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Choosing Accounting
Ten Reason to Major in Accounting at Bradley
1. 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, and Clifton Gunderson
- Regional and Local Public Accounting Firms such as Heinold-Banwart, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, and Porte Brown
- Fortune Corporations such as Caterpillar, Archer Daniels Midland, and State Farm
- Consulting Firms such as Accenture and Hewitt
2. Less that 170 institutions in the world have Bradley's combination of business and accounting accreditation. Bradley is the only private downstate Illinois university that has an undergraduate accounting program with AACSB Accreditation. Our accreditation is the same as large state universities, such as the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, University of Iowa, or University of Wisconsin - Madison. AACSB accreditation means that you have access to the highest quality classes, teachers, and students in the world.
3. Earn two degrees in 5 years. Our integrated 3:2 Master of Science in 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 to sit for the CPA exam. The students' financial aid remains in effect for the duration of the 3:2 program. Students do not have to decide about entering the 3:2 program until their junior year. The accounting advisors can help determine if the 3:2 program or another academic path is best suited for the students' career goals.
4. Graduates rank high on CPA pass rate. The Department of Accounting supports the Becker CPA Review for students preparing to take the CPA exam. This course is held in a Bradley classroom using a multimedia presentation format. Bradley's students are very successful with the CPA exam. The following compares Bradley's CPA exam pass rates to National CPA exam pass rates:
| CPA Exam Parts | Bradley Pass Rates | National Pass Rates |
|---|---|---|
| AUD | 60.00% |
47.57% |
| BEC | 63.79% |
46.57% |
| FAR | 67.35% |
48.15% |
| REG | 61.90% |
47.03% |
5. Less than 25 schools in the world are members of the Internal Audit Education Partnership Program at the Partner or Center level. Bradley provides an opportunity to prepare for other certifications besides the CPA exam. Our Internal Audit Education Partnership program prepares students for the CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) exam. Also, many students have successfully completed the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) exam.
6. Nearly all classes are taught by full-time faculty. All accounting classes are taught by faculty, not graduate assistants. Only one or two sections are taught each semester by part-time faculty (who hold graduate degrees and certifications.) Class sizes are small, 15 to 40 students. This gives you the opportunity to know your teachers and classmates.
7. Our faculty are specialists. They focus their teaching and research 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 certifications.
8. Accounting faculty advise accounting majors. Upon entrance to Bradley University, each student is assigned an advisor who is a full-time member of the accounting faculty. Each semester, professors meet with students to provide help and advice. Professors are also available throughout the semester for additional meetings.
9. You can declare an accounting major at any time. You can declare an accounting major as early as the time when you are admitted to Bradley University. Many other universities require their students to wait until their junior year to declare a major. Students will take several business classes during their freshmen and sophomore years. The process to change majors is also fairly simple.
10. Our student organizations provide a pipeline to accounting professionals. The Department of Accounting sponsors two student organizations: the Bradley Accounting Club and Beta Alpha Psi. During the past year, these organizations sponsored over 20 on-campus meetings with accounting professionals as well as community service projects. Both organizations are student run, providing excellent opportunities for developing and enhancing leadership skills. In August, 2009, our Beta Alpha Psi chapter was one of only 14 chapters in the world to earn BAP's Gold Chapter Award.
