The undergraduate certificate in accounting provides students the opportunity to develop additional expertise in accounting without having to pursue a double major. This 12-credit certificate is available to all undergraduate students enrolled in the Wisconsin School of Business, with the exception of those students majoring in accounting. This certificate allows for a lot of flexibility so that students can customize their coursework to best complement their current business major. Students who complete this certificate would be prime candidates to continue their study in the one-year MAcc program, which will expand potential career opportunities.
To declare this certificate, students must be admitted to UW–Madison and the School of Business (WSB). To find out more about the school's admissions process for undergraduate students, please see Entering the School. Contact the Wisconsin BBA Advising Center listed under the Advising and Careers tab for more information or to declare the certificate.
Students may not earn this certificate in conjunction with a BBA in Accounting.
A minimum 2.5 GPA must be earned on all course work applied to meet the requirements of the certificate program. At least 50% of the certificate credits must be earned in residence at UW-Madison as a degree-seeking undergraduate. Completion of this certificate satisfies one of the business breadth courses needed for the BBA.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT I S 301 | Financial Reporting I | 3 |
| ACCT I S Electives | 9 | |
These electives can include any courses numbered ACCT I S 302 through ACCT I S 699 | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Certificate Completion Requirement
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
- Understand the proper presentation, measurement, and reporting financial statement elements and transactions, and the use of financial statement information for analysis purposes.
- Understand that financial and nonfinancial information serves numerous purposes in an organization, especially in relation to facilitating and influencing decisions.
- Document, evaluate, and recommend improvements to basic accounting information systems used to control processes and communicate information to be used in financial reporting.
- Understand the objective of taxes applicable at the federal level, and apply a framework for integrating income tax planning into accounting and business transactions as a foundation for structuring tax efficient business transactions.
- Gain technical knowledge about how to perform a high-quality audit, and gain familiarity with how independence, objectivity, professional skepticism, and ethical behavior contribute to a high-quality.
Advising
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
Admitted business students will have one assigned academic advisor. Career coaches are assigned by academic major to be able to provide industry-specific career guidance. If a student has more than one major, they may have more than one assigned career coach. Students can find their assigned advisor and coach by logging into the Starfish portal through MyUW.
For students not yet admitted to the Wisconsin School of Business, there is a team of pre-business advisors available.
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.
Students may direct questions about the IMAcc program to Kristen Fuhremann (kristen.fuhremann@wisc.edu), director of the program, or their academic or career advisor.
Careers
The most common career paths in accounting include public and corporate accounting.
Public accountants work with clients to review or prepare financial documents. All areas of public accounting work together to inspect control processes and determine accuracy of financial information and compliance with laws, regulations, and generally accepted accounting principles. They make recommendations regarding business decisions and company finances. Public accounting includes audit/assurance and tax.
Corporate accountants manage an organization’s financials and provide expertise in financial reporting and control to assist management in forming and implementing business strategy. Corporate accounting is a broad term that can include many different functions, such as management accounting, internal audit, and financial analysis.
Accounting Faculty and Staff
For more information about the faculty and their research interests, please visit the directory.
Lindsay G. Acker, BBA, MAcc, CPA
Lecturer
lindsay.acker@wisc.edu
Willie Choi, BSBA, MAcc, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
David J. Lesar Professor in Business
willie.choi@wisc.edu
Russell Epp, B.A., MPA, CPA, CISA, CFE, CIA
Lecturer
russell.epp@wisc.edu
Ruyun (Ivy) Feng, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
ivy.feng@wisc.edu
Kristen Fuhremann, BBA, MAcc, CPA
Faculty Associate
kristen.fuhremann@wisc.edu
Fabio Gaertner, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Cynthia and Jay Ihlenfeld Professor for Inspired Learning in Business
fabio.gaertner@wisc.edu
Emily Griffith, BBA, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Robert and Monica Beyer Professor in Accounting
emily.griffith@wisc.edu
Matt Griffith, CPA, CFE, CISA
Lecturer
matt.griffith@wisc.edu
Minjeong (MJ) Kim, BBA, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
mkim747@wisc.edu
Stacie Laplante, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
James L. Henderson Professor
stacie.laplante@wisc.edu
Thomas Linsmeier, BBA, MBA, Ph.D.
Professor
Thomas G. Ragatz Accounting and Law Distinguished Chair
Department Chair of Accounting and Information Systems
thomas.linsmeier@wisc.edu
Dan Lynch, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Jay Price Professor in Accounting
daniel.lynch@wisc.edu
Brian Mayhew, BBA, Ph.D.
Professor
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Program, Wisconsin School of Business
Executive Director of the Arthur Andersen Center for Financial Reporting and Control
Arthur Andersen Alumni Professor
brian.mayhew@wisc.edu
Robert J. Misey Jr., BBA, MBA, J.D., LL.M.
Lecturer
rmisey@wisc.edu
Ann O'Brien, B.S., MBA, Ph.D.
Distinguished Senior Lecturer
ann.obrien@wisc.edu
Vallabh Sambamurthy, B.E., MBA, Ph.D.
Albert O. Nicholas Dean
vsambamurthy@wisc.edu
Tyler Thomas, B.A., MBA, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
tyler.thomas@wisc.edu
Dan Wangerin, BBA, MPA, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
David J. Lesar Professor in Business
daniel.wangerin@wisc.edu
Joanna Wangerin, BBA, MPA
Lecturer
joanna.wangerin@wisc.edu
Terry Warfield, B.S., MBA, Ph.D.
Professor
Senior Associate Dean, Wisconsin School of Business
PwC Professor in Accounting
terry.warfield@wisc.edu
John Wild, BBA, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor
john.wild@wisc.edu
Karla Zehms, BBA, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor
Associate Dean of Doctoral Programs and Research
EY Professor in Accounting
karla.zehms@wisc.edu