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. 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 have at least a C in each required ACCY course.

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.

Degree with Honors

The Accountancy Honors Program offers students the opportunity for challenging educational experiences. The departmental honors program promotes a deeper understanding of topics within the accountancy profession and emphasizes unique opportunities for students’ professional and business development. The Accountancy Honors Program supports the general mission of the University Honors Program. Students are encouraged to apply to both programs; however, the departmental honors program does not require admission to the University Honors Program.

Admission

Interested students are encouraged to apply for admission to the Department of Accountancy’s Honors Program. Admission requirements are:

• a minimum overall GPA of 3.20;
• an A in both ACCY 206 and ACCY 207 or equivalent courses or a minimum GPA of 3.50 in all upper-level ACCY courses (minimum of two upper-level courses completed); and
• a completed application for department honors.

Retention

Retention in the Accountancy Honors Program requires a minimum NIU 3.20 cumulative GPA and a minimum 3.50 GPA in upper-level department course work. Students whose GPA falls below the minimum requirements for an academic term must achieve the retention standards before additional honors courses can be taken.

Graduation

Graduation with departmental honors in accountancy requires:

• a minimum NIU 3.20 cumulative GPA;
• a minimum 3.50 GPA in upper-level departmental course work;
• completion of at least 6 semester hours of upper-level accountancy honors courses (excluding ACCY 499H);
• completion of UBUS 499H, Introduction to Business Research, with a minimum grade of B; and
• completion of ACCY 499H, Honors Directed Research in Accountancy, as an Accountancy Senior Honors Project. The project topic must be approved by the student’s Accountancy Honors Program project adviser and Department of Accountancy chair. For students attempting University Honors or Upper-Division University Honors, the Accountancy Honors Senior Project may be completed concurrently with the Upper-Division University Honors Capstone project.

Students in the Accountancy Honors Program graduate with the designation Graduated with Departmental Honors in Accountancy on their official NIU transcript report.

Internships in Accountancy

The internship (ACCY 473) consists of 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, professor, chair, Crowe Chizek Professor of Accountancy
Natalie T. Churyk, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of South Carolina, assistant professor
B. Douglas Clinton, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington, associate professor, Alta Via Consulting Professor of Management Accountancy
C. William Cummings, C.D.P., C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Missouri, associate professor
Chih-Chen Lee, C.P.A., Ph.D., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, assistant professor
Katrina L. Mantzke, C.P.A., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, assistant professor
Rebecca T. Shortridge, C.P.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University, assistant professor
David H. Sinason, C.F.E., C.F.S.A., C.P.A., Ph.D., Florida State University, associate 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, associate professor, HSBC Professor of Accountancy

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