Accounting

John McNamara '81 '82 MS Named 2017 Accounting Alumnus of the Year

This year's Accounting Alumni of the Year is John McNamara ’81 ’82 M.S., Assurance Shareholder with Sullivan Bille, P.C. McNamara will be honored on April 20th at Isenberg's Annual Accounting Banquet at The Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA.

Changes Coming to 2017 CPA Exam

On April 1, 2017, the AICPA will launch the next version of the Uniform CPA Examination that places a greater emphasis on testing a candidate’s higher-order cognitive skills such as critical thinking and analytical ability. Check out this video clip for some highlights and tips from Becker Professional Education.

Mandatory Rotation of Auditors Inhibits Auditor Skepticism, Notes Isenberg Professor

An Isenberg accounting professor and two colleagues offer experimental evidence that mandatory rotation of auditors by clients can undermine the skepticism that is necessary to effective audits.

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Message from the Chair

M. David Piercey

Department Chair, John Spinney Faculty Fellow & Professor

Accountants help individuals and businesses make the most critical decisions with the utmost confidence. Highly sought-after advisors, accountants paint a picture of the health of a business—guarding it against pitfalls and opening doors to new growth opportunities.

With so much at stake, Isenberg carefully prepares accounting students to skillfully interpret and record data to make informed decisions. We do this by offering:

Expert faculty who are top leaders in the auditing field. Our faculty are ranked #1 world-wide when it comes to auditor decision making and #3 overall in the field of auditing. Considering the majority of students start in the auditing field, give yourself the competitive advantage by learning from our award winning faculty in teaching and research.
Flexible and efficient curriculum options. Our curriculum will allow you to graduate in 7 semesters with your BA and complete a Master's of Science in Accounting all within 4 years plus a summer. This is a cost-effective and timely approach to meet the education requirements to be a certified public accountant.
Teaching, tutoring and mentoring opportunities. Many of our talented seniors are teaching assistants in various courses across Isenberg, including accounting. They are actively involved as tutors and mentors.
Hands-on experience that gives students real-world skills, like the Semester in the Profession internship program, our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, and the case challenges offered by many of the accounting firms.
AACSB Accounting Accredited Program. AACSB represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 5% of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB Accreditation. AACSB-accredited schools produce graduates that are highly skilled and more desirable to employers than other non-accredited schools and Isenberg is proud to be have this accreditation.

We welcome you to apply.

Is Accounting Right for Me?

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.

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

Public Accounting

Public Accounting differs in firm size and range of activities. They provide auditing, tax, advisory, and consulting services. The Big Four (Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG, and PWC) are the largest public accounting firms in the world. Public accountants receive continuous training, contact with a wide variety of clients, and are involved in fascinating work. They are generally licensed professionals as Certified Public Accountants (CPA).

Private Accounting

Private Accounting works inside all businesses, government, and nonprofit entities. Private accountants choose a specific employer for their career and bring the tools, skills, and know how needed to succeed. Private accountants are an integral part of the success of any organization and many public accountants eventually work in the private accounting sector.

Experiential Learning

Isenberg’s accounting department simulates the real-world challenges you’ll face on the job so you’ll be ready to tackle any complex issue thrown your way.

Volunteer for VITA

Be a part of one of the largest VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) programs in the country that offers both foreign and domestic tax assistance. This program allows accounting students to offer free income tax assistance to qualified taxpayers as part of VITA at Isenberg. Students use their accounting knowledge to help individuals file their tax returns, answer pressing tax questions and offer tax-related guidance. The experience gives students an opportunity to hone their people skills and to practice their tax preparation skills in a live setting. More on VITA

VITA at Isenberg

Semester in the Profession Program (SIPP)

SIPP allows qualified students to spend part of the spring semester of their junior year 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. Participants who complete the program earn a total of 15 credits for the semester by participating in an internship, completing a professional issues seminar, and taking 2 intensive accounting courses on-campus.

Degrees & Career Paths

Bachelor's in Business Administration (BBA) provides employment in most private accounting and finance jobs and is a natural preparation for a graduate degree.
Master of Accounting (MSA) is a graduate program that allows students to complete their degree in as soon as two semesters after the senior year.
Doctoral Program (PhD) program is to prepare students for exceptional academic careers in business schools and taught by some of the top researchers internationally.

Chat with an advisor to discuss your academic path

Degree Requirements

Accounting is a field of study within the Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Isenberg School of Management.

Course Requirements

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

8 required courses in fields like cost accounting, financial accounting, auditing, accounting information systems, and taxation
1 required law course in contracts in business, CPA law, or law of enterprise organization
1 accounting elective in corporate taxation or international accounting

Resources for current Accounting Majors

Specialty Courses

The accounting major offers courses designed to customize an academic program to meet your goals, interests and needs. Here’s a sample of accounting electives:

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.

Professional Organizations

We encourage our accounting students to get involved with industry now! There are many accounting-related organizations that students can turn to for learning and networking.

The Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants is the state’s premiere professional organization with more than 11,000 members in public accounting, industry and business, government and education.

Founded in 1908, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) has served as an association dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of the country’s 55 state boards of accountancy for more than 100 years.

Since 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been the designated organization in the private sector for establishing standards of financial accounting that govern the preparation of financial reports by nongovernmental organizations.

The AICPA represents the CPA profession nationally regarding rule-making and standard-setting, and serves as an advocate before legislative bodies, public interest groups and other professional organizations.

Beta Alpha Psi, the national professional honor fraternity in accounting, was established at the University in October, 1975. There are presently over 100 chapters of this honor fraternity which includes many prominent accountants in public practice, industry, and government.

View our Student BAP Organization

The Accounting Association, the Student Affiliate Group of the Springfield Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. The programs include career programs featuring speakers from various firms and organizations, visitation programs, as well as social events.

Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting’s (ALPFA) mission is to “create opportunities, add value, and build relationships for its members, the community and its business partners”. A national organization aiming to support Latino leadership in the global workforce, ALPFA offers an extensive network to all who share its values.

Accounting Careers

Accounting majors take positions in a broad spectrum of industries, including banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, real estate developers, and accounting firms.

Companies you may work include:

PricewaterhouseCoopers
Ernst & Young
Deloitte
KPMG
Grant Thornton
Aetna
General Electric

Chase Career Center

The Chase Career Center is an experienced team of career professionals that is dedicated to serving the career and professional development needs of Isenberg students. It is their philosophy that students should begin the career exploration process early in their academic careers. The Chase Career Center team provides high-quality career services for students seeking internships, cooperative, and/or full-time opportunities.

Learn more about Chase

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