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Accounting Major

Learn more about the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting

Major: Accounting

Degree awarded: Bachelor of Arts

Total credit hours: 124

Internship/Practicum opportunities: Visit the Career Development Center for internship information.

About the Accounting Major

Thiel College’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Accounting degree prepares you to work in the finance and auditing field immediately upon graduation or enter graduate school. Through the Accounting major, you can put your love of numbers and your strong sense of order to work keeping track of where money flows in a business and in the greater economy.

Accounting Major Objectives

At Thiel College, the bachelor’s degree courses in accounting prepare students to:

1. Learn generally accepted accounting principles and be able to prepare financial statements.
2. Understand the importance of independent audits and generally accepted auditing standards.
3. Possess a basic understanding of the Internal Revenue Code and the impact of taxes on business.
4. Network with distinguished business alumni and be inducted into Chi Eta Signa as a junior or senior.
5. Meet the qualifications to receive an award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Accounting Curriculum

Thiel’s accounting major develops a solid foundation for public, governmental and corporate accounting. Our courses explore financial accounting in detail and build deep knowledge in economics, data analysis, business law, taxation and auditing. Review the Academic Catalog (2023-2024) for accounting course listings in detail.

Our Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting provides students with career-ready coursework and hands-on learning experiences throughout their time at Thiel, including unique opportunities to explore entrepreneurship as a career goal. Accounting students typically complete at least one internship and have multiple networking opportunities with business alumni before graduation.

Scholarship Opportunities

Thiel College offers scholarships to students for reasons such as academic success, community service or involvement, exemplary leadership and more. 

The scholarships available to accounting majors are:

• The August and Susan Bamford Scholarship
• Dr. Morrison H. Beach Scholarship
• The Roger ’52 and Paula G. Blatter Scholarship
• The John T. Egbert Jr. and Phyllis Faries Egbert Scholarship
• Daniel A. Hamo Scholarship
• Michael Andrew Holland ’75 Memorial Scholarship
• Huether Foundation Endowment for Business
• The David ’71 and Deborah ’75 Mogle Endowed Scholarship
• Helen Patterson Hill Memorial Scholarship
• Lend-A-Hand Scholarship
• The Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. May Scholarship Fund
• The Robert J. Mckinley Memorial Scholarship
• The Wise Family Endowed Scholarship Fund

Learn more about the types of financial aid available to Thiel students.

Haller Enterprise Institute

Accounting students also have the unique opportunity to earn scholarships from Thiel’s Haller Enterprise Institute, which cultivates an intensive, high-quality education for a select cohort of students with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Clubs and Organizations

It's easy to get involved on campus at Thiel; joining a student club or organization is an excellent way to meet fellow students and gain leadership experience.

An accounting major might be interested in the following student organizations:

• Accounting Club
• Greenville Jr. Chamber of Commerce
• Chi Eta Sigma (National Commerce Honorary Society)

Explore a full list of Thiel student clubs and organizations.

Alumni and Careers

Majoring in accounting provides graduates with career options across the business field. As an accountant, you can make any enterprise—even your own—run better and make more money. Most organizations or businesses need an accountant to function well, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting also sets you up with many of the crucial bookkeeping skills for entrepreneurial endeavors.

Thiel College accounting majors have gone on to be general accountants, account executives, account representatives, auditors and much more.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for accountants and auditors is $77,300. Here are a few job additional career opportunities in the accounting field to consider upon graduation:

• Certified Public Accountant – earn a median salary of $63, 214 by handling the accounting, tax, reporting and/or audit processes for governments, corporations or individual clients*
• Corporate Accountant – earn a median salary of $54,215 by ensuring that businesses stay within their own financial policies*
• Comptroller/Financial Controller- earn a median salary of $65,238 overseeing a company’s accounting policies and procedures*
• Budget Analyst – earn a median salary of $71,590 helping public and private institutions keep their finances on track*
• Chief Financial Officer —earn a mean salary of $127,648 by providing leadership and focus to a business’ accounting and financial departments*

*Job and salary information from www.payscale.com

Learn More About Thiel’s Accounting Major

At Thiel College, our Bachelor of Arts in Accounting degree program harnesses the power of our comprehensive curriculum and hands-on learning opportunities to provide students with a transformative education. The Accounting major’s courses build the deep technical knowledge and skills needed to excel in a variety of financial roles in public, private and government organizations.

Request information to learn more about majoring in accounting at Thiel.