2025-2026
Accounting, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)
VCU
Community college:
Associate of Science in Business Administration (Brightpoint Community College)
Associate degree
Associate of Science in Business Administration
Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.
Program description
The major in accounting is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in accounting. This program will qualify graduates to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination in Virginia. However, certification requires 150 hours of college credits. Most public accounting firms give hiring preference to applicants who have completed the full 150 hours prior to starting work.
Career opportunities
Accountants examine and prepare financial records. They are responsible for confirming accuracy, ensuring the records comply with local, state, and federal laws, and typically are called upon to make recommendations based on that financial data.
There are several types of accountants. Public accountants are generally employed by firms and serve as an independent third party to review, attest to other organizations' or individuals' financial documents, and may gain experience working with a variety of industries. Private or corporate accountants are employed by a company and typically develop management accounting expertise in their individual companies and industries. Government accountants examine and prepare the financial records of various government agencies.
Bachelor-level job titles
- Accounting Technician
- Audit Accountant
- Audit Associate
- Auditor
- Cost Accountant
- Financial Analyst
- Junior Accountant
- Staff Accountant
- Tax Accountant
- Tax Associate
Graduate and professional level job titles
- Audit Director
- Chief Financial Officer
- Controller
- Director of Accounting
Contact information
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Guaranteed transfer admission requirements
Students are guaranteed admission to this degree program with:
- Completion of the associate degree
- Minimum GPA of 2.5
- All courses completed with a "C" grade or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
- MATH 200 or BUSN 212
- SCMA 301
Science required
- Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
- No
Additional tuition/fees
- Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
- 2.5+ cumulative GPA to declare, 2.0+ cumulative GPA to graduate, 2.0+ major GPA to graduate
VCU Major Maps
Transfer major map
2025-2026
Accounting, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)
Brightpoint Community College (Associate of Science in Business Administration)
| MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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| Explore | Year 1 |
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| Experience | Year 2 |
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Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Register for SDV 100.
- Schedule an advising appointment with your Brightpoint advisor.
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes and use tutoring to get ahead.
- Cultivate relationships with your professors.
- Explore financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Explore the School of Business website.
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Find out if you are eligible for the NEXT STEP VCU program.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
- Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
- Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
- Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Familiarize yourself with Handshake and explore Career Pathways for business.
- Browse careers and occupations related to accounting in Career Coach.
- Explore iGrad to look into building a career and financial future.
- Build a LinkedIn profile.
- Take a career assessment to explore job options.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
- Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
- Create a weekly and monthly budget.
- Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Schedule an advising appointment with your Brightpoint advisor.
- Meet with your NEXT STEP advisor or submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
- Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Be prepared for academic challenges. Use tutoring to get ahead.
- Submit the FAFSA on time.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Research housing options for next year.
- Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Business, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
- Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
- Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Find out about VCU REAL and learn about VCU's REAL graduation requirement.
- Use Handshake to explore jobs and internships that match your interests and skills.
- If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
- Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
2025-2026
Accounting, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)
Brightpoint Community College (Associate of Science in Business Administration)
| Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDV 100 | College Success Skills | UNIV 101 | 1 | Elective |
| ENG 111 | College Composition I | UNIV 111 | 3 | General education |
| MTH 161 | Precalculus l | MATH 141 | 3 | General education |
| ACC 211 | Principles of Accounting I | ACCT 203 | 3 | Major |
| BUS 100 | Introduction to Business | BUSN 201 | 3 | Major |
| ITE 152 | Introduction to Digital Literacy and Computer Applications | BUSN 1XX | 3 | Elective |
| ACC 212 | Principles of Accounting II | ACCT 204 | 3 | Major |
| ECO 201 | Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 211 | 3 | Major |
| ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
| CST 100 | Principles of Public Speaking (or CST 110) | SPCH 221 | 3 | General education |
| ITE 140 | Spreadsheet Software | BUSN 162 | 3 | Elective |
| ECO 202 | Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 210 | 3 | Major |
| BUS 200 | Principles of Management | MGMT 2XX | 3 | Elective |
| BUS 227 | Business Analytics (or MKT 201) | SCMA 2XX | 3 | Elective |
| MTH 261 | Applied Calculus l | BUSN 212 | 3 | Major |
| Science | Select one: BIO 106, ENV 121, CHM 101, PHY 100, BIO 101, CHM 111, OR PHY 201 | VCU equivalent | 4 | General education |
| History | Select one: HIS 121, HIS 11, HIS 112, HIS 122 | HIST | 3 | General education |
| BUS 224 | Business Statistics | SCMA 301 | 3 | Major |
| BUS 240 | Introduction to Business Law | BUSN 323 | 3 | Major |
| Arts/Humanities/Literature electives: Select two courses chosen from different categories. Note that both courses cannot be selected from the same category. | VCU equivalent | 6 | General education | |
| Brightpoint credits transferred to VCU | 62 | |||
| Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACCT 301 | Federal Income Taxation for Individuals | 3 | Major |
| ACCT 303 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 | Major |
| ACCT 304 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 | Major |
| ACCT 305 | Intermediate Accounting III | 3 | Major |
| ACCT 306 | Cost Accounting | 3 | Major |
| ACCT 307 | Accounting Systems | 3 | Major |
| ACCT 406 | Auditing | 3 | Major |
| ACCT 408 | Data Analytics for Accountants | 3 | Major |
| Select one: INFO 320, MKTG 350, SCMA 302, OR SCMA 303 | 3 | Major | |
| Accounting/analytics electives (select two) | 6 | Major | |
| BUSN 301 | Career and Professional Development | 1 | Major |
| BUSN 325 | Business Communications | 3 | Major |
| BUSN 499 | Business Knowledge Exam | 0 | Major |
| FIRE 311 | Financial Management | 3 | Major |
| MGMT 303 | Creativity and Ideation | 3 | Major |
| MGMT 310 | Managing People in Organizations | 3 | Major |
| MGMT 434 | Strategic Management | 3 | Major |
| MKTG 301 | Marketing Principles | 3 | Major |
| SCMA 320 | Production/Operations Management | 3 | Major |
| Open elective | 3 | Elective | |
| Credits completed at VCU | 58 | ||
| Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree | 120 | ||