Program of Accounting
Dr. Bradley M. Roof, Interim Director
Professors
C. Baril, A. Gabbin, D. Riordan, M. Riordan, B. Roof
Associate Professors
D. Fordham, N. Nichols
Assistant Professors
L. Betancourt, J. Briggs, E. Cole, D. Gottschalk, R.
Richardson
Instructors
M. Brown, S. Cereola, K. Richardson, E. Shifflett
Mission Statement
The mission of the JMU Accounting program is to cultivate an environment of educational excellence.
The program does so by providing a learning environment in which students are
encouraged to develop both technical and interpersonal skills necessary for
successful professional accounting careers; encouraging and supporting
meaningful intellectual contributions by our faculty and participating actively
in the academic and professional communities.
Goals
The accounting faculty has
identified strategic and tactical goals in three major areas: learning
objectives for students, intellectual contributions for faculty and service to
our profession and the community.
Learning Environment Objectives
We engage in the scholarship
of teaching to prepare students for professional accounting careers in public
accounting, industry or the public sector. We provide a learning environment
which encourages a commitment to lifelong learning and develops a diverse set
of skills in students, including technical competence, information technology
proficiency, critical thinking, teamwork and communication.
Intellectual Contributions Objectives
We engage in the scholarships
of discovery, application of knowledge and instructional development to advance
knowledge in the field of accounting, to improve business practice, to
encourage and support innovative teaching methods and curricula and to foster
the intellectual and professional growth of our faculty.
Service Objectives
We serve our school, college,
university, accounting profession and business and academic communities through
active participation and leadership in academic, professional and business
organizations.
Career Opportunities
The programs of study offered
by the Accounting Program provide an educational experience intended to prepare
students for a variety of careers in the accounting, financial, auditing,
consulting and information systems fields. Some of the job titles held by
graduates of our program include the following:
- Accountant
- Assistant Controller
- Assistant Director — Internal Audit
- Auditor
- Audit Manager
- Audit Partner
- Audit Senior
- Business Analyst
- Business Consultant
- Chief Accountant
- Computer Network Manager
- Computer Systems Consultant
- Comptroller
- Consultant
- Controller
- Controller Trainee
- Cost Accountant
- Cost Analyst
- Customer Needs Analyst
- Database Administrator
- Division Controller
- EDP Auditor
- Fraud Examiner
- Information Systems Coordinator
- Internal Auditor
- Internal Audit Manager Trainee
- Investigator – Electronic-Based Fraud
- Records Control Specialist
- Special Agent – Computer Crime Unit
- System Specification Writer
- Staff Consultant
- System Security Manager
- Tax Accountant
- Tax Adviser
- Tax Manager
- Tax Partner
- Technical Services Manager
- White Collar Crime Investigator
Our graduates find employment
with all of the “Big Five” international public accounting firms, dozens of
local and regional public accounting firms and major international companies in
the hotel, insurance, publishing, electronics, retailing, manufacturing,
distribution, banking and computer industries. Many of our graduates work for
business consulting firms and software developers. Recently, our graduates have
been at the forefront of companies entering the arena of electronic commerce.
The field of accounting has one of the highest demands for new graduates of any
area in today’s market, and accounting graduates enjoy some of the highest
starting salaries in the College of Business.
Co-curricular Activities and Organizations
- Beta Alpha Psi is the honor fraternity
for accounting majors.
- Institute of Management Accountants is
open to all accounting students.
- Association of Information Technology
Professionals is attractive to students in the technology/consulting track.
Special Admission Requirements
To register for ACTG 343,
Corporate Financial Reporting I, , a student must have a 2.5 grade point
average; have completed 56 credit hours and have completed with “B” or better
both COB 241. Financial Accounting and COB 242. Managerial Accounting.
Students are required to earn
a “C” or better in all upper level prerequisite accounting courses before
continuing to the next course in the sequence. Students receiving a “D” in any
upper level accounting course must repeat the course and earn a “C” or better
in order to be awarded an accounting degree.
Degree and Major Requirements
The Bachelor of Business
Administration degree in Accounting requires a minimum of 120 credit hours of
undergraduate work. However, many states require 150 hours of education to site
of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. See the Certification section
for more information. Fifty percent of this work, or 60 credit hours, must be
taken outside of the College of Business. The core courses, required of all
accounting majors are as follows.
Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting
Degree Requirements
|
Credit Hours |
| B.B.A. core courses 1 |
44-45 |
| Finance major requirements |
24 |
| Free elective 2 |
3 |
| General Education courses 3 |
41 |
| Non-business electives |
7-8 |
|
120 |
Major Requirements
| Core Corses |
Credit Hours |
| ACTG 301. Accounting Technology |
1 |
| ACTG 313. Accounting Information Systems |
3 |
| ACTG 343. Corporate Financial Reporting I |
3 |
| ACTG 344. Corporate Financial Reporting II |
3 |
| ACTG 377. Federal Income Tax Accounting |
3 |
| ACTG 410. Auditing |
3 |
| ACTG 445. Selected Accounting and Reporting Topics |
3 |
| BLAW 495. Business Law I |
3 |
|
25 |
Non-Business Electives
In counting the 60 credit
hours of nonbusiness courses, B.B.A. students may include all hours taken in
General Education (usually 41-44), up to a total of nine hours in economics (GECON
courses must be counted as economics), and three hours of COB 191, Business and
Economic Statistics. The remaining hours, to bring the total to 60, must be
taken from departments outside the College of Business. Students should
carefully select these nonbusiness electives to help them gain additional
knowledge and expertise for their careers and personal lives. A list of
approved electives is available from the College of Business Academic Services
Center.
Students are responsible for
their own progress towards graduation. Students must work closely with their
advisers and the College of Business Student Development Center to ensure
scheduling of courses consistent with their personal degree completion target,
and then study diligently to successfully complete the scheduled course work on
time.
Recommended Schedule for Majors
First Two Years
Students planning to major in
accounting must complete the 29-30 hour lower-division B.B.A. curriculum prior
to enrolling in upper-division core courses, normally taken in the first
semester of the junior year. It is expected that the lower-division core
curriculum will be completed during the first two years of study along with
all, or most, of the university General Education curriculum. Failing to
complete all lower-division core requirements on time will delay enrollment in
upper-division core and major courses until at least the second semester of the
junior year.
Third Year
| First Semester |
Credit Hours |
COB 300A. Integrated Functional Systems: Management
| 3 |
|
| COB 300B. Integrated Functional Systems: Operations |
3 |
| COB 300C. Integrated Functional Systems: Operations |
3 |
| COB 300D. Integrated Functional Systems: Marketing |
3 |
| ACTG 343. Corporate Financial Reporting I |
3 |
|
15 |
| Second Semester |
Credit Hours |
ACTG 301. Accounting Technology
| 3 |
|
| ACTG 344. Corporate Financial Accounting II |
3 |
| ACTG 313. Accounting Information Systems |
3 |
| ACTG 377. Federal Income Tax Accounting |
3 |
| General Education or non-business electives |
3 |
|
15 |
Fourth Year
| First Semester |
Credit Hours |
ACTG 410. Auditing
| 3 |
|
| ACTG 445. Selected Auditing and Reporting Topics |
3 |
| Any 300 level accounting course not already scheduled, General Education or non-business electives |
9 |
|
15 |
| Second Semester |
Credit Hours |
| ACTG 475. Accounting for Decision Making and Control |
3 |
| BLAW 495. Business Law I |
3 |
| Any remaining accounting course not already completed, General Education or non-business electives |
9 |
|
15 |
Concentration
Accounting Information Systems
JMU offers a specialty
concentration in Accounting Information Systems (AIS). The AIS concentration
requires additional computer or technology-related courses in addition to those
described for the accounting degrees above. These courses offer the student the
opportunity to gain more expertise and proficiency in areas such as network
design and construction, telecommunications, systems development and
programming, advanced database design, expert systems, information security and
other areas above and beyond those required for an accounting degree. Students
completing the AIS concentration are in very high demand by employers, and
historically have commanded significant salary premiums over the already-high
starting salaries of regular accounting majors.
AIS Concentration
| Required Course |
Credit Hours |
| CIS 221. Introduction to Computer Programming (or equivalent ) |
3 |
| ACTG 440. Advanced Information Technology for Accountants |
3 |
| ACIS 430. Database Design and Application |
3 |
|
9 |
Certifications
Many graduates desire to gain
certifications in their selected area of specialization. The Certified Public
Accountant (CPA) is the best known of these certifications. Effective in 2006,
students taking the CPA exam in Virginia will have to meet a 150-hour education
requirement in order to sit for the CPA exam. The requirements for other states
vary. However, most states already require students to meet the 150-hour
educational requirement. Furthermore, membership in the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) requires 150 hours of education. Students
should discuss with their adviser the several options. JMU provides for meeting
this requirement at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
In addition to the CPA exam,
graduates of our program sit for the Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
exam, the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam, the Certified Information
Systems Auditor (CISA) exam and others. Students interested in taking one of
these exams are encouraged to talk to their adviser during their junior year to
determine the necessary requirements for taking the exam.
Student Computers
The computer is the primary
tool of today’s accountant. The JMU accounting program gives students extensive
hands-on experience using sophisticated technological tools in solving accounting
problems. Most or all courses in the accounting program require computer usage,
Internet reference, CD-ROM-based research and other uses of technology.
Many courses have online
content, and most professors publish course material on Web sites for convenient
access.
As outlined in the College of
Business section on Page 162, it is unrealistic for students to expect
to rely on university-provided computer labs for access to computers. Students
should plan to purchase or otherwise arrange access to a personal computer no
later than the beginning of their sophomore year.
The accounting program policy
states that e-mail sent to a student’s JMU e-mail account is assumed to be
received by the student within 24 hours of its dispatch. Students are
responsible for checking their e-mail in a timely fashion, and maintaining
sufficient available capacity in their e-mail quotas to allow for incoming
messages at all times.
Transfer Credit
In general, all upper-division
accounting course work (300-499) must be completed at JMU. Transfer credit for
upper-division courses is awarded only in certain circumstances. In no case
will transfer credit be awarded for more than two upper-division courses, and
in no case will transfer credit be awarded for either of the Intermediate
Accounting (ACTG 343 or ACTG 344) courses. Contact the program director for
more information on transfer credit.
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