Catalog

Accounting (BBA)

Alice Shiotsugu, CPA, DPA

Co-Chair of Accounting

Jeff Neumeister, MBA, MA, MS, CPA

Co-Chair of Accounting

Accreditation

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Introduction

Accounting is the universal language of organizations. Being conversant in the language of accounting allows for the communication of essential information, making better-informed social policy decisions, designing more efficient information systems, and conveying ideas to a range of key stakeholders. Students who go on to become successful CPAs are logical, methodical, attentive to detail, and develop excellent people and communication skills.

In the two lower-division Accounting courses, required for all business majors, students learn the fundamentals of accounting information systems, how to best use accounting data, and how to work with accountants to make better financial decisions. These courses introduce the fundamental concepts that drive financial analysis as well as the research, analytic, critical-thinking, and communications skills vital to management practice.

In upper-division Accounting courses, students focus on learning the key details of accounting that are essential when entering the profession. The focus is on major areas included on the CPA exam and other related professional exams in financial accounting, cost accounting, taxation, auditing, business law, and government/not-for-profit accounting.

Mission

Our mission is to teach our students to use accounting information to make better financial decisions, and for our graduates to enter and thrive in the profession.

CPA Licensure

The Bachelor of Business Association (BBA) in Accounting at Woodbury University’s School of Business (WUSB) comprises 120 credit units, which allows graduates to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam in California. However, the state boards of accountancy require students to complete 150 academic credit units to be eligible to become a licensed CPA. 

For a full list of California CPA licensure requirements, please visit This Way to CPA, California. Other states may have additional educational and/or non-educational requirements.

Before enrolling at Woodbury University, prospective students must review the Accounting Professional Licensure webpage to determine whether our program meets the educational requirements in the state(s) they wish to practice. To discuss the process of obtaining a CPA license in a particular state, please contact Admissions at admissions@woodbury.edu or 818-252-5221. For a general overview of CPA licensing requirements by U.S. state and territory, students may contact an individual state board of accountancy or visit This Way to CPA, state requirements.

Additional Learning Opportunities

Capstone

Since the primary role of professional accountants is to serve as professional advisors, Accounting majors practice this in the required capstone course taken as seniors: MGMT 483, Business Policy and Strategy is a 3-unit course that provides an opportunity to integrate the functional areas of marketing, finance, accounting, production, and management in the form of a team- based, nationally normed case competition.

The capstone course uses a computer simulation in which organizations are analyzed with respect to the effectiveness and appropriateness of strategies and goals in each of the functional areas. Also measured are the synergies of the functional areas for achieving optimal results consistent with their respective missions.

Internship

Woodbury’s Career Development Office offers a variety of programs, services, and resources to assist students in exploring careers and securing internships. The staff works with students one-on-one to develop successful internship search strategies and help students connect with employers through internship postings, résumé collections, on- and off- campus interview opportunities, alumni connections, and employer outreach.

Accounting majors without significant business experience are required to serve a 120 -hour internship. Accounting majors are encouraged to look for paid internships at CPA firms in private industry (such as Disney or Parsons), or in the public sector (such as the IRS or JPL). In addition, Accounting students who are already working concurrently with enrollment are encouraged to switch to accounting- related jobs (such as accounts payable or tax preparation). Woodbury’s Career Development Office is adept at helping students find such positions.

The required work component is satisfied by a three- unit internship or accounting work experience of at least 120 hours (non-credit). If the requirement is satisfied by non-credit work experience, an additional upper-division accounting course will be required.

Other

Accounting students are advised to focus on coursework and pursue accounting-related jobs rather than part-time jobs outside the field.

Students are encouraged to participate in case competitions (such as those offered by the Institute of Management Accountants) and to submit papers to accounting conferences (such as the annual meeting held by the Western Decision Sciences Institute).

Academic credit may be awarded for participation through ACCT 499, Independent Study.

Students are also encouraged to join professional organizations, such as the California Society of CPAs (memberships are free for Accounting students), and student organizations, such as Woodbury’s Accounting Society, Business and Professional Women of Woodbury (BPWOW), and Woodbury’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO). Students also can compete in CEO’s annual Business Plan Competition for substantial cash prizes.

Accounting majors are strongly encouraged to consider investing their required upper-division GE courses in law- related courses (such as POHI 337, U.S. Constitutional Law), as well as those involving ethics, journalism, social media, and the social sciences.

Technology and Computer Requirements

Students will use word processing software (such as Word), presentation software (such as PowerPoint), and spreadsheet software (such as Excel). Students also use professional research tools (such as ProQuest and Lexis/Nexis), and—in upper-division courses— specialized software (such as Lacerte for tax returns, CCH Online Tax Research NetWork, ACL, FARS, and the SEC’s EDGAR database) typical for practitioners who specialize in the accounting areas taught (i.e., general ledger programs for intermediate accounting practice sets).

Program Learning Outcomes

Since the Accounting Department provides a degree in Accounting and serves the other BBA majors, the learning outcomes are distinguished between lower-division Accounting courses and upper-division Accounting courses. Students passing the lower- division core courses in Accounting manifest the ability to apply accounting data in making business decisions. Accounting graduates demonstrate knowledge of accounting concepts required for entry-level positions in the profession in either public or private sectors.

Lower-Division Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to identify commonly used ratios, cost-related techniques, and the qualitative characteristics of generally accepted accounting principles [knowledge].
  • Students will be able to determine degrees of importance [understanding].
  • Students will be able to evaluate the financial condition of an organization or investment [application].

Upper-Division Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to identify key accounting issues under primary authorities, such as generally accepted accounting principles, generally accepted auditing standards, or federal income tax law [knowledge].
  • Students will be able to determine degrees of importance [understanding].
  • Students will be able to prepare advice for a client based on environmentally rich, practical, lifelike cases in which many issues are raised, not all facts are given, and insufficient space exists to allow for a thorough discussion of either [application].

Assessment Process

Placement Exam Requirements

Accounting students who have not received transfer credit for a 200-level Math course are encouraged to take the Math Placement Exam, but it is not required. See the Academic Proficiencies and Placement section of the Academic Journey chapter of this catalog for more information.

Formative Assessment Experiences

For the BBA core courses, formative assessment processes include: opportunities for students to provide structured feedback to their peers; detailed feedback from instructors on homework submissions through Moodle; Moodle forums; evaluation of students’ formal presentations; inclusion of Writing Department consultants to enhance writing skills in MGMT 326, MGMT 350, and MGMT 461; and simulation games in MGMT 336 and MGMT 483.

For Accounting major courses, formative assessment processes include: detailed feedback from instructors on homework submissions through Moodle; computer literacy requirements; field projects; internship projects; and faculty advising through mandatory one- on-one meetings.

Summative Assessment Experiences

Summative assessment processes for the BBA core courses include: research and reflection papers; formal presentations; portfolio presentations; final exams; and the capstone project.

Summative assessment processes for Accounting major courses include formal presentations, portfolio presentations, and comprehensive exams.

Program Specific Academic Standards

The Department of Accounting applies University- and Schoolwide academic standards.

Curriculum Summary

Program Major Curriculum

Unit Type (UT) Number of Units (U)
Major (MA) 57
General Education (GE) 55
Unrestricted Electives (UE) 5
Internship (IN) 3
Minimum Total Units Required 120

Suggested Sequence of Courses

First Year

Fall Semester

MGMT 100Fundamentals of Business Enterprise

3

WRIT 113First-Year Academic Writing

3

____ ___Interdisciplinary Elective

3

ENVT 220Environmental Studies

3

____ ___Unrestricted Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Type:

MGMT 100: MA.

WRIT 113, Interdisciplinary Elective, and ENVT 220: GE.

Unrestricted Elective: UE.

Spring Semester

MGMT 110Legal Environment of Business

3

MDST 120Public Speaking

3

LSCI ___Information Theory and Practice

1

MATH 220Business Math

3

PSYC 150General Psychology

3

Total Credit Hours:13

Type:

MGMT 110: MA.

MDST 120, LSCI (Information Theory & Practice), MATH 220, and PSYC 150: GE.

Second Year

Fall Semester

ACCT 205Financial Accounting for Decision-Making

3

MGMT 326

3

MATH 226Business Statistics

3

ECON ___Macroeconomics or Microeconomics

3

____ ___Natural Science with Lab Elective

3

PHIL 210Ethical Systems

3

Total Credit Hours:18

Type:

ACCT 205 and MGMT 326: MA.

MATH 226, ECON (Macroeconomics or Microeconomics), Natural Science with Lab Elective, and PHIL 210: GE.

Spring Semester

ACCT 206Managerial Accounting for Decision-Making

3

MRKT 301Principles of Marketing

3

____ ___Art History Elective

3

WRIT 313Advanced Academic Writing

3

____ ___Unrestricted Elective

2

Total Credit Hours:14

Type:

ACCT 206 and MRKT 301: MA.

Art History Elective and WRIT 313: GE.

Unrestricted Elective: UE.

Third Year

Fall Semester

ACCT 304Intermediate Accounting I

3

ACCT 352Concepts of Taxation

3

MGMT 336

3

MGMT 350Business Ethics

3

____ 3__Upper Division Interdisciplinary Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Type:

ACCT 304, ACCT 352, and MGMT 336: MA.

MGMT 350 and Upper Division Interdisciplinary Elective: GE.

Spring Semester

ACCT 300Cost Accounting

3

ACCT 305Intermediate Accounting II

3

ACCT 360Accounting Ethics

3

FINA 360Financial Management

3

____ 3__Upper Division General Education Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Type:

ACCT 300, ACCT 305, ACCT 360, and FINA 360: MA.

Upper Division General Education Elective: GE.

Fourth Year

Fall Semester

ACCT 410Auditing

3

MGMT 400Operations Management

3

ACCT 403Government and Not-For-Profit Accounting

3

ACCT 3__Upper Division Accounting Elective

3

____ 3__Upper Division General Education Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Type:

ACCT 410, MGMT 400, ACCT 403, and ACCT (Upper Division Accounting Elective): MA.

Upper Division General Education Elective: GE.

Spring Semester

ACCT 490Internship

3

MGMT 483Business Policy and Strategy

3

MGMT 461Leadership

3

____ ___Art History or Humanities Elective

3

____ ___General Education Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Type:

ACCT 490: IN.

MGMT 483 and MGMT 461: MA.

Art History or Humanities Elective and General Education Elective: GE.

Program Minor Curriculum

The Production Accounting Minor is an option for people interested in working in the entertainment industry as an accountant. It is appropriate for either accounting or film students.

The minor requires a total of five classes; however, students coming from different majors will require different combinations of classes. Accounting students already take ACCT 205 and ACCT 206. Film students already take FILM 402 and an internship in the entertainment industry. All students take ACCT 353 and two production accounting electives.

The internship class must be in the entertainment industry. Accounting students can not double-count their accounting internship with this minor.

ACCT 205Financial Accounting for Decision-Making

3

ACCT 206Managerial Accounting for Decision-Making

3

FILM 402Producing

3

ACCT 490Internship

3

ACCT 353Entertainment Industry Accounting

3

____ ___Production Accounting Elective 1

3

____ ___Production Accounting Elective 2

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Note: See note above for Total Credit Hours (15).

ACCT 205 and ACCT 206: Film students only.

FILM 402 and ACCT 490: Accounting students only.

Type:

ACCT 205, ACCT 206, FILM 402, ACCT 490, ACCT 353, Production Accounting Elective 1, and Production Accounting Elective 2: LECT.