complete 150 total credit hours. These credits may be completed through the BSBA program and/or through the MS in Accounting program. Particular CPA Exam requirements vary by state. Academic Advisors and members of the Accounting faculty provide guidance to students preparing for the CPA exam, but students are responsible for confirming with the appropriate state board of accountancy that all educational and experiential requirements are met.