Department of Accounting SWOT Analysis - College of Business ...

(1) Moving the importance of research to second place after teaching but before service. This
change reflects the importance placed by faculty on academic research in supporting a
quality graduate and undergraduate Accounting programs.
(2) Eliminating “Areas of Concentration that are the cutting edge …” from the Achieving
Our Vision and Mission statements. This change reflects the department’s decision to
eliminate accounting MBA concentrations and reduce the number of tracks in the MS in
Accounting program to two (assurance services and controllership). Additionally, the
faculty revised both the undergraduate and graduate accounting programs to establish an
integrated five-year program.
(3) Adding “Practice” after ethics in the Achieving Our Vision and Mission statements. This
last change highlights the Department’s place within the Accounting profession and the
belief that ethics must be grounded in professional practice if it is to influence future
members of the Accounting profession.
During AY07 the Department plans on revising its goals and objectives to ensure they are
effective in measuring the Department’s progress toward its mission.
Assurance of Learning
The Department completed its second comprehensive assessment for both the BSBA in
Accounting and the MS in Accounting (MSA) programs (see Appendices 2 & 3). The
Department revised its learning goals and measures based on the results of the first
assessment plan completed in AY05. The Department plans to work with its constituents
to revise the goals and measures during AY06.
The AY05 assessment report reported that the Department would track alumni
performance on the CPA Exam, gather alumni and recent graduate perceptions using a
unique questionnaire, and assess student performance in the first Intermediate
Accounting and Managerial Accounting courses.
The Department subscribes to the National Association of State Board of Accountancy
(NASBA) publication, Candidate Performance on the Uniform CPA Examination. The
Department noted a substantial decrease in the pass rates of its alumni during 2005 from
previous years. However, the department will continue to monitor the pass rates to
determine if the 2005 results were due to the computerization of the exam or a permanent
trend requiring action.
The Department relied on the CBPA Career Management Center for the second action
(gathering alumni and recent graduate perceptions). However, personnel turnover
prevented the Career Management Center personnel from completing this important
assessment. Consequently, the Department mailed a questionnaire to recent graduates and
alumni who graduated five years ago during the later part of Summer 06. The Department
will revise this maintenance report when the questionnaire results become available.
Finally, the department did complete an assessment of student learning in the first
Intermediate Accounting and Managerial Accounting courses.