Winona State University Accounting, Bachelor's: 2027 Review

Score

67.1 of 100, rank 22 of 100

Cost (20%)

7.2 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

4.3 of 10

Completion (15%)

8.9 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

5.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

5.3 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

8.0 of 10

Credits

120 total

Format

On Campus, Online

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list)

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

Winona State builds a four-year course sequence that puts Data Analytics for Accountants beside Intermediate Accounting I in the second year. You'll also run real audit and tax-return projects with local companies. The school lists Deloitte, KPMG and Grant Thornton among employers.

Winona State University is a public university in Winona, Minnesota. Its College of Business holds AACSB accreditation. The Bachelor of Science in Accounting is taught on campus in Winona. You can also finish the same major fully online through a degree completion cohort delivered by the Rochester campus.

• Students who want a small-town campus: a business-focused career services advisor matches you with local employers.
• Future auditors: you get mock audits and real audit projects with local companies before you graduate.
• Transfer students who already hold 30 college credits: you apply to the College of Business after 30 credits.
• Working adults, parents and distance learners: the online completion route is fully asynchronous, so you complete assignments anytime.

The accounting core is 34 credits. You'll take Financial Accounting Principles and Managerial Accounting Principles first. Data Analytics for Accountants then sits beside Intermediate Accounting I and II, which cover investments, liabilities, leases and pensions. Accounting Information Systems studies how accounting systems handle data with business risks and internal controls.

Intermediate Managerial/Cost Accounting covers job, process and activity-based costing. Introduction to Taxation teaches tax law and tax research, with an emphasis on individual income tax. Auditing covers audit standards, fraud detection and audit reports. You then pick Advanced Financial Accounting or Advanced Taxation. You'll also learn industry software.

An internship course, ACCT 398, is arranged each semester.

The degree is 120 credits, and the four-year map spreads them over eight semesters. You apply to the College of Business after 30 credits. You'll complete at least 15 semester hours of 300 and 400 level accounting courses at Winona State. The online completion program has 71 to 72 program credits and starts in the fall or spring.

The school reports a charge of $504 per credit. There's more than $22,000 in scholarships available each year to accounting students through the WSU Foundation.

On campus, you can start in the fall semester, the spring semester or the summer session. Classes meet in Winona, and the Engagement Center in the College of Business is the hub for hands-on learning, including a financial markets lab. The online route is fully asynchronous, so you complete assignments anytime. Its required courses are offered in set fall or spring terms, and you'll need only one elective.

The College of Business holds AACSB accreditation, which the school says fewer than 6% of business schools worldwide have earned. The catalog says the major prepares you to pursue licensure as a certified public accountant (CPA). The program page says it prepares you to sit for both the CPA and certified management accountant (CMA) exams.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

Alumni quoted on the school's own pages describe accounting professors who answer questions and push students toward success. One alumnus says the program heavily helped them land their desired starting job. An alumna describes touring the Timberwolves accounting department and doing mock audits with local businesses.

The school reports that a team that included an accounting student placed third in a global business simulation against nearly 300 teams. OnlineU data on GradReports in 2026 says all respondents would recommend the school.

• Which local companies host the real audit and tax-return projects?
• How do I arrange an ACCT 398 internship, and which firms recruit on campus?
• Would I choose Advanced Financial Accounting or Advanced Taxation as my elective?
• Does the online completion cohort suit me if I transfer in with 30 credits?

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