Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance (People and Society)

The Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance (BSAF) degree is designed for students who arrive at the business school with a clear interest in careers in the financial services industry or in corporate financial management. The content of the degree is equivalent to a BBA with a double major in Finance and Accounting and a minor in Business Analytics.  Because of its emphasis on the development of quantitative skills in data analytics, the degree is intended for quantitatively-oriented students. In order to prepare students for industry internships during their junior year, the BSAF degree is designed to facilitate accelerated coursework in Finance, Accounting, and data analytics during the freshman and sophomore years.

The minimum standards for the BSAF degree are comparatively higher than those of the BBA degree. Students must maintain a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to remain eligible for the BSAF degree, calculated at the end of each semester or term, including the first. The University Repeat Rule may be utilized by BSAF students to replace a D or F only if the cumulative GPA meets the requisite 3.0 GPA without the repeat. Given the accelerated pace of the BSAF core, repeated courses are not to be used to retroactively reinstate a student into the program.

Every course completed in satisfaction of the BSAF degree (with the possible exception of some electives) must be taken for a grade. A minimum grade of “C-“ or higher must be earned for all BSAF Business Core Requirements, except for ACC 223 and FIN 302 for which a grade of “B” or higher is required.  (A grade of "B-" is not sufficient.) To graduate with the BSAF degree, students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all Accounting courses and in all Finance courses. Students who do not meet program requirements at any point in the degree's completion will be converted to the BBA or BSBA program, as appropriate.

A minimum of 125 credit hours is needed to graduate with the BSAF degree.

Curriculum Requirements

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance must complete the University General Education Requirements, the BSAF Business Core Requirements, and the specific coursework as follows:

BSAF Business Core Requirements 1
Foundational Courses
ACC 223Principles of Financial and Managerial Accounting (minimum grade of B required) 24
BSL 212Introduction to Business Law and Ethics3
BUS 150Business Analytics3
BUS 211Professional Development for Finance and Accounting1
BUS 300Critical Thinking and Persuasion for Business 33
ECO 213Principles of Economics 24
FIN 302Fundamentals of Finance (minimum grade of B required)3
FIN 433Case Studies for Financial Professionals1
MAS 201Introduction to Business Statistics (minimum grade of C- required)3
MAS 202Intermediate Business Statistics3
MGT 304Organizational Behavior3
MKT 201Foundations of Marketing3
or MKT 301 Marketing Foundations
MTH 161Calculus I (minimum grade of C- required; fulfills Quantitative Skills Requirement)4
BSAF Core Business Principles Choice Courses (select three courses) 49
The Law of Financial Transactions
Fundamentals of Business Technology and Innovation
Operations Management
Negotiation Strategies
Negotiation
Strategic Management
Leading Teams
Professional Selling
Accounting Courses
ACC 301Cost Accounting3
ACC 311Intermediate Accounting I3
ACC 312Intermediate Accounting II3
ACC 402Auditing3
ACC 403Fundamentals of Taxation3
ACC 406Accounting Systems3
Finance Required Courses
FIN 303Intermediate Financial Management3
FIN 320Investment and Security Markets3
Finance Choice Courses 12
Select two approved courses (6 credit hours) at the 300-500 level from the Finance departmental offerings. 5
Select two approved courses (6 credit hours) at the 400-500 level from the Finance departmental offerings.
Additional Required Courses
BTE 320Python Programming: Fundamentals and Algorithms3
MAS 332Data Acquisition, Preparation and Visualization3
MAS 342Introduction to Optimization and Decision Making3
or MAS 548 Machine Learning for Analytics
MAS 432Data Analysis3
UMX 100The University of Miami Experience0
Electives 4, 715
General Education Requirements
Written Communication Skills:
WRS 105First-Year Writing I 63
WRS 106First-Year Writing II 3, 63
or ENG 106 Writing About Literature and Culture
Quantitative Skills:
Calculus I (fulfilled through the BSAF business core)
Areas of Knowledge:
Arts and Humanities Cognate9
People & Society Cognate (fulfilled through the major)
STEM Cognate (fulfilled through the Additional Required Courses)
Total Credit Hours125
1

Students must maintain a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 to remain in the BSAF. Every course completed in satisfaction of the BSAF Business Core must be taken for a grade and a grade of “C-“or higher earned (except as noted for ACC 223 and FIN 302 for which a grade of “B” or higher is required). Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in Finance courses and in Accounting courses. A minimum of 125 credit hours is needed to graduate with the BSAF degree. All courses must be taken within the current pre-requisite structure.

2

Students who wish to change from the BSAF to the BBA or BSBA after completing ACC 223 will receive credit for ACC 211 and must complete ACC 212 to satisfy the BBA or BSBA business core requirements. Students who wish to change from the BSAF to the BBA or BSBA after completing ECO 213 will receive credit for ECO 211 and must complete ECO 212 to satisfy the BBA or BSBA business core requirements. Conversely, BSAF students who have completed both ECO 211 and ECO 212 do not need to complete ECO 213, and BSAF students who have completed both ACC 211 and ACC 212 do not need to complete ACC 223.

3

Students who do not earn at least a C- in WRS 106 or ENG 106 must either repeat WRS 106 or ENG 106 and earn at least a C- or complete WRS 230 with at least a C- before enrolling in BUS 300.

4

Students who intend to sit for the CPA exam should take BSL 401 as one of their electives if they have not selected it as one of their BSAF Business Principles Choice Courses.

5

Excluding FIN 300, FIN 308, and FIN 336.

6

WRS 105 and WRS 106 or ENG 106or their equivalents, must be completed prior to attaining junior year classification, per the University General Education Requirements. 

7

At least one course with an international focus must be completed within the degree requirements. The Vice Dean for Undergraduate Business Education determines the appropriateness of the course.

Sample Plan of Study 

This Sample Plan of Study represents one possible version of a new freshman Business student’s 8-semester plan.  The individual student's plan may vary depending upon the initial placement into English Composition and mathematics. Moreover, other plan variations are possible if a student enters the University with advanced college credits, wishes to participate in study abroad, participates in the Foote Fellow program, or selects additional cognates or minors.  

Note that each major/minor at the University of Miami satisfies a particular "Area of Knowledge" within the general education requirements of the University and therefore a separate cognate in these areas would not be required. Business School students are required to satisfy the Arts and Humanities Area of Knowledge by completing a cognate, minor, or major through another School or College at the University.

Students construct their individualized plans in collaboration with their assigned academic advisor.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman Year
FallCredit Hours
ECO 213 Principles of Economics 4
MAS 201 Introduction to Business Statistics 3
MKT 201 Foundations of Marketing 3
MTH 161 Calculus I 4
WRS 105 First-Year Writing I 3
UMX 100 The University of Miami Experience 0
 Credit Hours17
Spring
ACC 223 Principles of Financial and Managerial Accounting 4
BUS 150 Business Analytics 3
FIN 302 Fundamentals of Finance (minimum B grade) 3
MAS 202 Intermediate Business Statistics 3
WRS 106 or ENG 106 First-Year Writing II
or Writing About Literature and Culture
3
 Credit Hours16
Sophomore Year
Fall
ACC 311 Intermediate Accounting I 3
BTE 320 Python Programming: Fundamentals and Algorithms 3
BUS 211 Professional Development for Finance and Accounting 1
FIN 320 Investment and Security Markets 3
MAS 332 Data Acquisition, Preparation and Visualization 3
Arts and Humanities Cognate Course 3
 Credit Hours16
Spring
ACC 312 Intermediate Accounting II 3
BSL 212 Introduction to Business Law and Ethics 3
FIN 303 Intermediate Financial Management 3
MAS 432 Data Analysis 3
Arts and Humanities Cognate Course 3
 Credit Hours15
Junior Year
Fall
ACC 403 Fundamentals of Taxation 3
BUS 300 Critical Thinking and Persuasion for Business 3
MGT 304 Organizational Behavior 3
Finance Choice Course 3
Arts and Humanities Cognate Course 3
 Credit Hours15
Spring
ACC 301 Cost Accounting 3
ACC 402 Auditing 3
FIN 433 Case Studies for Financial Professionals 1
MAS Course (or elective) 3
Business Principles Choice 1 3
Finance Choice Course 3
 Credit Hours16
Senior Year
Fall
Business Principles Choice 3
Finance Choice Course 3
Elective (or MAS course) 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
 Credit Hours15
Spring
ACC 406 Accounting Systems 3
Business Principles Choice 3
Finance Choice Course 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
 Credit Hours15
 Total Credit Hours125
1

Students who intend to sit for the CPA exam should take BSL 401 as one of their Business Principles Choice Courses or as one of their electives.

Mission

The mission of the Miami Herbert Business School (MHBS) is to develop innovative ideas and principled leaders that transform global business and society. Consistent with that mission, the proposed Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance (BSAF) is designed for quantitatively strong students arriving at the MHBS with a clear interest in careers in the financial services industry or in corporate financial management. This program addresses the growing demand from recruiters for students with a strong background in finance, accounting, and data analytics. By allowing students to focus on finance, accounting, and data analytics early, this program provides students with the background necessary to secure valuable internships and excel in them, leading to a broader set of career opportunities.

Goals

First destinations of graduating seniors (i.e., job placement or graduate school) and student satisfaction rates will be used as program performance metrics. The first program goal is to have at least 90% of students with a secure first destination by six months after graduation. The second goal is for the mean of BSAF graduates’ responses to reflect at least 90% of students reporting satisfaction level of “Generally Satisfied” or above.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • BSAF graduates will be critical thinkers, able to select and apply appropriate models, tools, and techniques, and frameworks to enable them to render analytically sound business decisions.
  • BSAF graduates will be able to identify, analyze and resolve ethical issues in business scenarios.
  • BSAF graduates will demonstrate professional written communication skills.
  • BSAF graduates will have strong technical skills.