The bachelor of science in Business (BSB) major is intended to prepare students for careers in accounting, banking, insurance, business management, and marketing. Students complete basic and intermediate core business courses including accounting, economics, management information systems, marketing, business logistics, and finance. Penn State York business students elect an 18-credit option to prepare them for a specific employment sector.
Accounting Option
This option prepares students for careers in the accounting field. When the students complete the prescribed courses of the BSB degree with the Accounting Option, they will meet the academic requirements to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination. Graduates of the BSB degree with the Accounting Option may be able to pursue other professional certifications, such as Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
Requirements to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination
According to the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy (the Board), the completion of specific accounting courses is not mandated but the Board requires courses in the areas of accounting, auditing, tax, finance, and business law with content satisfactory to the Board and only the Board can determine which courses it considers satisfactory.
- Received a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 120 credit-hours, in any discipline from an accredited college or university
- Completed at least 24 semester credits in accounting subjects, including accounting and auditing, business law, finance, macroeconomics, microeconomics, or tax subjects sanctioned by the State Board of Accountancy. These courses would usually be undergraduate credits and may be a part of a degree. The entry-level principles of accounting courses are counted in the total of these courses. An accounting internship, for which the student received academic credit, may also be counted. The number of credit-hours allowed for finance is up to the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy. Please contact the Board if you intend to use more than three semester credit-hours of finance or business law toward your total.
Requirements to Become Board Certified
Candidates can sit for the CPA Exam with less than 150 credit hours, but they will be required to complete all 150 before they are eligible to apply for a CPA license in Pennsylvania. Also, an additional 12 semester credit-hours in accounting, auditing and tax subjects, raising the required accounting and related subjects total from the previously mentioned 24 to 36 credit-hours. Note that finance and business law are excluded from the additional 12 credit-hours. These courses may be undergraduate or graduate courses. The 150 credit-hours requirement does not require a second degree.
In addition to meeting the above educational requirements, to be certified, you must pass the CPA exam and complete one year of qualifying work experience.
Courses (18 credits)*
PRESCRIBED COURSES (9 credits)
- ACCTG 404(3)
- ACCTG 471(3)
- ACCTG 472(3) (Semester: 5–6)
ADDITIONAL COURSES (6 credits)
- ACCTG 403(3) or 403W(3) (Semester: 7–8)
- ACCTG 405(3) or FINSV 411(3) (Semester: 7–8)
SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (3 credits)
Select 3 credits of 400-level courses from ACCTG, B A, ECON, ENTR, FIN, FINSV, H P A, I B, MGMT, MIS, MKTG, R M, or SCM (Semester: 7–8).
Smeal Conditional Early Acceptance Program
Are you interested in partnering with the Penn State Smeal College of Business to pursue a master's degree in Accounting, or Taxation?
Smeal's Conditional Early Acceptance (CEA) program is a two-year pathway to earning an accounting-related graduate degree immediately following your post-baccalaureate studies. The program does not require a deposit and is open to Penn State undergraduates who are currently in their junior year and are majoring in accounting or business with an accounting option at University Park or another Penn State campus.
Learn More About The Conditional Early Acceptance Program
Business Analytics Option
Nationally, employment in the fields of Business Data Analytics is growing at healthy rates, reflecting the increasing attention paid by corporations and non-corporate entities to the management of big data in various disciplines. Companies are always interested in learning more about their customers and improve their efficiencies.
This option prepares students to pursue careers in business organizations with an emphasis on data-driven business decision in the areas of including human resource management, strategic marketing planning, enterprise resource planning, financial management, and database management. In this program, students acquire the business intelligence training needed to work in positions such as business analyst, analytic system designer, market research analyst, logistics analyst, or data scientist. In other words, you will learn how to apply big data analytics, data mining techniques, and predictive analytics to meet your organization’s business objectives and leverage competitive advantage. Courses in the option include business data analytics, marketing analytics, and business intelligence.
Courses (18 credits)
PRESCRIBED COURSES (9 credits)
- MIS 301 (3) – Business Analytics
- MIS 345 (3) – Introduction to Data Analytics
- MIS 431 (3) – Business Data Management
SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (9 credits)
Select 9 credits Supporting Business Analytics Course Elective (300 or 400 level with proper prerequisites).
Management and Marketing Option
This option prepares students to pursue careers in business organizations with an emphasis on the skills and knowledge necessary for the business professional to function in community and regional centers of commerce. The Management and Marketing option’s dual emphasis allows students to select courses in both disciplines as a foundation for leading small businesses or units of large organizations. Courses in the option include human resource management, leadership, international management, retailing, global marketing, market research, communications and ethics.
Courses (18 credits)*
ADDITIONAL COURSES (0–6 credits)
Select 0–6 credits from:
- B A 250(3)
- ENGL 419(3)
- MKTG 220(3)
or one of the following:
- CAS 250(3)
- CAS 252(3)
- CAS 352(3)
- CAS 404(3) (Semester: 5–8)
SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (12–18 credits)
A minimum of 3 credits of supporting courses must be selected at the 400-level.
- Select 3 credits from 300 or 400-level MGMT courses (Semester: 5–8)
- Select 3 credits from 300 or 400-level MKTG courses (Semester: 5–8)
- Select 6–12 additional credits in 300 or 400-level courses from MGMT or MKTG courses (Semester: 6–8)
Individualized Option
This option provides the opportunity for students to pursue an approved business-focused interdisciplinary program of study. Students pursuing the Individualized option have paired business with information sciences and technology, hotel and restaurant management, professional writing, and other course work, to pursue studies focused on their unique interests and/or career plans.
For instance, students who are interested in the field of financial planning could use the flexibility of the Individualized Option to obtain financial services credentials such as Certified Financial Planner (CFP). This online undergraduate certificate in financial planning is an 18-credit program of study (6 required courses) that may be used to meet the Individualized Option requirements of the BSB. Successful completion of the online certificate satisfies the education coursework requirement for CFP® certification and prepares students to take the CFP® Certification Examination. The education and examination components are two of the core prerequisites to obtain full CFP® certification. To get more information about this certification, please visit Undergraduate Certificate in Financial Planning and consult with your academic advisor.
All the options include courses that emphasize oral and written communication; active and collaborative learning; team-building; critical-thinking; and problem-solving skills. Students also participate in a capstone experience, choosing to conduct an undergraduate research project, participate in a collaborative project in business, or pursue professional experience through an internship.
Penn State’s associate degree in business administration articulates with the bachelor’s degree. The college also has transfer guides with a number of community colleges, allowing students with an associate degree in Business to efficiently transfer credits into Penn State York’s Bachelor of Science in Business program. The BSB program is offered days and evenings to meet the needs of both traditional and adult learners.
Individualized Option Courses (18 credits)*
Select 18 credits of study (with at least 3 credits at the 400-level) as submitted by the student and approved by the campus BSB program coordinator (Semester: 5–8)
*A student enrolled in this major must receive a grade of C or better in all option courses.
