Department of Accounting

Professors: Yongtae Kim (Robert and Barbara McCullough Professor), Siqi Li (Department Chair), Susan Parker

Associate Professors: Michael J. Calegari, Matthew Cedergren, Haidan Li, Kevin K. Li, Suzanne M. Luttman

Assistant Professors: Amanda Badger, Stacey Ritter, Vincent (Qiru) Zhang

Professors of Practice: Wendy Donohoe, Brain Nelson

Dean’s Executive Professor: Chris Paisley

The Department of Accounting strives to provide high-quality accounting instruction, conduct research that contributes to the understanding of accounting issues, and provide superior service to students and alumni, the profession, the University, and the business community. In addition to the major in accounting, the Accounting Department and Information Systems & Analytics Department offer a joint major in accounting and information systems. Effective September 2023, the Accounting and Information Systems (A&IS) major has the STEM designation.

Requirements for the Majors

In addition to fulfilling undergraduate Core Curriculum and Leavey School of Business requirements for the bachelor of science in commerce, students majoring in accounting or accounting and information systems must complete the following departmental requirements:

Major in Accounting

ACTG 120
ACTG 130, 131, 132, 134, 135, 136, and 138

Note: Accounting majors may use ACTG 134 to satisfy both the information systems requirement in the Leavey School of Business curriculum and the Science, Technology & Society requirement in the 2009 University Core.

Major in Accounting and Information Systems

ACTG 120
ACTG 130, 131, 132, 135, 136, and 138
OMIS 30
OMIS 105, 106, and ACTG 155
One course from OMIS 107, 111, 113, 114, 120, 135, 137

Note: Accounting and information systems majors may use OMIS 30 to satisfy the information systems requirement in the Leavey School of Business curriculum. OMIS 150 is cross-listed with ACTG 155. Accounting and information systems majors are required to enroll in ACTG 155.

Lower-Division Courses

5. Personal Financial Planning

Overview of the tools and information necessary for personal business decision making. Includes analysis of financial services, credit and borrowing, taxes, compensation planning, consumer purchases, housing decisions, the time value of money, savings, and investments. (4 units)

11. Introduction to Financial Accounting

An introduction to the language of business, the accounting treatment of business transactions, and the analysis of financial reports. This course shows students how financial analysts use accounting principles to prepare financial statements and how managers, investors, and creditors use balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and financial disclosures to make operating, investing, and financing decisions. Prerequisites: Must be a second-year business school student who has 44 units and have completed BUSN 70 or 170. Seniors who have not completed BUSN 70 may take this class with department permission on a space-available basis. ACTG 11 is for business majors. ACTG 11A is for business minors. (4 units)

12. Introduction to Managerial Accounting

Introduction to the role of accounting information in the decision making of business managers. The objective is to investigate the use of business data in typical managerial functions such as product costing, planning, control, and operational decision-making. Prerequisite: ACTG 11. (4 units)

Upper-Division Courses

120. Accounting Data Analysis and Visualization

The course is designed to prepare students with a deeper understanding of both accounting process and the application of accounting knowledge in performing data analysis by leveraging two commonly used tools in data analysis and visualization – Microsoft Excel and Tableau. Prerequisites: Open to business majors only. ACTG 11 and OMIS 15, and must have 70 completed units or department’s permission prior to enrollment. (5 units)

130. Intermediate Financial Accounting I

An in-depth study of the concepts underlying external financial reporting, along with expanded coverage of basic financial statements. Detailed analysis of the measurement and reporting of current assets, operational assets, and investments, including the treatment of related revenues and expenses. Significant attention is given to income statement presentation and revenue recognition. Prerequisites: Open to business majors only. ACTG 12 and ACTG 120, and must have 96 completed units or department’s permission prior to enrollment. (5 units)

131. Intermediate Financial Accounting II

Intensive analysis of generally accepted accounting principles as applied to accounting for liabilities, stockholders’ equity, and the statement of cash flows. Accounting for income taxes, pensions, leases, and the reporting of corporate earnings per share. Prerequisites: Open to accounting and accounting and information systems majors only. ACTG 130. (5 units)

132. Advanced Financial Accounting

An in-depth study of accounting for business combinations and consolidation of financial statements of a parent company and its subsidiaries. A broad spectrum of financial reporting issues in the context of financial statement consolidation will be examined. Other advanced financial accounting topics may also be introduced. Prerequisites: Open to accounting and accounting and information systems majors only. ACTG 131. (5 units)

134. Accounting Information Systems

Introduction to procedures by which accounting data is captured, processed, and communicated in computerized information systems. The course describes the ways that accounting information systems are designed, used, and maintained by accounting professionals with an emphasis on implementing accounting cycles and related controls, using key database concepts, and extracting, transforming, and loading data for analytics. Prerequisites: Open to business majors only. ACTG 11 and 12. (ACTG 12 may be taken concurrently.) (5 units)

135. Auditing

Introduction to the basic concepts of auditing. Discussion of applicable regulations, the audit risk model, and client risk assessment. Focus is on an overview of the audit process. Audit sampling, the use of audit data analytics and historical cases will also be discussed. Prerequisites: Open to accounting and accounting and information systems majors only. ACTG 131. (ACTG 131 may be taken concurrently.) (5 units)

136. Cost Accounting

Analysis of cost accounting with a strategic emphasis. Selected topics include job costing, activity-based costing, variance analysis, joint cost allocations, and the use of relevant cost in business decision making. Prerequisites: Open to accounting and accounting and information systems majors only. ACTG 130. (5 units)

138. Tax Planning and Business Decisions

A basic introduction to the tax treatment of transactions and events affecting both individuals and businesses and the conceptual framework underlying taxation. Includes issues of importance for successful tax planning with an emphasis on income and expense recognition, individual taxation, and property transactions. Assumes no prior knowledge of the tax law. Prerequisites: Open to business majors only. ACTG 11 and 12. (ACTG 12 may be taken concurrently.) (5 units)

140. Advanced Topics in Not for Profit Accounting

This course will introduce the complexities and differences in the accounting conventions for not for profit entities. The course will focus on revenue recognition for different revenue streams, reporting standards, split interest agreements, net asset classifications, and endowment accounting. Prerequisites: ACTG 11. (3 units)

144. Accounting Ethics

This course is designed with a particular focus on the roles and ethical responsibilities of the accounting, auditing, and tax professions; ethical behavior by management; and the legal guidelines that address behavior in a business setting. Prerequisites: Open to business majors only. ACTG 11 and 12, and either PHIL 26 or MGMT 6. This course must be taken for a letter grade. (5 units)

148. Taxation of Business Entities

This course is an advanced tax course covering the income tax treatment of transactions related to various entities. Topics include tax issues involving the formation, operation, and liquidation of corporations and partnerships, as well as tax issues related to multinational transactions. Prerequisites: ACTG 131 and ACTG 138.

150. Financial Fraud: Detection and Investigation

Forensic accounting deals with the application of accounting methods to legal problems, and comprises investigative accounting and litigation support activities. Investigative accounting (usually referred to as fraud accounting) refers to the role of the accountant in determining the existence and extent of asset misappropriation and/or financial statement fraud. Litigation support activities include those professional services provided by accountants to attorneys in support of civil or criminal litigation. In addition to examining both aspects of forensic accounting, the legal system and the role of the forensic accountant as an expert witness will be discussed. Prerequisites: Open to business majors only. ACTG 131. (ACTG 131 may be taken concurrently.) (5 units)

151. Financial Statement Analysis

Provides a framework for analyzing financial statements and develops skills useful in evaluating company performance, liquidity, solvency, financial forecasts, and valuation in the context of the company’s strategy and competitive environment. Prerequisites: Open to business majors only. ACTG 11 and FNCE 121 or 121S. (5 units)

155. Financial Information Systems

Course focuses on computer-based financial information systems that allow finance and accounting professionals to acquire and manage a company’s financial system. Topics include the business functions of a financial information system, the technical aspects of the system, and the management issues of implementing such a system. Students will acquire hands-on experience using ERP systems. Students who receive credit for OMIS 150 may not take this course for credit. Also listed as OMIS 150. Prerequisites: OMIS 30 and OMIS 105. (5 units)

161. Junior Contemporary Business Seminar Series I

A series of seminars covering topics pertinent to those pursuing a professional accounting career. Students are required to attend sessions with the course instructor and attend seminars sponsored by the Department of Accounting. Prerequisites: Open to accounting and accounting and information systems majors only. ACTG 12 or ACTG 120. ACTG 120 may be taken concurrently. (2 units)

162. Junior Contemporary Business Seminar Series II

171. Senior Contemporary Business Seminar Series I

A series of seminars covering topics pertinent to those pursuing a professional accounting career. Students are required to attend sessions with the course instructor and attend seminars sponsored by the Department of Accounting. Prerequisites: Open only to senior-declared accounting and accounting and information systems majors. (2 units)

172. Senior Contemporary Business Seminar Series II

A series of seminars covering topics pertinent to those pursuing a professional accounting career. Students are required to attend sessions with the course instructor and attend seminars sponsored by the Department of Accounting. Prerequisites: Open only to senior-declared accounting and accounting and information systems majors. (2 units)

191. Peer Educator in Accounting

Work closely with the department to help students in core accounting classes understand course material, think more deeply about the material, and feel less anxious about testing situations. Prerequisites: Declared accounting or accounting and information systems major and permission of instructor and chair required prior to enrollment. (1 or 2 units)

198. Accounting Internship

Opportunity for upper-division students to work in local accounting or corporate firms. Two written reports and the employer’s evaluation of the student’s work will be required. This course may be repeated for credit depending on the nature of the assignment. Prerequisites: Declared accounting or accounting and information systems major and permission of instructor and chair. (2–5 units per quarter, up to a maximum of 10 units)

199. Directed Reading/Directed Research

Independent projects undertaken by upper-division students with a faculty sponsor. Prerequisites: Declared accounting or accounting and information systems major and permission of instructor and chair. (1–5 units)