Accountancy Major

Accountancy class taught by Department Chair Brad Badertscher with student focused on presentation

Learn the Language of Business and See Where Accountancy Can Take You

Prepare for a career in public accounting, consulting, finance, or industry through a nationally recognized program with a 98% undergraduate placement rate.

Our students are diverse and multifaceted, but they all have one thing in common: they ask more of business and of themselves. Through the Notre Dame undergraduate Accountancy program and the M.S. in Accountancy program—both ranked No. 4 in the nation by Public Accounting Report—they do just that.

During your time as an accountancy student at Notre Dame, you’ll learn to analyze, evaluate and communicate the results of business activities. In other words, you will develop a highly sought-after critical thinking and decision-making skill set—and use that to advance the greater good.

Accountancy Highlights

Numbers tell only part of the story.

Your accountancy journey will be defined by the connections you build: with professors, peers, and the people you serve during your time here. While rankings matter, we’re more interested in the human stories behind them — the ones that will define your future.

An ethical approach

Yes, our rigorous curriculum will prepare you to solve complex accountancy challenges. But more importantly, the solutions you devise to these challenges will be informed by a deep sense of ethics strengthened during your time at Notre Dame.

TAPping into your expertise—and your servant’s heart

Through the Tax Assistance Program (TAP) you’ll have the opportunity to provide tax preparation services to low-income individuals. In the process, you’ll gain real-world experience—and help local community residents receive much-needed tax refunds.

Once a Domer, always a Domer

The strength, accessibility, and engagement of the Notre Dame alumni network are virtually unparalleled. As an accountancy student, you'll benefit from mentorship opportunities throughout your undergraduate experience and join a community that continues to support you long after graduation.

Accountancy Major Curriculum

Core Courses

All Accountancy students must complete all of the following three-credit-hour courses.

Foundations of Accountancy

ACCT 20100

An introduction to financial accounting and the accounting profession, with an emphasis on the decision-usefulness of accounting information. The course stresses the relation of accounting to economic activity, organizing information for decision-making, the resource acquisition decision, the uses of cash and noncash resources, the accounting for selling and manufacturing activities, and the information needs of multiple owners, lenders and equity holders. A prerequisite of all accountancy and finance courses.

Accounting Analysis for Planning and Control

ACCT 20200

An introduction to the use of accounting information and analysis for management decisions and control of an organization. The purpose of the course is to learn techniques necessary to understand an organization’s costs to allow for the preparation and analysis of an organization’s budget. Further, the course provides techniques to analyze cost-volume-profit relationships and the use of a company’s contribution margin to evaluate sales volumes, set appropriate selling prices, and determine appropriate sales mixes necessary to achieve desired profit levels. The course uses cost analysis to understand managerial decisions such as whether to outsource, eliminate or add a business segment, and accept special orders. The course also introduces US taxation by examining different entity types and various taxes that impact individuals and corporations.

Accounting Measurement and Disclosure I

ACCT 30110

Fair and transparent information about business enterprises is essential to the effective functioning of capital markets and the fairness of resource distribution across society. Accounting Measurement & Disclosure I provides an in-depth examination of how accounting provides decision-useful information to improve business decisions and cultivate a prosperous society. The primary goals are to understand the role financial accounting plays in providing useful information about the underlying economics of business transactions, to understand the principles that shape financial reporting and disclosure practices, and to evaluate the motivations that lead managers to select one accounting principle over another. The course illustrates these issues through coverage of the economics and accounting related to revenue recognition, cash flows, receivables, inventory, long-lived assets, liabilities, and other financial statement elements. Further, the course develops accounting research skills through written case assignments that require students to analyze and apply the Accounting Standards Codification to complex accounting issues.

Accounting Measurement and Disclosure II

ACCT 30120

Continues the study of financial accounting. Topics include accounting for income taxes, leases, stock-based compensation, pension plans, and equity investments including passive investments, equity method investments, and consolidated reporting for majority-owned operations. Contractual and economic issues, contemporary developments, and financial disclosures are integral parts of each topical discussion. The course is designed to strengthen the technical, communication, and critical thinking skills required to succeed in accounting-related careers.

Prerequisite: ACCT 30110

Data Analytics in Accounting

ACCT 30280

This course applies data analytics to settings within accounting, using statistics as the primary method and Microsoft Excel as the primary tool along with other add-ins and programs. The aim of the course is to enhance a student’s ability to think systematically about data, structure it into a usable and interpretable form, create decision models, and weigh probability, risk, trade-offs, and the limitations of data.

Course Electives

All Accountancy students must complete 3 Accounting Major Electives. Additional electives are optional.

Accounting Major Electives

Students must complete 3 of the following courses (9 total credit hours) from the list below to satisfy their major requirement:

Sustainability: Accounting and Reporting and Impact Investing (ACCT 30160)
Strategic Cost Management (ACCT 30210)
Accounting Information Systems (ACCT 30300)
Accounting for Mergers & Acquisitions (ACCT 40130)
Audit and Assurance Services (ACCT 40510)
Federal Taxation (ACCT 40610)
Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders (ACCT 40620)
Academic Research (ACCT 40830)

See Course Availability on ClassSearch

Additional Electives

These courses do not count towards the major, but offer great opportunities to broaden your skill set or fulfill general graduation credits.

Ethics in Sports (ACCT 30720)
Accountability in a Sustainable World (ACCT 40160)
Tax Assistance Program (ACCT 40660)
Business Law: Property and Negotiable Instruments (ACCT 40710)
Ethics in Accounting (ACCT 40750)
Accounting and Reporting of Not-for-Profit Organizations (ACCT 40790)
International Accounting (ACCT 40810)
Business Law: Contracts and Agency (BALW 30100)

See Course Availability on ClassSearch

Accountancy News and Stories

Illustration of a man looking at a stock chart with one of the stocks speared by a fish hook.

Faculty Research

IPO pay gap hiding in plain sight: Study reveals hidden cost of ‘cheap stock’

New research from accountancy professor Brad Badertscher examines the prevalence, determinants and consequences of cheap stock.

Research

Driven to Distraction

Acquiring non-audit-related consultancies can take away from an accounting firm’s core mission.

Faculty in the Media

Peter Easton testifies in ongoing trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

University of Notre Dame Accountancy Professor Peter Easton was hired by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide a detailed analysis of the exchange of billions of dollars between FTX and its sister hedge fund, Alameda Research.

Career Development

Last year, our accountancy undergraduates achieved a 98 percent placement rate. Over the last three years, our graduate students have achieved 100 percent employment. From careers in public accounting and corporate work to entrepreneurship and law, our graduates put their accountancy degree to work in a wide range of fields.

Full-time employment by firm type	Percent of Students
Big 4 Accounting firms	75
Other accounting firms	3
Corporate Finance/Accounting	9
Consulting	6
Financial Services	4
Other	3

Top hiring companies of accountancy graduates:

Amazon
Andersen Tax
Deloitte
E&J Gallo
EY
General Motors
KPMG
PwC

Student Experience

The accountancy program is rigorous, but you’ll still have plenty of time to take advantage of the legendary Notre Dame student experience. For example, you might:

Get involved on campus: Join one or more accountancy clubs and associations, such as:
- Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA)
- Beta Gamma Sigma (Honor Society)
- M.S. in Accountancy Association
- National Association of Black Accountants (NABA)
- Notre Dame Accounting Association (NDAA)
Embrace Notre Dame traditions: Tailgate on Football Saturday, attend Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, or light a candle at the Grotto.
Give back: Serve the community through the Tax Assistance Program or volunteer through the Center for Social Concerns.
Stay active: Join an intramural sports team and participate in one of the top-ranked intramural programs in the country.

Student Mentorship Opportunities

The Accountancy Advisory Board (AAB) is composed of accomplished professionals representing a broad range of accounting disciplines and industries. These leaders partner with the Mendoza College of Business to strengthen the accounting curriculum by providing insight into emerging trends, evolving industry needs, and the skills most valued by employers.

In addition to shaping the curriculum, AAB members serve as mentors and advisors, sharing their experience with both faculty and students. Their guidance helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and professional practice, preparing students for successful careers in accounting.

Throughout their undergraduate experience, each student is paired with one Accountancy Advisory Board (AAB) mentor and one Young Mentors Council (YMC) mentor. Together, these mentors provide professional guidance, career insights, networking opportunities, and personalized support as students explore career paths, develop professionally, and prepare for the transition into the accounting profession.

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Department Administration

The Notre Dame Department of Accountancy administers the Accountancy Major. The faculty also conduct cutting-edge research in the accounting field.

Learn about the Accountancy Department

Brad Badertscher

Deloitte Foundation Department Chair of Accountancy; Deloitte Professor of Accountancy

Claire Donovan

Assistant Department Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Accountancy Department; Associate Teaching Professor

Barbara Westra

Administrative Coordinator - Accountancy

Learn about the Accountancy Department

An undergraduate student with her bike beside the reflection pool outside the Hesburgh Library.

Explore the Undergraduate Business Program

Interested in the Accountancy Major and wanting to know what else you need to know to support your Notre Dame experience?

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