Accountants are key to the financial health of a business. As a professional preforming audits or analyzing financial statements, the career path can lead you to employment with an accounting firm, internally in a large company, or self-employment with an individual practice. Accountants use eagle-eyed attention to detail and sweeping understanding of the big financial picture to help make better business decisions by interpreting, classifying, analyzing, reporting and summarizing data.
As an accounting student in the Hammack School of Business at Oglethorpe, you’ll learn how to…
- Understand the major principles underlying economic activity
- Gather, analyze, and interpret financial information
- Communicate effectively with numbers and data
And that’s not all: Oglethorpe’s emphasis on the liberal arts (conveyed through the Core) means every student learns to be a better writer and a better thinker, with a deeper understanding of the world around them.
With a rock-solid foundation in the liberal arts – and a robust portfolio of high-value skills – you’ll be prepared for a great career in accounting, whether your aspirations lie in the public, private, or not-for-profit sectors. You can pursue a related role in business, management, or financial services… or increase your earning power by heading back to the classroom for a master’s degree, an MBA, or a Ph.D.
Offered as:
B.S. in Accounting
B.B.A. in Accounting (Adult Degree Program)
Minor in Accounting
In Atlanta you’ll have plenty of ways to turn theory into practice.
- Intern at high-profile firms like BDO Atlanta, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, CohnReznick, CNN, Georgia Power (Southern Company), Lake Lanier Islands Resort, PNC Bank, SunTrust Bank, The Coca-Cola Company, Brooks McGinnis & Co., McGladrey, Mauldin & Jenkins, Bennett Thrasher, and more. Or get noticed at professional receptions and networking events held right here on campus.
- Connect knowledge + action (and connect with your classmates) with work-study in the Oglethorpe Finance Office.
- Oglethorpe students volunteer with the global nonprofit Operation HOPE. Through one key program, Banking on Our Future, Oglethorpe students can brush up on their knowledge of key financial concepts — then head to area schools to help teach local children about basic money skills.
- Oglethorpe accounting students are well prepared to study for a master’s in tax or auditing or an MBA, or to sit for qualifying examinations to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA).
- Thanks to the small classes and one-on-one attention from professors, Oglethorpe graduates leave with an extra-strong grasp on the materials – and pass the CPA exam at a higher rate than the national average.
- Our graduates have earned MBAs at Harvard Business School, and gone on to rewarding careers at Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PwC, CohnReznick, McGladrey, Mauldin & Jenkins, Bennett Thrasher, and SunTrust.
See degree requirements and course descriptions in the University Bulletin.