Accounting

Accounting Ranked in the Top by Peers

For the first time, Isenberg’s Accounting Department has earned rankings in Public Accounting Report’s annual roster. In the Northeast, Isenberg’s undergraduate program ranked 3rd and the MSA program ranked 4th.

RSM Gift Energizes Isenberg Building Expansion and Scholarship Support

A $250,000 gift from the accounting and consulting firm RSM US and its RSM Foundation will support Isenberg’s new Business Innovation Hub and will create an endowed RSM Student Scholarship.

Accounting Society Chapter Recognized Nationally

Isenberg's Beta Alpha Psi accounting honor society chapter, along with some of its students and advisor Cathy Lowry, has once again been honored for their work with the group in professional, leadership, and service activities.

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Message from the Department Head

M. David Piercey

Department Chair, John Spinney Faculty Fellow & Professor

Isenberg-educated accountants help businesses make informed, data-driven financial decisions. Our graduates are valued advisors who diagnose the health of a business, shielding it from competitive traps and unlocking new growth opportunities.

Our faculty and exceptional ties to industry give our students a strong head start as future auditors, where most accounting graduates begin their careers. Our faculty rank #1 in the world for Ph.D.-level research on decision making by auditors. And they excel in the classroom with an unwavering commitment to teaching.

Isenberg accounting students join a community of nearly 10,000 Isenberg graduates in the accounting profession. They have a commanding presence in Greater Boston and New England, where Isenberg grads excel at Big 4 and other public accounting firms. And our students gain added leverage from the entire Isenberg community of 45,000 graduates in 75 countries.

Our tight-knit relationship with the profession brings our students exceptional exposure to real-world accounting challenges. Each student has multiple internships, some through our Semester in the Profession Program, where students spend a semester at public accounting firms in Greater Boston. Students also gain experience as tax advisors to members of the local community through our annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Our curriculum allows students to transition seamlessly to our innovative M.S. in Accounting program, where they conveniently gain the required 150-hour accreditation for CPA status. Our M.S. students choose their own mix of online and on-campus courses.

State-of-the-art analytical training, industry connections, and curricular flexibility—our AACSB-accredited programs deliver all three in support of our paramount goal—making our students and our graduates more competitive!

On-Campus BBA Accounting Program

Accounting is truly the language of business. From financial reporting to strategic planning, to tax reporting and regulatory compliance, one common thread that underlies all business decision is the use of accounting information.

What will I learn?

The accounting major offers courses designed to customize an academic program to meet your goals, interests and needs.

Sample course offerings:
Core courses in Corporate Finance, Financial Accounting, Auditing, Accounting Information Systems, and Taxation.

Electives in Business Information Systems, Cost Accounting, Federal Taxes, International Accounting, Advanced Federal Taxes

Honors Program
Accounting majors who wish to complete an advanced scholarship track of the Commonwealth Honors College will choose Multidisciplinary Honors. This allows highly motivated honors students the opportunity to propose programs of study outside of accounting or between two or more disciplines.

How will I learn?

Through experiential learning, Isenberg’s accounting department simulates the real-world on the job challenges so you will be ready to tackle any complex issue thrown your way.

Volunteer for VITA
Students use their accounting knowledge to help individuals file their tax returns, answer pressing tax questions and offer tax-related guidance.

Semester in the Profession Program
SIPP allows qualified students to spend part of their junior year spring semester gaining valuable professional experience and enhancing their prospects for a career position, while staying on track for graduation and getting paid. Isenberg is one of the only schools in Massachusetts to offer this to students.

What will I do with my degree?

Student’s considering graduate study in law, business and public policy are well prepared with undergraduate degree in Accounting. Accounting graduates have among the highest employment rates and some of the highest starting salaries of any major.

Private & Public Sector careers with:

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG, Grant Thornton, Aetna, General Electric, IBM, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, and government agencies

Learn more about the program

Online BBA in Accounting

Isenberg offers freedom without compromise – a flexible learning environment that delivers a superior education online with the same curriculum as our on-campus program.

Our online students are working professionals, parents and community members who live full lives and have demanding, often fluctuating schedules week to week. They want a superior education on their terms. No campus visits are required, as students can complete the entire degree online from anywhere in the world.

Degree Requirements

To meet the graduation requirements for a BBA degree, every accounting major must complete the following coursework:

12 general education requirements
11 business courses in topics like corporate finance, marketing fundamentals, principles of management, operations management, and management communications
9 accounting major courses in topics like auditing and financial reporting
21 credits of non business breadth

Engagement Opportunities

Academic Advising
Our advisors are experts with over ten years of experience guiding students through online education. They are here to assist you with any questions you may have about your studies, from finishing your degree to taking stand-alone classes that complement your career.

Professional Organizations
There are many accounting-related organizations students can turn to for learning and networking such as the MSCPA, NASBA and FASB.

Learn more about the program

Master of Science in Accounting

Isenberg’s MSA program put our students ahead of the pack—providing the skills they need on an accelerated timeline.

The Program

Our separately AACSB-accredited program is efficient, flexible and affordable, allowing students to quickly launch careers in accounting. You will fulfill the educational requirements for CPA certification in Massachusetts and most other states, and eliminate the one-year experience requirement for CPA certification in Massachusetts.

There are two options to complete your degree. Our classic hybrid program allows you to take up to 18 credits online before completing one intensive 12-week in-residence summer session. Our full online option allows you to complete all 30 credits from anywhere in the world, at any time of day.

Degree Requirements

MSA students gain both breadth and depth of knowledge in accounting and business. You’ll learn skills that will advance your accounting knowledge and enhance your essential business skills.

The MS in Accounting requires 30 credits and courses are available in-residence (Summer term only) and online. Students generally complete the program in 8 months to 2 years. The coursework in this program of study helps students gain a range of knowledge in accounting and business, including understanding tax implications, using technology to gain a competitive advantage, and business writing.

An Accounting Future

Our MSA helps prepare you to take the CPA exam by offering a curriculum designed specifically by and for accountants. As a graduate with an MSA, you may also take a management position in accounting, auditing or budgeting, open your own accounting business, or go on to earn an MBA or doctorate degree. Specifically, you might be a chief financial officer, controller, internal auditor, or government auditor, or work in accounting information technology.

Learn more about the program

PhD in Accounting

The PhD program in accounting rigorously trains students to engage in scholarly academic research and university-level teaching. Students are trained to think critically and creatively about real-world accounting problems, and tackle those problems with interesting and scientifically sound research.

Elaine (Ying) Wang

PhD Coordinator & Associate Professor

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Research

Isenberg’s PhD in Accounting is an intensely focused and highly supportive full-time, residential program that prepares students for careers in academia. Students will broaden their understanding of accounting research and conduct independent research based on their interests.

Isenberg has a strong focus on research. Faculty members are working on a wide variety of research projects, investigating such topics as:

Audit quality and office growth
Readability’s influence on investors’ judgments
Social mismatches between auditors and clients
Effects of guidance frequency on management
Consequences of lowering disclosure thresholds

Degree Timeline

The program is generally completed within 4-5 years. Students take 48 credits of coursework, which includes research methodology, statistics, major and minor area courses at the graduate level, and electives. They complete a qualifying and comprehensive exam, a research project, and teach at Isenberg for at least three semesters. Students will finally research, write and defend a dissertation.

YEAR 1: Coursework, including foundation courses; Qualifying exam
YEAR 2: Coursework, including major and minor area courses; Directed research project
YEAR 3: Comprehensive exam; Directed research project; Dissertation proposal
YEAR 4: Dissertation

Learn more about the program

Our Faculty

Isenberg faculty includes award-winning research scholars, industry experts and outstanding professors. We recruit our faculty members from all over the world, and their caliber elevates an Isenberg education.

Christopher P. Agoglia

Richard Simpson Endowed Professor, Accounting

Orhan Akisik

Lecturer, Accounting

Bradley Bennett

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Jeremiah W. Bentley

Assistant Professor, Accounting

William D. Brown Jr.

Master of Science in Accounting Program Director & Associate Professor, Accounting

Graham Gal

Associate Professor, Accounting

Yoon Ju Kang

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Catherine West Lowry

Senior Lecturer, Director of Firm Relations, Accounting

William Timothy Mitchell, CPA

Associate Department Chair, Accounting

M. David Piercey

Department Chair, John Spinney Faculty Fellow & Professor, Accounting

Matthew Sherwood

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Pamela Trafford

Senior Lecturer II, Accounting

Sean Wandrei

Lecturer, Accounting

Elaine (Ying) Wang

PhD Coordinator & Associate Professor, Accounting

Robert Whited

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Yao Yu

Assistant Professor, Accounting