Accountancy (ACCY)

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The Department of Accountancy offers a B.S. degree which prepares its graduates for positions in industry, public accounting, government, and not-for-profit organizations, and for graduate study. The program provides students with a foundation in all primary areas of the accounting discipline. Students are also provided with an opportunity to develop their communication, technology, and team-building skills; apply their knowledge to structured problems; use critical thinking skills to analyze ambiguous situations and provide relevant business alternatives; and develop an understanding of ethical issues and expectations for professional conduct in business. Graduates are expected to be sufficiently competent in the areas of cost management, financial accounting, accounting information systems, assurance services, federal income taxes, and related business areas to have the necessary foundation for a career and/or for graduate study.

Department Requirements

Retention in the accountancy program is competitive based on a student’s overall GPA for 60 semester hours and grades earned in ACCY 206 and ACCY 207 or equivalent courses. Transcript review must be formally requested by a qualified student by submitting a completed request form. This review must be complete before permission is granted for a student to enroll in any 300- or 400-level ACCY courses. This form can be obtained from the Undergraduate Studies in Business Office or from the Department of Accountancy.

Satisfactory completion of UBUS 310 as evidenced by a grade of C or better is required before an accountancy major is allowed to enroll in any 400-level accountancy course.

Accountancy prerequisites are deemed to be met only by obtaining a grade of C or better. (It is necessary to repeat an ACCY prerequisite in which a grade below C was earned before taking the next course in the sequence.)

Accountancy majors may repeat a maximum of two upper-level ACCY courses (one-credit upper-level ACCY courses are exempted from this policy). Students who want to repeat any ACCY courses will be allowed to enroll in that course only during add/drop if sufficient resources are available.

Upper-level (300-400) ACCY courses will not be accepted from other institutions except with permission of the Department of Accountancy.

To graduate as an accountancy major, a transfer student will be required to take at least 12 semester hours of 300-400 level ACCY courses at NIU.

Of the total semester hours required for the degree, 90 semester hours must be in courses outside of the accounting discipline.

To graduate as an accountancy major, a student must earn a grade of at least C in each course required in the major, which includes courses in the business core, required ACCY courses, and all electives required for the major.

Applied/Diversified Study

To graduate with a B.S. in accountancy, students are required to complete 12 semester hours of applied or diversified study. This requirement does not preclude an accountancy student from pursuing a formal minor offered by a department outside the College of Business, which can be used to fulfill this requirement.

Applied Study

Applied study requires 12 semester hours taken in a single department outside the College of Business. Suggested study includes courses offered by departments in the Colleges of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Diversified Study

As an alternative to the applied study of course work taken in a single department, a student may elect diversified study, under which the 12 semester hours are selected in consultation with the department adviser. These courses should be selected so that the student gains opportunities to develop intellectual and analytical skills and/or interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills.

Internships in Accountancy

The internship (ACCY 473) consists of full-time work experience in an accounting function for ten to thirteen weeks and completion of written and oral reports. Applications are reviewed by the internship coordinator and approved on the basis of professional promise, instructor recommendation, and credit in specified courses. The Department of Accountancy coordinates all academic internships. Students submit resumes and participate in interviews approximately six to twelve months prior to the internship. Spring semester interns have the opportunity to enroll in additional accountancy courses from April to May. More detailed information is available in the departmental office.

Professional Examination Preparation

The accountancy program provides students with the skills necessary to pass the major certification examinations in the accountancy profession, including the Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) Examination, the Certified Internal Auditor (C.I.A.) Examination, and the Certified Management Accountant (C.M.A.) Examination. Information about requirements and review courses for all these examinations is available in the department office.

C.P.A. Examination candidates in Illinois are required to complete 150 semester hours of course work and must have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher degree before sitting for the examination. The B.S. program, when combined with the M.A.S. degree, provides students with an excellent background for the C.P.A. Examination.

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) has approved NIU as a participant in IIA’s Endorsed Internal Auditing Program. To receive an IIA certificate of completion, a student must have either a B.S. in accountancy from NIU or an M.A.S. degree from NIU. As part of the certificate requirements students must complete ACCY 462, an approved business elective, and an academic internship (ACCY 473) in an internal audit position. A student completing the internal audit course work will have “Completion of internal audit course work as endorsed by the Institute of Internal Auditors” on the official NIU transcript.

Accountancy Faculty

James C. Young, C.P.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University, Presidential Teaching Professor, chair, Crowe Chizek Professor of Accountancy Natalie T. Churyk, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of South Carolina, associate professor, Caterpillar Professor of Accountancy
B. Douglas Clinton, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington, professor, Alta Via Consulting Professor of Management Accountancy 
Bradrick M. Cripe, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Nebraska at Lincoln, assistant professor
Chih-Chen Lee, C.P.A., Ph.D., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, associate professor, Michael and Patricia Strachan Professor of Accountancy 
Katrina L. Mantzke, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, associate professor, Kieso Professor of Accountancy
Linda Matuszewski, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Cincinnati, assistant professor
Mark E. Riley, C.P.A., Ph.D., Texas Tech University, assistant professor
Rebecca T. Shortridge, C.P.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University, associate professor, Gaylen and Joanne Larson Professor or Accountancy
David H. Sinason, C.F.E., C.F.S.A., C.I.A., C.P.A., Ph.D., Florida State University, professor, PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor of Accountancy
Pamela A. Smith, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of North Texas, professor, KPMG Professor of Accountancy
Donald Tidrick, C.I.A., C.M.A., C.P.A., Ph.D., Ohio State University, professor, Deloitte Professor of Accountancy
Sally Ann Webber, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington, professor, HSBC Professor of Accountancy
S. Carol Yu, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Texas, assistant professor

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