Professional Program in Accounting (PPA)
FCB Office of Academic Services (928)523-5232
Accounting is recognized as one of the world’s leading professions, offering many opportunities
for a rewarding career. Few fields offer a greater variety of opportunities than accounting.
Many accounting graduates obtain the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate and enjoy
successful careers as auditors or tax specialists. Other graduates become Certified Management
Accountants (CMAs) and work in industry as controllers, treasurers, or consultants. Some graduates
enter government service with federal or state agencies such as the IRS, the Government Accounting
Office, or the State Auditor General's office.
As the demand for accountants has increased, so have the rewards. Last year's starting salaries for
NAU accounting graduates averaged $48,000.
PPA Format
With our Professional Program in Accounting (PPA), NAU is meeting the growing market demand for
accounting graduates and CPA candidates with a comprehensive, quality accounting program that is
also cost-efficient. NAU's PPA is a 5-year (150-hour) program that includes both the B.S. Accountancy
and MBA-ACC degrees. Our program offers students the flexibility to personalize their studies, while
providing the technical, analytical, and other skills desired by today’s employers.
B.S. Accountancy:
The B.S. Accountancy
degree provides a foundation to prepare students for a variety of accounting careers in industry, government,
and public accounting. A traditional four-year program, students complete 120 credits, including a 39-credit
Business Core, and a 24-credit upper-division Accounting Core.
MBA-ACC:
The MBA-ACC degree enables students to complete Arizona’s 150-hour CPA education requirements,
while enhancing the technical accounting skills and broad graduate-level business background necessary
for successful careers in accounting and business. Offered over a 10-month period, students complete 20
credits of team-based, integrated MBA core classes and select four electives (12 credits) of graduate
accounting courses.
Both our B.S. Accountancy and MBA-ACC are designed to provide the requirements for a student who chooses
to sit for the cpa exam. For the B.S. Accountancy, students may continue to take courses to meet the
requirements either during their degree, or upon completion of the degree. With the MBA-ACC,
a student will possess the requirements upon completion of the degree.
Skills Assessment Exam
All Accounting students are required to pass a skills assessment before progressing beyond ACC 255 and
ACC 256 to ACC 300 and ACC 355. Dates for the skills assessment are listed below. Be sure to take the
practice exam. This will help you determine your preparedness for the skills assessment.
Students must pass the assessment within three attempts or they will not be allowed to progress in the
Accounting curriculum.
Skills Assessment information
Why Study Accounting at NAU?
The accounting program at NAU is housed in The W. A. Franke College of Business building located
on the spacious, forested south campus. Classrooms, study areas, computer facilities, faculty offices,
and a student lounge offer a complete learning environment. In addition, the University library contains
over 1.6 million items, including substantial holdings in accounting and related fields.
View our video [highlighting our building] and what it has to offer our students.
The W. A. Franke College of Business and the Accounting Faculty embody NAUs emphasis
on teaching. Class sizes are small in all but a few introductory courses, and almost all
classes are taught by full-time faculty members. The average class size for accounting
major courses is twenty to thirty-five students, so it is easy to know and talk with
your professors. Faculty can offer individual student research or independent study courses
to upper-division students. Our faculty provide individual advisement to students as well
as opportunities to explore areas of individual interest that are not addressed in the
structure of the regular classroom.
Find out more