Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Bachelor of Science in Business, Accounting and Business Analysis: 2027 Review

Score

66.6 of 100

Cost (20%)

1.8 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

9.5 of 10

Completion (15%)

9.1 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

1.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

9.7 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

9.3 of 10

Credits

122

Format

On Campus

Time to Finish

48 to 60 months

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.

As a Virginia Tech accounting major, you'll finish a hands-on experience course: volunteer tax assistance, an internship, or fraud casework. Your senior year ends with a course on artificial intelligence in auditing. The department reports firm pipelines, including KPMG's.

The Bachelor of Science in Business, Accounting and Business Analysis is run by the Department of Accounting and Information Systems (ACIS). It sits in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. You attend on campus over eight semesters.

• Future certified public accountants (CPAs): your three specialization areas line up with the three discipline areas of the CPA exam.
• Students who want a master's fast: the 152-Hour Program lets you start graduate work as a senior at undergraduate rates.
• Data-curious students: analytics runs through your major, from Excel models to relational databases.
• Service-minded students who like volunteer tax assistance or working on fraud cases, since you can choose either one for your experience course.
• Scholarship seekers: ACIS gives more scholarships than any other Pamplin department.

You begin with Principles of Accounting and Introduction to Accounting Analytics. Intermediate Financial Accounting covers external reporting and its standards. Accounting Systems and Controls looks at databases and data visualization. In Financial Statement Auditing, you'll cover evidence, internal control and fraud. Forensic Accounting adds computer forensic software and litigation support.

Your senior year brings Applied Accounting Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in Accounting and Auditing. You'll choose a specialization: Financial Accounting and Auditing, Tax, or Information Systems and Controls. The Capstone in Business Problem-Solving (BUS 4004) closes out the business core. You can join student groups such as the Accounting Society and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners chapter.

The degree takes 122 credits over eight semesters, or four years. In the 152-Hour Program you earn a bachelor's and a master's in five years or less, and apply with no more than two semesters left. Virginia asks for 150 semester credit hours for CPA licensure, which this path covers. If you accelerate, you may double count one 5000-level ACIS course with a B or higher.

The school reports about $1,432 per credit. As a senior in the 152-Hour Program, you'll pay undergraduate tuition rates for the graduate courses you take that year.

You study on campus in Blacksburg, following a set eight-semester plan of 15 to 16 credits a term. The experience course comes from three choices: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, a supervised internship, or the Justice for Fraud Victims Project. The Meet the Firms Career Fair gives you early contact with employers.

The business school is AACSB accredited. The major includes coursework required for CPA licensure and helps you prepare for the certified management accountant (CMA) and certified information systems auditor (CISA) exams. The master's options meet Virginia's CPA education rules. If you're a CPA candidate, the catalog advises you to take a reputable review course.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

The department says first-time undergraduate CPA takers pass about 66 percent of the sections they sit, above the national average. It also reports an 88 percent CMA pass rate, 30 points above the overall rate.

Virginia Tech news says ACIS graduates are sought after by all four of the largest international public accounting firms. In 2017 the university announced a KPMG program that places scholarship students in KPMG audit or tax internships.

• Which experience course fits me best: tax assistance, an internship or the fraud project?
• When should I apply for the 152-Hour Program?
• Which specialization lines up with the CPA section I'll take first?
• How does the KPMG scholarship program select students?

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