Program Overview
The Accounting program at Palumbo-Donahue School of Business prepares students for a successful career in accounting. Students will learn the technical aspects of accounting, as well as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. The program offers a BSBA to MAcc option, allowing students to earn two degrees in five years. Graduates are highly sought-after by businesses, non-profits, and government organizations.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Accounting isn't just about business transactions; it also involves data analysis, strategic thinking and forecasting. Ethical practices are also integral to a company's reputation management, and central to our accounting major. Whether for large businesses, non-profit or government organizations, accounting is a core operation, and well-trained students are sought-after. Students who choose accounting at the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business aren't looking for just any accounting program; they want the best. You will learn more than just the technical aspects of accounting; you will become a better critical thinker, communicator, and problem solver. You will have access to the latest versions of accounting software. Proficiency in these tools will enhance your success - both as a student and as a professional - and increase your marketability. BSBA to MAcc Earn two degrees in 5 years! You will earn two degrees, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) and a Master of Science in Accountancy (MAcc), in five years. Plus, you will have a paid co-op experience and only pay tuition for 4 ½ years.
Outline:
Course Schedule:
ACCT 214—Financial Accounting: 3 credits Introduces students to the discipline of accounting and the principles of financial reporting. Students will develop a basic understanding of how to use the financial statements to assess the profitability, liquidity and solvency of business entities. Students will gain an understanding of how financial statement information is communicated and be exposed to new technology tools to analyze and visualize financial data. ACCT 215—Managerial Accounting: 3 credits The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to cost concepts, product costing systems, budgeting systems, and the development of accounting data for internal managerial decisions. Students will gain an understanding of how accounting information is communicated within an organization and continue to work with technology to analyze and visualize accounting data. Prerequisite: ACCT 214 Online, Lecture. ACCT 310—Accounting Information Systems: 3 credits ACCT 310—Accounting Information Systems: 3 credits offered fall only In this course, students will explore the role of accountants as users, managers, designers, and evaluators of accounting information systems. Topics include the use and design of ERP systems and the design and implementation of internal controls. Prerequisites: ACCT 214 and ACCT 215 Lecture. ACCT 311—Intermediate Accounting I: 3 credits This course is an investigation and analysis of the accounting problems and practices of the corporation, with detailed study of the component elements of the balance sheet and income statement. Basic topics include: generally accepted accounting principles, financial statements, income determination, and presentation. Prerequisite: ACCT 215 Online, Lecture. ACCT 312—Intermediate Accounting II: 3 credits This course is an investigation and analysis of the accounting problems and practices of the corporation, with detailed study of the component elements of the balance sheet and income statement. Basic topics include: generally accepted accounting principles, financial statements, income determination and presentation. Prerequisite: ACCT 311 Online, Lecture ACCT 314—Advanced Accounting: 3 credits ACCT 314—Advanced Accounting: 3 credits offered fall and spring The Advanced Accounting course exposes students to several of the more complex areas of accounting, including the preparation of consolidated financial statements, equity method investments, accounting for partnerships, accounting for governmental entities, and foreign currency transactions and translations. Current business transactions are utilized to illustrate course topics. Prerequisite: ACCT 312 Lecture. ACCT 315—Financial Planning and Cost Management: 3 credits ACCT 315—Financial Planning and Cost Management: 3 credits Financial cost data assists accountants in planning and managing the activities of organizations. Planning is vital for managing the financial performance of business organizations' decisions. The financial planning topics in accounting are flexible budgets, balanced scorecards, responsibility accounting, transfer pricing and capital budgeting decisions. Cost management covers advanced topics in accounting information for external financial reporting. The cost topics include product and process costing, variable and absorption costing income statements, cost allocation for support service departments, use of standard costs for cost control, as well as variance analysis for variable and fixed product costs. The subjects covered are applicable for manufacturing, merchandising and service organizations. The course integrates statistical, analytical and quantitative methods from microeconomics and decision sciences to advance the problem-solving abilities of students. Prerequisite: ACCT 215 Lecture. Offered fall and spring. ACCT 411W—Auditing: 3 credits ACCT 411W—Auditing: 3 credits offered spring onlyStudents study and evaluate standards and procedures employed by auditors in the examination of financial statements and internal controls for the purpose of rendering an opinion. The course includes an audit simulation to illustrate the concepts and develop students' communication skills. Students will use data analytics and audit automation tools, such as Excel, confirmation.com and AI Mindbridge. Prerequisite: ACCT 312 Lecture. ACCT 412W—Intro to Income Tax Accounting: 3 credits offered fall only This course covers the basic income tax concepts relevant to individual taxpayers, and "how to" apply those principles. The course deals with the basic income tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, with a particular focus on provisions that affect the tax liabilities of individual taxpayers as opposed to corporations. They should be able to explain how the current federal individual income taxation evolved and developed. Students will prepare tax returns that includes Schedules A, B, C, D, and E as well as other schedules and forms that are required to complete individual income tax returns both manually and using tax software. Issues that put tax practitioners at odds with clients will be discussed, guided by the ethical parameters established by the various standards, codes of conduct, and Treasury Department Circulars. Problem solving skills will be emphasized by examining real world applications and situations. The materials presented in this course focus on preparers perspective so that students develop understanding of the mechanical operation as well as the intellectual aspects of individual income tax preparation. As a writing intensive course, this course will also prepare the students to properly create, revise, and document communications required in the business world. These communications will typically be prepared in a memo format, and will require proper documentation of all sources. The ability to communicate through an appropriate business memo will be taught through lecture as well as numerous opportunities to revise and correct graded work. Because of the documentation requirements, the students will also develop tax research skills. The research skills will extend to cover topical tax assignment, code-based research questions, and policy (legal precedence) research projects. The focus of the memo writing assignments is to develop the ability to communicate information to decision making personnel regardless of their accounting expertise. This course is required for accounting majors and particularly relevant for those interested to work in the public accounting sector. The course develops on materials covered in introductory financial and intermediate accounting courses. It provides the foundation for those who are planning to take upper level accounting courses including advanced accounting and corporate and partnership taxation courses. Prerequisites: ACCT 214 and ACCT 215 Lecture. ACCT 414—Introduction to Corporate and Partnership Tax Accounting: 3 credits offered spring only This course introduces students to the taxation of business, focusing on corporate and partnership income tax. Students will develop a basic understanding of the rules governing tax compliance in a variety of circumstances, e.g., incorporation, operations, liquidations and mergers, and develop the skills to evaluate tax law implications and recognize planning opportunities. This is an active, problem-solving course, in which students prepare a variety of tax returns and use data analytics to examine corporate taxation. Prerequisite: ACCT 412 Lecture. ACCT 416—Accounting Co-op offered spring only This course is recommended for students enrolled in the accelerated BSBA to MAcc 4.5 program. They can enroll in a semester full time working coop experience with one of Duquesne University's approved partners or a comparable work experience to maintain their full-time student status. This experience will allow students to focus on their work commitments, learn from applying their classroom education, enhance their communication skills and overall accounting knowledge. No other classes can be registered for the semester when this Co-Op is conducted. Prerequisite: All ACCT classes must be completed prior to taking this course.
Careers:
Accounting isn't just about business transactions; it also involves data analysis, strategic thinking and forecasting. Ethical practices are also integral to a company's reputation management, and central to our accounting major. Whether for large businesses, non-profit or government organizations, accounting is a core operation, and well-trained students are sought-after.