The Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance (STEM)
The Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance degree at Miami Business School is intended for quantitatively strong students arriving at the business school with a clear interest in careers in the financial services industry or in corporate financial management. This degree allows students to accelerate coursework in the Accounting and Finance disciplines simultaneously, as well as encourages the development of quantitative skills in data analytics.
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 Requirements must be taken for a grade and a grade of “C-“ or higher earned (except as noted for FIN 302 for which a grade of “B” or higher is required). Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in Accounting courses and in Finance courses. A minimum of 125 credit hours is needed to graduate with the BSAF degree.
Curriculum Requirements
In addition to satisfying the University General Education Requirements, students pursuing the BSAF in Accounting and Finance must complete the BSAF Business Core and the specific coursework as follows:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University General Education Requirements 1 , 2 | ||
| ENG 105 | English Composition I | 3 |
| ENG 106 | English Composition II 3 | 3 |
| UMX 100 | The University of Miami Experience | 0 |
| Arts and Humanities Cognate Courses | 9 | |
| People and Society Cognate Courses | 9 | |
| BSAF Business Core Requirements 4 | ||
| ACC 223 | Principles of Financial and Managerial Accounting 5 | 4 |
| ACC 301 | Cost Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 311 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
| ACC 312 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
| ACC 402 | Auditing | 3 |
| ACC 403 | Fundamentals of Taxation | 3 |
| ACC 404 | Advanced Taxation | 3 |
| ACC 406 | Accounting Systems | 3 |
| ACC 411 | Advanced Accounting | 3 |
| BSL 212 | Introduction to Business Law | 3 |
| BTE 320 | Introduction to Programming | 3 |
| BUS 150 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| BUS 211 | Professional Development for Finance and Accounting | 1 |
| BUS 300 | Critical Thinking and Persuasion for Business 3 | 3 |
| ECO 213 | Principles of Economics 5 | 4 |
| FIN 302 | Fundamentals of Finance (minimum grade of B required) | 3 |
| FIN 303 | Intermediate Financial Management | 3 |
| FIN 320 | Investment and Security Markets | 3 |
| FIN 433 | Case Studies for Financial Professionals | 1 |
| Finance Choice Courses | 12 | |
Select two approved courses (6 credit hours) at the 300-500 level from the Finance departmental offerings. 6 | ||
Select two approved courses (6 credit hours) at the 400-500 level from the Finance departmental offerings. | ||
| MAS 201 | Introduction to Business Statistics (minimum grade of C- required) | 3 |
| MAS 202 | Intermediate Business Statistics | 3 |
| MAS 332 | Data Acquisition, Preparation and Visualization | 3 |
| MAS 432 | Data Analysis | 3 |
| MGT 304 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| MKT 201 | Foundations of Marketing | 3 |
| or MKT 301 | Marketing Foundations | |
| MTH 161 | Calculus I (minimum grade of C- required) | 4 |
| Business Principles Choice Courses (select three courses) | 9 | |
| The Law of Financial Transactions | ||
| Fundamentals of Business Technology and Innovation | ||
| Operations Management | ||
| Negotiation Strategies | ||
or BSL 324 | Negotiation | |
| Strategic Management | ||
| Leading Teams | ||
| Professional Selling | ||
| Data Analytics Choice Course (select one course) 7 | 3 | |
| Object-Oriented Programming | ||
| Database Management Systems | ||
| Big Data Development | ||
| Applied Econometrics | ||
| Introduction to Optimization and Decision Making | ||
| Data Mining and Knowledge Acquisition | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 125 | |
| 1 | NOTE: ENG 105 and ENG 106 , or their equivalents, must be completed prior to attaining junior year classification, per the University General Education Requirements. Additionally, all 100 and 200-level Business Core courses must be completed by the end of the fifth semester of college work or during the semester in which the student is completing 75 credit hours. |
| 2 | At least one course with an international focus must be completed within the degree requirements. The appropriateness of the course is determined by the academic advisor. |
| 3 | Students who do not earn at least a C- in ENG 106 must either repeat ENG 106 and earn at least a C- or complete ENG 230 with at least a C- before enrolling in BUS 300. |
| 4 | 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 Requirements must be taken for a grade and a grade of “C-“ or higher earned (except as noted for 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. |
| 5 | 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. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | The menu of Data Analytics courses will be periodically assessed by the Undergraduate Business Education Committee to ensure that it remains current and relevant. |
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.
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| ECO 213 | Principles of Economics | 4 |
| ENG 105 | English Composition I | 3 |
| MAS 201 | Introduction to Business Statistics | 3 |
| MKT 201 | Foundations of Marketing | 3 |
| MTH 161 | Calculus I | 4 |
| UMX 100 | The University of Miami Experience | 0 |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACC 223 | Principles of Financial and Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| BUS 150 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| ENG 106 | English Composition II | 3 |
| FIN 302 | Fundamentals of Finance | 3 |
| MAS 202 | Intermediate Business Statistics | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACC 311 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
| BTE 320 | Introduction to Programming | 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 Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACC 312 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
| BSL 212 | Introduction to Business Law | 3 |
| FIN 303 | Intermediate Financial Management | 3 |
| MAS 432 | Data Analysis | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities Cognate Course | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACC 403 | Fundamentals of Taxation | 3 |
| BUS 300 | Critical Thinking and Persuasion for Business | 3 |
| MGT 304 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| Finance elective | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities Cognate Course | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACC 301 | Cost Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 402 | Auditing | 3 |
| Data Analytics Choice | 3 | |
| Finance Elective | 3 | |
| People and Society Cognate Course | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACC 404 | Advanced Taxation | 3 |
| ACC 411 | Advanced Accounting | 3 |
| FIN 433 | Case Studies for Financial Professionals | 1 |
| Business Principles Choice | 3 | |
| Finance Elective | 3 | |
| People and Society Cognate Course | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACC 406 | Accounting Systems | 3 |
| Business Principles Choice | 3 | |
| Business Principles Choice | 3 | |
| Finance Elective | 3 | |
| People and Society Cognate Course | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 125 | |
Mission
The mission of the Miami Business School (MBS) 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 MBS 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.
