James Madison University Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting: 2027 Review

Score

69.3 of 100, rank 15 of 100

Cost (20%)

4.5 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

9.4 of 10

Completion (15%)

9.1 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

0.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

8.8 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

9.2 of 10

Credits

120

Format

On Campus

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list)

AACSB Accounting

Accounting accreditation listed by AACSB

See exactly how we score on the methodology page. We checked the school's figures on October 8, 2026.

JMU weaves data analytics through the major, with Excel, Power BI and a stand-alone analytics course, and most students add a fifth-year master's to reach 150 hours. You'll also get a fall firm fair that draws more than 50 firms.

The School of Accounting in the College of Business at James Madison University, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, awards the Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. You take it on campus. The business college holds AACSB accreditation for both its business and accounting programs.

• If you're a future Virginia certified public accountant (CPA), the catalog spells out the 150-hour rule, with 24 credits in accounting and 24 in business.
• If you want a fifth year, the M.S. in Accounting adds the hours, with competitive graduate assistantships.
• If you're an analytical thinker, Spreadsheet Skills and Data Analysis teaches Excel and Power BI, and the catalog suggests taking it in the spring of sophomore year.
• If you want to meet recruiters early, the Why Accounting? fair and Meet the Firms both run on campus.
• If you're community-minded, you can help prepare taxes through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Your first two years cover the business core, including Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting and two Business Analytics courses. Major courses start in the junior year. Data Analytics for Accountants covers data preparation, data quality and visualization. Accounting Information Systems looks at internal controls, transaction cycles and security.

Corporate Financial Reporting I and II teach you to read and judge financial statements. The income tax course covers individual and business taxation. Auditing and Assurance covers verifying the fairness of financial statements. You pick one elective from three, including a cybersecurity course. The senior year ends with Strategic Management.

Summer internships and externships are available with businesses, government and public accounting firms.

The B.B.A. needs 120 credit hours, which fits a four-year plan. You meet your advisor in the junior year to map both degrees. Most students then add the fifth-year M.S. in Accounting, which brings the total to the 150 semester hours most states require to sit for the CPA exam. All upper-division accounting courses (300-499) must be taken at JMU.

JMU's tuition works out to about $850 per credit, based on the annual out-of-state tuition the school reports.

This is an on-campus program. You take the four COB 300 business courses together in one semester, then 300-level accounting courses in the third and fourth years.

JMU's College of Business is one of 2% of business schools with both business and accounting accreditation from AACSB International. All accounting faculty hold a CPA or certified management accountant (CMA). An on-campus CPA exam review course runs every summer after graduation, and graduates also sit for the certified internal auditor (CIA) and certified information systems auditor (CISA) exams.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

Alumni quoted in a 2025 school news story say the demanding class structure built the discipline they needed for the CPA exam. One said his bachelor's and master's classes introduced him to over 80% of the material across the four exam sections. The same story cites National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) data.

It shows an 84.8% pass rate for JMU students from 2020 to 2023, against a 59.1% national average. A CPA firm partner and JMU alumnus says new hires show professionalism. The school reports that all of the Big Four firms rank JMU in their highest tier. It also says 92% of the Class of 2025 had a career outcome six months after graduating.

Poets&Quants ranked the undergraduate business program No. 61 in 2026.

• How do you plan the fifth-year M.S. in Accounting during your junior-year advising meeting?
• Which three electives are offered each term, and how do you pick one?
• How do the summer internships and externships get arranged?

• Best Bachelor's Programs #15 of 100
• Best AACSB Accredited Programs #15 of 85
• Best for CPA Candidates #8 of 79
• Best Public University Programs #15 of 79

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