University of San Diego Bachelor of Accountancy: 2027 Review

Score

60.0 of 100

Cost (20%)

0.0 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

10.0 of 10

Completion (15%)

8.9 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

0.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

7.3 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

9.3 of 10

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.

You earn a Bachelor of Accountancy built to meet all the accounting course requirements for the certified public accountant (CPA) license in California. You can add a master's in accountancy or taxation and finish both degrees in as little as four and a half years.

The Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego awards this degree on its San Diego campus. The 51-semester-hour major mixes business courses with nine accounting courses. AACSB accredits the accounting program.

• You want to sit for the CPA exam in California. The major is designed to meet the accounting course requirements, and the school says California lets you sit for the exam once your bachelor's is conferred.
• You'd like both degrees fast. In the combined program you take undergraduate courses by day and master's classes in the evening, and up to 12 semester hours count toward both.
• You want to meet people in the field. You can join the Accounting Society or Beta Alpha Psi, or work with the Accountancy Institute.
• You'd like a semester of accounting abroad. The school lists courses in places such as Australia, China, the Czech Republic and Finland.

You start with Principles of Financial Accounting and Principles of Managerial Accounting before you reach 60 units. The major then runs through Intermediate Accounting I and II, which build your financial reporting skills. Cost Accounting covers how companies track what products and services cost.

Accounting Information Systems looks at the systems behind the numbers. You take two tax accounting courses, Ethics for Accountants, Advanced Accounting and Auditing. Business courses sit beside them, including Business Law I, Financial Management and Foundations of Business Analytics.

You also complete the Professional Development Passport Program.

The major is 51 semester hours inside USD's four-year bachelor's. Add the combined Bachelor of Accountancy and master's in accountancy or taxation, and you can finish both degrees in as little as four and a half years. The school says that path meets the 150-hour requirement to take the CPA exam.

USD reports a per-credit charge of $2,014 to federal data. That's the figure you can compare with other schools' per-credit prices.

Classes meet on the San Diego campus. In the combined program you'll take your bachelor's courses during the day and your master's classes in the evening. Business students finish their lower-division business courses before they reach 60 units.

The Bachelor of Accountancy holds AACSB accounting program accreditation. The school designed the major to meet all the accounting course requirements to become a CPA in California. It says the bachelor's alone doesn't reach the 150 semester hours, so you finish with a master's or extra hours.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

A Big Four employee wrote on Reddit in 2025 that most coworkers went to USD or San Diego State, and another commenter there called USD's program very well respected. The school reports that 100% of 2024-25 survey respondents received a first full-time job offer within three months of graduating, and that 85% of students get an offer before graduation.

It also lists an average starting salary of $62,305 for its graduates. USD cites a 2026 College Factual placement in the top 7% of U.S. accounting programs.

• Should I apply to the combined master's program, and when do I start taking evening classes?
• Which accounting courses abroad are open to me, and in which semester?
• How do I get involved with the Accountancy Institute early on?
• Does Beta Alpha Psi or the Accounting Society help with internships?

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