Professional Program in Accounting (PPA)
FCB Office of Academic Services (928)523-5232
Overview
Accounting is recognized as one of the world’s
leading professions, offering many opportunities for
a rewarding career. The goals of our program are to
prepare our graduates for their first position in
the field of accounting and to promote and enhance
employment opportunities for our graduates. Our
program offers students the flexibility to
personalize their studies, while providing the
technical, analytical and other skills desired by
today’s employers.
With our new Professional Program in Accounting (PPA),
NAU is meeting the growing market demand for
accounting graduates and CPA candidates with a
comprehensive, quality accounting program that is
also cost-efficient. NAU's PPA is a 5-year (150-hour)
program that includes both the B.S. Accountancy and
MBA-ACC degrees.
PPA Format
B.S. Accountancy: The B.S. Accountancy degree provides a foundation to prepare students for a variety of accounting careers in industry, government, and public accounting. A traditional four-year program, students complete 120 credits, including a 39-credit Business Core, and a 24-credit upper-division Accounting Core.
MBA-ACC:
The MBA-ACC degree enables students to complete Arizona’s 150-hour CPA education requirements, while enhancing the technical accounting skills and broad graduate-level business background necessary for successful careers in accounting and business. Offered over a 10-month period, students complete 20 credits of team-based, integrated MBA core classes and select four electives (12 credits) of graduate accounting courses.
Few fields offer a greater variety of opportunities than accounting. Many accounting
graduates obtain the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate and enjoy successful
careers as auditors or tax specialists. Other graduates become Certified Management
Accountants (CMAs) and work in industry as controllers, treasurers, or consultants.
Some graduates enter government service with federal or state agencies such as the IRS,
the Government Accounting Office, or the State Auditor General's office.
As the demand for accountants has increased, so have the rewards.
Last year's starting
salaries for NAU accounting graduates averaged $48,000.
Why Study Accounting at NAU?
The accounting program at NAU is housed in The W. A. Franke College of Business
building located on the spacious, forested south campus. Classrooms, study areas,
computer facilities, faculty offices, and a student lounge offer a complete learning
environment. In addition, the University library contains over 1.6 million items,
including substantial holdings in accounting and related fields.
The W. A. Franke College of Business and the Accounting Faculty embody NAUs
emphasis on teaching. Class sizes are small in all but a few introductory courses,
and almost all classes are taught by full-time faculty members. The average class
size for accounting major courses is twenty to thirty-five students, so it is easy
to know and talk with your professors. Faculty can offer individual student research
or independent study courses to upper-division students. Our faculty provide individual
advisement to students as well as opportunities to explore areas of individual interest
that are not addressed in the structure of the regular classroom.
Read our Accounting Newsletter
(Summer 2008)