Accounting and Financial Management


The Accounting and Financial Management program at Hiram College develops the student’s ability to evaluate, analyze, and critique business strategies and transactions based on a complex body of accounting, tax, auditing and cost management principles. The Accounting and Financial Management program further enables students to recognize the financial and economic impact of such business strategies, use and develop financial models to assist in the analysis of business strategies, and effectively communicate the results of such analysis.

For students who are not planning on careers in public accounting, Hiram College’s bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Financial Management prepares them for a variety of careers in business, industry, finance, nonprofit organizations, or government.

Students interested in pursuing a career in public accounting may consider the following options:

  1. Additional undergraduate hours: Students may take extra courses at the undergraduate level to obtain the required 150 semesters hours of college credit to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination.
  2. Graduate School: Students may take the additional hours in a graduate school program of their choice. Hiram College has an agreement with Case Western Reserve University that enables students to apply and be accepted at the end of their junior year to Case’s Master of Accountancy program, a program that begins after the student’s graduation from Hiram College, either on a full or part-time basis.

Major Requirements


To satisfy the requirements for an accounting and financial management major, a student must complete all of the required accounting/management courses and a capstone project, the mathematics requirement (statistics and one other upper level mathematics course), and at least 13 semester hours of advanced accounting and management coursework. Transfer students will be required to complete at least 30 hours of the major (including at least 10 hours of the accounting and financial management advanced courses) through coursework at Hiram College.

Required Courses (28 semester hours)
  • Principles of Microeconomics
  • Principles of Macroeconomics
  • Financial Accounting I & II
  • Intermediate Accounting I
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Corporate Finance
  • Capstone

Mathematics Requirements
  • Statistics and one of the following:
  • Methods in Decision Making, or
  • Mathematical Modeling in the Liberal Arts, or
  • Pre-Calculus

Advanced Courses
  • Accounting Information Systems
  • Federal Taxation Accounting
  • Cost Accounting
  • Auditing
  • Financial Statement Analysis and Securities Valuation
  • Intermediate Accounting
  • Advanced Accounting
  • Business Law

CPA Exam Requirements


The State of Ohio and most other states require students sitting for the CPA Exam to have 150 semester hours of college credit, including:

24 semester hours of accounting courses in the following subject areas


*Auditing

ACCT 319 Auditing – 3 hours

*Financial Accounting

ACCT 351 Intermediate Accounting – 4 hours
ACCT 330 Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation – 4 hours
ACCT 441 Advanced Accounting – 3 hours

*Information Systems

ACCT 280 Accounting Information Systems – 3 hours

*Management Accounting

ACCT 325 Cost Management – 4 hours

*Professional Ethics and Responsibilities

ACCT 319 Auditing – 3 hours

*Taxation

ACCT 309 Federal Taxation – 4 hours

24 semester hours of business related courses with coverage in each of the following subject areas


Business Ethics; Business Organization; Communication Skills; Economics; Group and Individual Behavior; Finance; Legal and Social Environment of Business; Marketing; and Quantitative Application.  Several of the courses offered as part of the Accounting and Financial Management major will satisfy some of these areas.  Please consult with an advisor in the Economic, Business Management and Accounting Department to plan an appropriate course of study.

Additional Information