Requirements

Declaring the Majors

Economics Major

Students can declare the major after showing evidence that they have completed or are enrolled in an economics class at the College. First-year students cannot be signed in until their second semester at the College. Students must be signed in by the fall of their third year. All students who wish to major in economics must have completed ECON 110 and Calculus 1 by the end of their second year.

Accounting Major 

Students interested in accounting should enroll in ACCT 181 - Financial Accounting during the fall semester of their first or second year. Prospective majors should then enroll in ACCT 277 - Intermediate Accounting I. First or second year students from the Class of 2026 who complete ACCT 277 with a C- or better are eligible to declare the accounting major. Beginning with the Class of 2027, any first or second year student who completes ACCT 181 is eligible to declare the accounting major. First year students cannot be signed into a major until February of their first year. 

Economics Major Requirements

Students interested in majoring in economics are required to take the following minimum 9 courses within the department, in addition to a year of Calculus (in the math department). The College Catalog is the final authority on college and department policy. The Catalog should always be consulted when planning your curriculum.

 

Required courses 

  • ECON 110 Principles of Economics
  • ECON 249 Statistics
  • ECON 255 Microeconomics
  • ECON 256 Macroeconomics
  • ECON 265 Quantitative Microeconomics OR ECON 266 Quantitative Macroeconomics
  • Four electives in Economics department (at least three of these elective courses must be 300-level electives)
  • Nine ECON courses plus one year of college calculus, or the equivalent.

All majors are encouraged to enroll in the MATH 133-134 or the MATH 135-136 sequence in the first year. An acceptable alternative is a minimum score of 4 on all sections of the AP Calculus BC exam.

Recommended Course of Study

  • First Year: ECON 110 Principles of Economics and one year of college calculus.
  • Second Year: ECON 249 Statistics, ECON 255 Microeconomics, and ECON 256 Macroeconomics.
  • Third Year: ECON 265 Quantitative Microeconomics or ECON 266 Quantitative Macroeconomics, and an ECON elective (200 or 300 level)
  • Fourth Year: Three 300 level ECON electives

Notes

  • Majors can take up to 14 total courses in the department (including ACCT courses).
  • Majors may take up to two economics courses at other institutions including consortium schools, summer school, and study abroad. Microeconomics (ECON 255), Macroeconomics (ECON 256), and the Quantitative course (ECON 265 or ECON 266) must be taken at Holy Cross.
  • Students may use advanced placement (AP) credit for Principles of Economics (ECON 110) by earning a score of 4 or 5 on both the macroeconomics and microeconomics exams. Students may use advanced placement (AP) credit for Statistics (ECON 249) by earning a score of 4 or 5 on the statistics exam. Students who use AP credits must still take nine courses in economics and can make up this deficit with additional electives.
  • If planning on studying abroad or participating in the Washington Program, make sure to plan your course of study carefully. See the study abroad and Washington Program pages for guidance.

Accounting Major Requirements

Students majoring in accounting at Holy Cross are required to take the following course sequence within the department. Students at Holy Cross enroll in four courses each semester and must fulfill certain distribution requirements. This program listing features accounting major requirements only. The College Catalog is the final authority on college and departmental policy. The Catalog should always be consulted when planning your curriculum.

The Recommended Program

The First Year

  • ACCT 181 Financial Accounting (prospective majors must take this course in the fall of their first or second year)
  • ACCT 277 Intermediate Accounting I with Excel accounting lab (course may also be completed spring of a student's second year) 
  • One semester of college calculus, or the equivalent.
    • Majors are encouraged to enroll in Math 135 or the equivalent.
    • Acceptable alternative is a minimum score of 4 on all sections of the AP Calculus AB exam

The Second Year

  • ACCT 278 Intermediate Financial Accounting II with computer lab
  • ECON 110 Principles of Economics
  • ECON 249 Statistics or one of the Accounting electives

The Third Year

  • ACCT 282 Auditing
  • ECON 292 Federal Income Taxation
  • ACCT 390 Advanced Accounting
  • One (or more) Accounting (ACCT) electives or Statistics if not yet taken

The Fourth Year

  • ACCT 360 Ethics, Accounting and Organizations
  • ACCT 387 Business Law 
  • ACCT 389 Cost Accounting
  • One (or more) Accounting (ACCT) electives or Statistics if not yet taken

Elective Courses

Accounting majors must take a minimum of two additional courses in the Economics and Accounting Department (designated either ECON or ACCT) as electives.

Students typically take Corporation Finance, Accounting Information Systems, Operations Research, Data Analytics or Taxation of Entities as electives during their program.  

Accounting majors may take no more than 16 courses in the economics and accounting department (designated ECON or ACCT) unless they also have 16 courses outside the department.

The 150 Hour Requirement

As of January 2000, the majority of state boards of public accountancy have adopted the 150 hour requirement. The 150 hour requirement mandates that candidates for the certified public accountant (CPA) license complete additional college courses prior to sitting for the CPA examination. Most states permit the candidate to use undergraduate or graduate credits to fulfill the requirements. Students completing 32 regular (one unit) classes at Holy Cross earn the equivalent of 128 credit hours. Accounting majors earn 131 hours in their standard program as three of their required courses include an additional hour.

As an exclusively undergraduate institution, Holy Cross does not provide an opportunity to complete graduate courses on campus. Currently, Holy Cross students are using a variety of approaches to meet the 150 hour requirements. Some students in the program have enrolled in summer school courses while others have taken additional courses at Holy Cross in an effort to progress toward fulfillment of the 150 hour requirement. Faculty advisors in the department can also advise students interested in identifying graduate programs leading to completion of the 150 hour requirement.

Majors interested in a career in public accounting are urged to consult their faculty advisors to develop an appropriate plan of action early in their program.

Questions about the major? Contact Professor Steven DeSimone, accounting coordinator in the department.