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Accounting Minor

College of Management / Accounting
Undergraduate minor

About The Program

The College of Management offers an accounting minor to students interested in supplementing their degrees with skills in accounting. The two core required courses provide students with an understanding of the financial statements and how these statements are used by managers to make decisions. Students will choose from two additional electives to suit their interests. Electives include the subjects of management accounting, accounting information systems, federal taxation and financial reporting. Students completing the minor will have the minor requirements indicated on their transcript.

Student outcomes

  1. Demonstrate an understanding that accounting decisions pivot on the concepts of recognition, measurement, recording and disclosure.
  2. Demonstrate how financial information helps users make decisions.

How to enroll

Current students: Declare this program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further admission requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Accounting Minor now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Accounting Minor

Program eligibility requirements

Students must earn a grade of S, C- or above in courses used to meet prerequisites.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The Accounting Minor Residency Requirement: At least 8 credits from among the Minor Required Courses and Minor Electives must be completed at Metropolitan State.

Prerequisites

This course develops the fundamental concepts of algebra with an emphasis on the classification and analysis of linear, quadratic, polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions. Applications to the natural and social sciences are given throughout. It aims to provide insights into the nature and utility of mathematics, and helps students develop mathematical reasoning skills.

Full course description for College Algebra

This course focuses on the interactions between the consumer and the producer. It begins with the theory of markets, supply and demand, and the price system. Then it covers demand elasticity, the costs of production including the various factor inputs, the four major market structures (pure competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly), and ways to increase the competition in markets.

Full course description for Microeconomics

This course in financial accounting acquaints students with the "language of business" and the concepts and practices of accounting in order to understand, interpret, and analyze the financial accounting reports of economic entities. Topics include: economic context of accounting; introduction to basic financial statements with emphasis on the statement of cash flows; measurement fundamentals; analysis of financial statements; cash; receivables; inventories; investments in equity and debt securities including Consolidations; long-lived assets; current and long-term liabilities; stockholders' equity; and time value of money concepts and computations for decision making: international accounting practices are incorporated into every topic. This is not a bookkeeping course.

Full course description for Financial Accounting

+ Minor Required Courses (8 Credits)

This course is the first in a two course sequence (Intermediate Accounting I and Intermediate Accounting II) that provides for the preparation and understanding of financial information. Topics include accounting theory and practice, the conceptual framework of United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), recognition of economic transactions, the preparation and analysis of financial statements and the related disclosures. Intermediate Accounting I focuses on the role of accounting as an information system and the measurement, recognition, presentation, and disclosure of economic transactions focusing on the following: basic financial statements, time value of money, cash and receivables, inventories, property, plant, and equipment, depreciation and impairment, and current liabilities and contingencies.

Full course description for Intermediate Accounting I

The focus of this course is the strategic role of the management accountant in an organization and the use of financial and nonfinancial information for planning and control decisions. Special emphasis is placed on strategy and the application of concepts and practices of management accounting on economic and noneconomic decisions. Topics include: cost behavior and estimation; cost analysis for planning and control decisions including value chain analysis, target costing, quality costs, customer value measurement systems, and benchmarking; cross-functional teams; activity-based management; and cash and operations budgeting.

Full course description for Strategic Management Accounting

+ Minor Required Electives (8 Credits)

Choose eight (8) upper division credits from among the following courses. Note that ACCT312 is a prerequisite for some of these courses.

This course is the second in a two course sequence (Intermediate Accounting I and Intermediate Accounting II) that provides for the preparation and understanding of financial information. Topics include accounting theory and practice, the conceptual framework of United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), recognition of economic transactions, the preparation of financial statements and the related disclosures. Intermediate Accounting II focuses on intangible assets, long-term liabilities, stockholders¿ equity, dilutive securities and earnings per share (EPS), investments, revenue recognition, income taxes, pensions and postretirement benefits, leases, accounting changes and error analysis, the statement of cash flows, and full disclosure in financial reporting.

Full course description for Intermediate Accounting II

This course provides a conceptual framework to stress the responsibility of accountant, auditor and manager for the design, operation and control of the accounting information system and the needs of information users within an organization. Traditional accounting transaction cycles are organized around events-based information technology. Students learn how the accounting information system records, classifies and aggregates economic events.

Full course description for Accounting Information Systems

The third course in the three-course financial reporting sequence, this course emphasizes accounting theory and practice including special disclosure and reporting problems; international accounting and foreign currency translation; not-for-profit accounting, governmental accounting; business combinations; and consolidated financial statement preparation and analysis.

Full course description for Advanced Accounting

This course continues the emphasis on the role of financial and nonfinancial information for strategic planning and control decisions from the Strategic Management Accounting course. It focuses on the strategic components of cost/price, quality, time, flexibility and innovation in the learning organization. Coverage of strategic cost management, cost of capacity, kaizen, time-based competition, agility, competitive intelligence, pricing, distribution channels, environmental accounting, cost accumulation systems and comprehensive performance indicators is included.

Full course description for Advanced Strategic Management Accounting

This course focuses on identifying issues that affect the taxation of businesses. Ten Chapters are covered: foundation of taxation, including types of taxes, structure of the income tax, taxpayers, and general concepts of income and deduction; business income and expenses; taxation of property transactions; and overview of corporations, S corporations, partnerships, and entity choice. Planning options are emphasized.

Full course description for Business Taxation