Accounting Principles Concentration

Accounting Principles Concentration

Define Your Path

The Suffolk MBA Online is for proactive professionals who want to become more effective leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. From our core curriculum to the concentrations that deepen your understanding of a specific area of business, the program focuses on cultivating advanced business competencies through experiential learning.

During the Accounting Principles concentration you will:
  • Develop practical knowledge of key accounting concepts and lay the groundwork for CPA or CMA exam preparation*.
  • Become proficient with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
  • Examine the preparation and use of financial statements, regulatory and reporting requirements, and compliance issues.
  • Build a keen understanding of budgeting processes, performance evaluation, and assessment of operational expenses, and feel ready to prepare financial records for your organization.
  • Prepare to lead successful careers in a variety of organizations including governmental or for-profit/not-for-profit controllership.

*While this program lays a foundation for the CPA and CMA exams, it will not give you all of the educational requirements needed to sit for the exams. Visit NASBA.org for more information on requirements for the CPA exam and IMANET.org for more information on requirements for the CMA exam.

Potential Careers in Accounting

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook in the field of accounting is strong. In fact, employment of accountants and auditors is projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026. That growth rate is faster than the average for all occupations. Some potential careers in this field include:

  • Management Accountant (for-profit or not-for-profit)—Management accountants focus on the capital budgeting and business analysis areas of accounting. They analyze contracts and expenses for businesses and organizations. Working closely with marketing managers and financial managers, they help make major business decisions.
  • Budget Analyst—Budget analysts make financial plans for businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits. Strong negotiating skills are a must.
  • Governmental Accountants—Governmental accountants are employed at all levels of government–federal, state, and local. Governmental accountants audit businesses and individuals that are government-regulated and taxed. On the state and local level, they manage the use of local budgets and oversee compliance and audits.

Accounting Principles Curriculum

To the right are a few sample courses from the Accounting Principles concentration. Please download a brochure for a complete curriculum listing:

Download My Guide

 
Graduate Financial Accounting I

This introductory-level accounting course provides students with a solid base in accounting fundamentals, including U.S. GAAP, the conceptual framework, nature of accounts, journal entries, and ultimately, financial statements. Provides in-depth coverage of the process by which accountants analyze, journalize, post, and summarize transactions. Reviews and analyzes multiple examples of current financial statement presentations.

Cost and Managerial Accounting

Examines the concepts and practices of cost measurement: variable costing, cost-volume-profit analysis, setting goals and monitoring performance, standard costing and variance analysis. Students learn how to work with multiple products; standard mix and mix variances; joint and by-product costing; measurement and control of overhead costs; and constructing operating, working capital and capital budgets.

Federal Taxation I

Focuses on the federal income taxation of individuals with some discussion of business taxation. Explores the basic structure of individual income taxation, including the individual tax formula, income, deductions and credits, and provides an introduction to property transactions. Emphasizes how tax laws affect everyday personal and business decisions.