UIS Graduate and Undergraduate Catalog
Academic Year 2006 - 2007

ACCOUNTANCY
Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Undergraduate Minor

Faculty Leonard L. Branson, William L. Cronin, Jeffrey L. Decker, Carol M. Jessup, Bonnie M. Moe, David R. Olson, Judith A. Sage, R. Stephen Scott
Emeritus Faculty John S. Nosari, Donald F. Stanhope, John C. Stroope

Contact: (217) 206-6541, acc@uis.edu or www.uis.edu/accountancy/

Departmental goals and objectives
The goal of the department is to prepare students for challenging careers and positions of leadership in both the private and public sectors. Specific objectives of the department are 1) to create a professionally oriented learning environment in which disciplinary competencies and professional ethics develop and grow, 2) to emphasize conceptual knowledge and the development of analytical and problem-solving skills, 3) to nurture a sense of personal, professional, and social responsibility, and 4) to serve as an information resource and a networking hub for students, alumni, employers, and professional organizations.  

Advising
New students must contact the department for initial advising to plan a program of study that reflects their interests and satisfies degree requirements.  

THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE

The bachelor's program prepares students for careers in business, government, and nonprofit organizations. The objectives of the program are to develop technical competencies in each of the major areas of accounting (financial, managerial, auditing, and taxation) and to provide students with educational qualifications needed for the professional certifications of certified management accountant (CMA), certified internal auditor (CIA), and certified information systems auditor (CISA).  

Entrance requirements
All departments in the College of Business and Management require foundation knowledge in accounting, economics, mathematics, statistics, and the behavioral sciences. In addition, the accountancy program also requires foundation knowledge in computer applications. UIS courses that satisfy the foundation knowledge requirement include:

ACC 211 Introduction to Financial Accounting and
ACC 212 Introduction to Managerial Accounting
ECO 313 Statistics for Business and Economics
MAT 113 Business Calculus (or other calculus)
ECO 201 Introduction to Microeconomics and
ECO 202 Introduction to Macroeconomics
  or ECO 315 Economics for Administration
CSC 317 Software Packages
Behavioral science course (psychology, sociology, etc.)

Coursework equivalent to the above will be accepted on approval by the student’s adviser.

Degree requirements
A student must complete 60 semester hours of upper-division coursework to earn a B.A. in accountancy.

College Core   18 Hrs.
(Required of all undergraduate College of Business and Management students)
BUS 302 Principles of Financial Management  3 Hrs.
BUS 312 Principles of Marketing  3 Hrs.
BUS 322 Principles of Operations Management  3 Hrs.
MGT 310 Managing Organizational Behavior  3 Hrs.
MIS 352 Principles of MIS  3 Hrs.
MGT 488 Strategic Management and Leadership 3 Hrs.

Accounting Core  24 Hrs.
ACC 321 Intermediate Financial Accounting I  4 Hrs.
ACC 322 Intermediate Financial Accounting II  4 Hrs.
ACC 323 Advanced Financial Accounting  4 Hrs.
ACC 433 Intermediate Managerial Accounting  4 Hrs.
ACC 443 Federal Income Taxation  4 Hrs.
ACC 464 Auditing Concepts and Responsibilities  4 Hrs.

University requirements (AST, PACs, or LSCs)  12 Hrs.
Electives  6 Hrs.

Total  60 Hrs.

With adviser approval, community college transfer students may waive ACC 321 and 322 if they recently completed equivalent courses with a grade of B or better. Of the 60-hour total, students must complete 21 hours of courses in the UIS College of Business and Management; a minimum of 12 hours must be within accountancy. Acceptance of accountancy core transfer credit is subject to departmental approval.

Accounting majors must have a 2.00 GPA in accounting core courses to graduate.

University requirements must be taken in at least two of the three areas.  

ACCOUNTANCY MINOR

To earn a minor in accountancy, students must complete at least two upper division accountancy courses at UIS. The following courses or their equivalent are required:

ACC 211 Introduction to Financial Accounting
ACC 212 Introduction to Managerial Accounting
ECO 201 Introduction to Microeconomics
ECO 202 Introduction to Macroeconomics
ACC 321 Intermediate Financial Accounting I
Another upper division accountancy course from UIS

A minimum GPA of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in accounting coursework is required for the accountancy minor. Students should consult a department faculty member to ensure that the requirements for a minor are met.  

THE MASTER'S DEGREE

In addition to providing advanced studies in professional accountancy, the master's degree provides coursework in research methods and related disciplines chosen by the student based on his or her objectives. The degree is largely taught in the seminar and case study format, which serves to enhance communication and critical thinking skills. The master's degree enables students to achieve professional careers in accountancy, as well as to assume leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. It also serves students who wish to meet the 150-hour requirement to sit for the CPA examination.  

Entrance requirements
Applicants must have taken the following coursework: introductory courses in financial and managerial accounting, college math through business calculus, principles of economics (micro and macro), statistics, and computer applications.

In addition, students are expected to have completed the following business core courses or their equivalents: principles of financial management, principles of marketing, operations management, managing organizational behavior, and information systems.

The following undergraduate accountancy courses are also required.  

ACC 321 and 322 Intermediate Financial Accounting I and II
ACC 433 Intermediate Managerial Accounting
ACC 443 Federal Income Taxation
ACC 464 Auditing Concepts and Responsibilities  

Students must have a G.P.A. of 2.70 (on a 4.00 scale) in accounting prerequisite courses. For students whose native language is not English, a TOEFL score of 550 is required. Students can be admitted conditionally until all admissions requirements are met. Students may meet the business core admission requirement by taking graduate-level courses if they meet the courses' prerequisites.  

Program requirements
ACC 507 Professional Research in Accountancy  4 Hrs.
Accounting topics  20-24 Hrs.
Business and administrative topics  4-8 Hrs.
ACC 581 Master's Project  1 Hr.

Total  33 Hrs.  

Graduation requirements/master's closure
Students must satisfy all UIS requirements and complete a master's closure project. The master's closure topic may be in any area of accounting in which the student has completed advanced coursework and where the topic and research proposal have been approved by the faculty. If the master's project is not completed after one semester of registration in ACC 581, students must enroll in ACC 582 (zero credit hours, one billable hour) each semester (excluding summer terms) until the closure requirements are met.  

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION