Business: Accounting, BBA

The accounting major provides a student with the foundation to excel as a certified public accountant, internal auditor, financial manager, controller, or consultant. Tools and techniques of planning, control, and decision analysis (including computer applications) are developed in broad areas such as financial and managerial accounting, taxation, consulting, cost analysis, computer auditing, and accounting systems.

Every significant transaction in today's world requires assessing employment of money and materials. Accountants suggest the best way to manage resources or monitor and report on an organization's financial well being. Career possibilities include corporate accountant, auditor, controller, consultant, tax advisor or systems expert.

Our Mission is to

• Serve our students, the accounting profession, academia, and other stakeholders through nationally recognized leadership in all aspects of scholarship, with an emphasis on discipline-based research.
• Provide meaningful learning experiences that engage the highest quality faculty and students who will be entering the accounting profession or the accounting academy and support the development of business professionals.
• Provide leadership and service to the academic community and policy-making bodies.

Related Student Organizations

Beta Alpha Psi
Institute of Management Accountants
Women in Finance and Accounting

1. Understand the conceptual and technical knowledge foundations of financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation, business law, and auditing.
2. Apply Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) (and relevant assumptions, principles, and constraints) to prepare financial statements.
3. Understand that management accounting and control systems, providing financial and non-financial performance information, are integral to the successful design and implementation of an organizational strategy.
4. Interpret and validate business events and transactions through the lens of business processes and systems.
5. Demonstrate technical competence in income taxation of individuals, partnerships, corporations, and international organizations.
6. Identify the legal implications of their choices and how the law impacts their interactions with others in a business setting.
7. Explain how to complete an audit from beginning to end, applying auditing standards, assessing risk, and gathering evidence.
8. Understand how earning trust and demonstrating integrity as successful accounting professionals impact business, contracts, and capital markets, as well as society at large.
9. Understand that leadership in the field of accounting is the consistent display and communication of respect, trust, expertise and adaptability within various business relationships and contexts.
10. Engage in effective written communication practices by crafting professional memos and reports that integrate research and analysis skills, technical information, and expert writing proficiency.
11. Understand how accounting is a global practice requiring knowledge of national and international standards, the examination of sociocultural impacts within business contexts, and the ability to leverage the advantages that diversity brings to an organization.

All undergraduate students at UW–Madison must complete the university-wide General Education Requirements, which are designed to convey the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. These requirements provide for breadth across the humanities and arts, social studies, and natural sciences; competence in communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills necessary for success in college and beyond; and investigation of the issues raised by living in a culturally diverse society. This core is intended to provide students with intellectual and practical skills, basic knowledge of human cultures and the physical world, strategies for understanding these topics, and tools intended to contribute to their sense of personal and social responsibility. General Education complements the work students do in their majors and degrees. Together, these requirements help students learn what they need to know not just for making a living, but also for making a life.

Completing the General Education Requirements is an important part of achieving these competencies, and to do so, students choose from many courses in communication, ethnic studies, quantitative reasoning, and breadth of study across disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities, literature, and arts, and social and behavioral sciences.

Completing the General Education Requirements is an important part of achieving these competencies, and to do so, students choose from many courses in communication, ethnic studies, quantitative reasoning, and breadth of study across disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities, literature, and arts, and social and behavioral sciences.

Each school and college may choose to allow General Education courses to count toward other degree and/or major requirements. Students should always check with their advisors to discuss any additional degree requirements and determine if students are required to take specific General Education courses or to complete the requirements in a particular order. Students should review their Degree Audit (DARS) report to see how they are progressing toward fulfilling the General Education requirements. Please refer to.

Advising is an integral part of any student’s educational journey in the Wisconsin School of Business Undergraduate Program. Starting at Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR), we encourage all students to connect with academic advisors. Business academic advisors have a wealth of knowledge about courses on campus, as well as policies and procedures.

Business career coaches help students with career exploration, internships, resumes, job search, interviewing and more. We encourage students to connect with their career coach once they arrive on campus.

Business academic advisors and career coaches are passionate about student success. Students experiencing academic difficulty or personal struggles are encouraged to talk to their advisor about how their individual situation may affect their academic performance.

Assigned Academic and Career Coaches

For admitted business students, academic advisors and career coaches are assigned by academic major. If you have more than one major, you may have more than one assigned advisor and coach. You can find your assigned advisor and coach by logging into your Starfish portal through MyUW. 

For students not yet admitted to the Wisconsin School of Business, we have a team of pre-business advisors available to you.

Accessing Advising

Drop-in advising and scheduled appointments are available for admitted business students. Pre-business students may also schedule an appointment with a pre-business academic advisor or utilize drop-in academic advising. 

For more information on accessing academic advising, please see our academic advising page.

For more information on accessing career coaching, please see our career coaching page.