Why Choose Accounting?

There are many reasons to study Accounting at Bradley University.

Career flexibility most majors dream about.

  • Every organization needs accountants: large, small, public, private. Some of the organizations who employ our students as either interns or full-time employees are:
    • Big Four and National Public Accounting Firms such as Deloitte & Touche, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, McGladrey and Pullen, and Clifton Gunderson. 
    • Regional and Local Public Accounting Firms such as Heinold-Banwart, Baker Tilly, and Porte Brown. 
    • Fortune Corporations such as Caterpillar, Archer Daniels Midland, State Farm, and John Deere.
  • Since accounting is the language of business, it provides valuable skills for any career path, from attorney to banker to FBI agent. You can even open your own business!

 Only 175 institutions in the world have Bradley's combination of accounting and business accreditations.

  • Bradley is the only private Illinois university outside the Chicago area that has AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) Accounting Program Accreditation.
  • Our accreditation is the same as large state universities, such as the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, the University of Iowa, and the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
  • AACSB accreditation ensures you access to the highest quality classes, teachers, and students in the world.  

Outstanding job placement rates.

  • 100% of our 3:2 accounting program graduates and 91% of our undergraduates were placed within six months of graduation in 2009. Many had jobs before graduation as a result of their internships.
  • Historically, the demand for quality accounting majors remains strong during both good and bad economies.

CPA logoEarn two degrees in 5 years.

  • Our integrated 3:2 accounting program is designed for students who want to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting in order to have the 150 credit hours needed for the CPA exam.
  • The student’s financial aid remains in effect for the duration of the 3:2 program. Students do not have to decide whether to enter the 3:2 program until their junior year. 

Our accounting faculty are specialists.

  • Bradley accounting faculty focus their teaching and research on one or two specific areas. This permits each professor to remain current and bring up-to-date knowledge to the classroom. 
  • All faculty have at least one accounting certification (CPA, CMA, CIA, CA, or CFE); several have two.
  • Class sizes are small--15 to 35 students. This gives you the opportunity to know your teachers and classmates.

A history of CPA exam success.

Bradley's students are very successful with the CPA exam, exceeding the national pass rates on all parts.

CPA Exam Parts

Bradley Pass Rates

National Pass Rates

AUD

68.63%

49.2%

REG

62.22%

47.5%

FAR

61.54%

48.7%

BEC

54.39%

49.1%

Our student organizations provide connections to accounting professionals.

  • The Department of Accounting sponsors two student organizations: the Bradley Accounting Club (BAC) and Beta Alpha Psi (BAP). Both organizations are student-run, providing excellent opportunities for developing and enhancing leadership skills. During the past year, these organizations sponsored over 20 on-campus meetings with accounting professionals as well as several community service projects.
  • BAC is an organization for students interested in accounting. Its purpose is to help members gain knowledge of specific accounting careers, obtain onsite experience through job shadowing and group visits to companies and foster good relations through social events and networking.
  • BAP is an honorary organization open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. The primary objective of Beta Alpha Psi is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in accounting. BAP won the Gold Chapter Award in 2009 & 2010—the only two years this award has been given. In March 2010, our students also won the Best Practices competition at the BAP Midwest Regional Meeting.

You can declare an accounting major at any time.

  • Students can declare an accounting major as incoming freshmen. Many other universities require their students to wait until their sophomore or junior year to declare a major.
  • Students take several business and accounting classes during their freshmen and sophomore years. If you decide to change majors, the process is very simple and quick.

Accounting faculty advise accounting majors.

  • Upon entrance to Bradley University, each accounting major is assigned a full-time member of the accounting faculty as an advisor.
  • Each semester, professors meet with students to provide help and advice. Professors are also available throughout the semester for additional meetings.

We are members of the Internal Audit Education Partnership Program.

  • IAEPInternal auditors help businesses identify potential problems and develop solutions for these concerns. Their work touches every aspect of an organization: accounting, purchasing, sales, risk management, security, and even fraud investigations. Because of these broad experiences, internal auditors quickly gain the knowledge needed to become upper level managers.
  • Students with an interest in corporate governance, risk management, or internal auditing may obtain an accounting degree with a concentration in internal auditing. Bradley University is a member of the Internal Audit Education Partnership Program which is sponsored by the Institute of Internal Auditors. The IIA is the largest internal auditing professional organization in the world. The IIA only admits schools to the IAEP Program after they have passed a rigorous review of their curriculum and demonstrate a commitment to internal auditing education.