University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Bachelor of Science in Business, Accounting: 2027 Review

Score

61.9 of 100

Cost (20%)

1.9 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

8.9 of 10

Completion (15%)

7.9 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

0.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

8.9 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

9.7 of 10

Credits

120

Format

On Campus

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list), ACBSP (confirmed on the official list)

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

You'll start Financial Reporting in spring of your first year. Three Intermediate Accounting courses plus two auditing courses build on it. Every student also completes an international experience, either a short trip or a full semester abroad.

The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities offers this Bachelor of Science in Business with an accounting major. Classes meet on the Minneapolis campus. You declare the major at the end of sophomore spring.

• You're aiming at a Big Four start. Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC are among the employers that hire Carlson students.
• You like data work. Financial Data Analytics, Business Statistics in R and Solving Business Scenarios in Excel are all in your sample plan.
• You want time abroad. You can meet the international requirement with a short-term program or a semester-length one.
• You want to prepare real tax returns. You can join the Nonresident Volunteer Tax Assistance Program.
• You're planning for 150 credit hours. The Carlson Master of Accountancy meets the certified public accountant (CPA) exam requirement.

Financial Reporting (ACCT 2051) is your first accounting course. Strategic Management Accounting (ACCT 3001) follows in the sophomore business core. Junior fall opens with Intermediate Accounting (ACCT 5101). You'll meet the prerequisite with a B- or better in ACCT 2051 or a passing pretest.

Junior spring adds Intermediate Accounting II and III, Financial Data Analytics and a first course in income tax. Seniors take Auditing Principles and Procedures I and II, Intermediate Management Accounting and two accounting electives. Business Analytics and the Impact Lab Project sit alongside the accounting courses.

Outside class, the Carlson School Accounting Club runs networking events and resume workshops. You can also enter accounting case competitions.

You need 120 credits. The sample plan runs four years with semesters of 14 to 16 credits, and the school notes there are multiple ways to progress through the major. For the 150-hour CPA route, the Master of Accountancy meets the credit requirement for the exam.

The school reports a per-credit charge of $1,396.

You attend in person on the Minneapolis campus. The required international experience fits into your plan as a short-term program or a semester away. Carlson also lists more than 30 school-specific student groups, case competitions and leadership camps.

The Carlson School holds AACSB accreditation. The accounting coursework covers financial and management accounting, income taxation, auditing and business law, which lines up with the CPA designation.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

You'll find a Carlson accounting student on the school's page who says accounting appeals because it ties many parts of a business together. Poets&Quants placed Carlson at No. 23 in its 2026 ranking of undergraduate business schools. The same publisher reports an average starting salary of $73,149 for the Class of 2025.

The school lists U.S. News & World Report's 2026 placement of its undergraduate business program at No. 19. Carlson reports a 97.1 percent employment figure that counts jobs, graduate school, volunteering, military service and starting a business within 90 days of graduating. Accounting internships paid a mean of $30.23 per hour.

• Should I take the Intermediate Accounting pretest or sit ACCT 2051 for a B- or better?
• Which short-term international programs fit around accounting courses?
• How do Big Four recruiters meet accounting students at Carlson?
• When should I apply to the Master of Accountancy to reach 150 hours?

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