Department of Accounting, Economics, and Finance
Dr. Reza Kheirandish, Chair
Overview
The Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance is dedicated to providing students with the foundation for careers in Accounting as well as familiarizing them with the foundation of Economics, Finance, public policy, and regional development. In addition, we provide students who are interested in continuing their education in graduate school with a strong foundation to successfully pursue a Master’s or Doctorate degree.
Accounting is the language of business. The accounting profession offers boundless opportunities for students to build exciting and rewarding careers. Accounting assesses the bottom-line of all types of organizations and businesses. Accounting systems capture, summarize, and report financial information for use in charting an organization’s future. In short, accounting provides “big picture thinking” and an understanding of how financial data impacts every aspect of any organization.
Accounting (ACCT)
Introduction to the concepts, principles and procedures pertaining to the preparation, analysis and interpretation of income statement, retained earnings statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements for service and merchandising companies with introduction to the measurement of inventory, receivables liabilities, long-term assets and stockholders' equity.
Prerequisites: (MATH 1101 or MATH 101) or (MATH 1111 or MATH 115) or (MATH 1113 (may be taken concurrently) or MATH 130) or (MATH 1231 (may be taken concurrently) or MATH 1241 (may be taken concurrently) or MATH 1401 (may be taken concurrently)) or (MATH 1501 (may be taken concurrently) or MATH 151)
Introductions to the concepts, techniques and procedures pertaining to the preparation, analysis and interpretation of accounting information for use by managers for planning, control and other business decisions with emphasis on product costing, cost analysis, cost volume profit analysis, budgeting, standard costing, performance measurement relevant cost for non-routine decisions and analysis of financial statements.
Cost accounting principles and techniques applied to job order and process types of industry, planning and control of the elements of production costs, and preparation of internal cost reports for management in manufacturing and other environments. Continues standard costing concepts and variance analysis applied in the principles of managerial accounting course, ACT 2102. Use of cost information for business policy implementation and management purposes is stresses, as well as current cost topics. Admission to the School of Business required.
Prerequisites: ACCT 2102 or ACCT 202
An introduction to the study of taxation for individuals and business entities. This course focuses on federal and state tax laws and regulations, as they pertain to both individuals and business entities. Tax forms and software are used to determine the appropriate taxes for cases involving individual and business scenarios. Tax strategies and implications for personal and business decision-making and financial planning are analyzed. Professional ethics involving tax practice are emphasized.
A continuation of Principles of Financial Accounting with emphasis on the accounting environment, the theoretical structure of financial accounting and its conceptual framework, the different components of the accounting cycle for processing transactions and preparation of the income statement, the statement of retained earnings, the statement of stockholders’ equity, the balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows. Students will also learn to apply present value and future value concepts in accounting, as well as accounting for cash, receivables, inventories, acquisition and disposition of property, plant, and equipment, depreciation, impairments, depletion, and intangible assets. Excel and its financial functions and the FASB Codification Database will be applied.
Prerequisites: ACCT 2102
A continuation of ACCT 3351 with emphasis on the measurement, recording and reporting of debt and equity and the interdependencies of change effects on income determination. Students will learn to account for dilutive securities and earnings per share, investments, revenue recognition, income taxes, pensions, leases, and accounting changes. They will also learn to analyze errors and learn about the statement of cash flows as well as full disclosure in financial reporting.
Prerequisites: (ACCT 3351 or ACCT 351)
Students will study the accounting environment, the theoretical structure of financial accounting, the accounting process including different components of accounting cycle, preparation of income statement, statement of retained earnings, statement of changes in stockholders’ equity, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. Students will also learn to apply time value of money concepts to financial accounting measurements, accounting for cash, receivables and inventories. Excel and its financial functions and FASB Codification Database will be applied.
Prerequisites: ACCT 2102
Students will study accounting for acquisition and disposition of property, plant, and equipment, depreciation, impairments, depletion, intangible assets, current liabilities and contingencies, long-term liabilities, stockholders’ equity, investments, and revenue recognition. Students will also learn to research and analyze real world cases pertaining to financial accounting issues using the FASB Codification Database.
Students will study dilutive securities and earnings per share, accounting for income taxes, accounting for pensions and postretirement benefits, accounting for leases, accounting changes and error analysis and corrections, statement of cash flows, and full disclosure in financial reporting. Students will also learn to research and analyze real world cases pertaining to financial accounting issues using the FASB Codification Database.
Data Analytics Foundations for Accountancy I will enhance students’ understanding of the role of information technology and data analytics in the accounting environment. The focus includes the examination of “big data” involving accounting information and analytic techniques for decision-making. Emphasis on how data (financial, managerial, archival) serves as the basis for the functional areas of accounting and analytics. Students will study the analysis of accounting information and the application of data analytic tools (such as: Excel, Tableau, Microsoft BI, etc.). Students will learn accounting data concepts related to but not limited to, extraction, transformation, modeling, loading, analysis, communication, and visualizations. This course can be used to fulfill the educational requirements to sit for the CPA examination.
Emphasis on the advanced and emerging issues pertaining to the nature, objectives and procedures of cost analysis and control; theories of cost allocation; and uses of accounting information for decision making.
Prerequisites: ACCT 3110
Students will be involved in all aspects of tax planning and preparation, and in program administration. Students will also participate in presentations in conjunction with Earned Income Tax Credit Day, and will prepare a memorandum dealing with a tax preparer ethical issue.
An advanced study of taxation for individuals and business entities. This course focuses on advanced concepts of tax laws and regulations, including the impact of taxation. Tax strategies and implications for individual and business decision-making and financial planning are analyzed. Tax research methodologies are explored. Professional ethics involving tax practice are emphasized.
Prerequisites: ACCT 3250
A study of the fundamentals of accounting information systems. Major topics include processes, documents, and internal controls within accounting systems; documentation of accounting systems with system flowcharts and data flow diagrams; analysis, design, and implementation of accounting systems; transaction processing using accounting software and database management system; and effects of information technology and e-business on the accounting profession. Hands-on experience with several accounting and business software is emphasized.
Emphasis on financial reporting topics encountered in current practice. The theory of the firm is explored relative to investing and financing accountability and other issues of business combinations and divestiture. Special purpose and variable interest entities and their related reporting and disclosure are stressed. Practice applications with integrated financial, managerial and income tax accounting cases may be included.
This course covers financial and managerial accounting and reporting for Federal, State and local governments and non-governmental non-profit organizations such as hospitals and universities. Accounting Information Systems concepts and auditing of these organizations are also included.
Prerequisites: ACCT 2102
This course provides an overview of forensic and investigative accounting, including providing an understanding of the nature and development of forensic accounting, an understanding of fraudulent financial reporting and employee fraud and how to detect and prevent these accounting crimes, courtroom procedures and litigation management and support, cybercrime management, and business valuations. Included in course discussion are indirect methods of reconstructing income, money laundering, computation of economic damages, and forensic accounting in action
The culminating, capstone baccalaureate accounting experience through study of theory and practice of auditing and assurance services. Topics include the accounting profession, ethics, errors irregularities, illegal acts and related liability, accounting and review standards, auditing standards and procedures, and international accounting and auditing. Students experience workpaper development, test work, and report letter drafting. Risk and cycles, internal control, technology applications, and sampling approaches are illustrated. Integration with managerial, tax, and systems issues is achieved through assessment of external communications required in the contemporary practice environment.
A detailed examination of selected topics in the profession of Accounting.
Restrictions: Accounting, General Business, Management, Marketing
Individually designed learning program involving accounting field experience in private, public, or education sector. Program of study and student supervision must be approved by the Dean of the College of Business or designee.
Individually designed learning program involving accounting field experience in private, public, or education sector. Program of study and student supervision must be approved by the Dean of the College of Business or designee. Prerequisite: Sophomore or higher standing Accounting Major.
Individually designed learning program involving accounting field experience in private, public, or education sector. Program of study and student supervision must be approved by the Dean of Business or designee.
Individually designed learning program involving accounting field experience in private, public, or education sector. Program of study and student supervision must be approved by the Dean of Business or designee.
Special work arranged in consultation with instructor. Requires approval of the Dean or Associate Dean.
Special work arranged in consultation with instructor. Requires approval of the Dean or Associate Dean.
Special work arranged in consultation with instructor. Requires approval of the Dean or Associate Dean.
Economics (ECON)
A survey course for non-business majors. Topics include factors which determine economic behavior, marginal productivity analysis, graphic models, national income analysis, and the importance of the globalization. Particular emphasis is given to the study of fiscal and monetary polices, and their impact on industry and on world trade. This course may not be taken for credit if a student has earned credit in ECON 2105 or ECON 2106 or their equivalents.
An introductory survey of macroeconomics principles; the scope and method of economics, basic supply and demand theory, money and prices, national income analysis, and economic stabilization.
Application of microeconomics principles to economic problems; the theory of production, market structures, income distribution, government regulation and business, labor organization, and international trade.
Analysis of aggregate economies, focusing on economic growth, business cycles, inflation, fiscal policy, and monetary policy.
Prerequisites: ECON 2105
This course focuses on the economic behavior of consumers, producers, and government. Major topics include utility maximization, profit maximization, perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly, market failures, and government interventions.
Prerequisites: ECON 2106
An intermediate survey of monetary economics. Major topics include central banking, the essential characteristics of money, foreign exchange, inflation, interest rates, unemployment, and the macroeconomic effects of monetary policy.
Prerequisites: ECON 2105
A survey of the economics of innovation. Major topics include the diffusion of innovations, intellectual property, public policies that affect innovation, the various channels through which innovation occurs, and the consequences of innovation.
This course will use economic and analytical tools to explore a wide variety of issues in the global economy. The Flow and the Components of International Trade and the international flow of capital will be examined.
Economic and analytical tools are used to explore a wide variety of issues for the sports and entertainment industry. This course covers topics in the entertainment industry. This includes a discussion of the economics of various forms of media including movies, cable, and music. Then the economic issues of casinos and amusement parks will be examined. After reviewing these subjects we move to study both professional and collegiate sports events and characteristics. These include concepts such as monopoly and monopsony market structures, labor market topics including free agency and salary caps. We address the public policy debate on stadium financing.
Managerial Economics is the application of economic theory and methodology to managerial decision making problems within various organizational settings. The emphasis in this course will be on demand analysis and estimation, production and cost analysis under different market conditions, forecasting and decision-making under uncertainty. Students taking this course are expected to have had a good understanding of Principles of Microeconomics.
Finance (FINA)
This course is designed to give a student the knowledge and framework for developing a personal financial plan suitable for different stages of life. It will also give business students a basic understanding of the complexities that must be addressed by management on behalf of employees within the work environment. The course addresses topics such as insurance, investments, loans, and retirement planning. It is also open to all majors.
An introduction to the principles of financial management, including capital budgeting, the cost of capital, acquisition of funds, and capital structure strategies of the non-financial corporation.
The principles of investment in stocks, bonds and other markets, including the study of portfolio management.
Prerequisites: FINA 3101
A continuation of FINA 3101. A study of long-term financing and capital structure decisions, and short term financial planning and working capital management. Additional topics include cost of capital, capital budgeting mergers and acquisitions and international finance.
Prerequisites: FINA 3101
An introductory study of the types and functions of money and financial intermediaries, money creation and control, monetary and fiscal policy, international finance, and the effects of these upon domestic incomes, employment, prices, and interest rates.
Prerequisites: FINA 3101
Individually designed learning program involving finance field experience in private or public sector. Program of study and student supervision must be approved by the Dean of Business or designee and Director of Experiential Learning.
GA FinTech Academy (FTA)
The financial services industries are changing rapidly with the emergence of financial technology (FinTech). The objective of the course is to provide students with an overview of FinTech and introductions to its applications in financial services, such as commercial and investment banking, digital investing, financial advising, and insurance. Students are expected to develop a broad understanding of the recent FinTech development and its impact on different parts of the financial world. Students will also have hands-on problem-solving experiences that can be useful in FinTech applications and innovation. Topics may include but are not limited to: blockchain and cryptocurrencies, smart contracting, payments, digital banking, P2P lending, crowdfunding, robo-advising, and InsurTech.
This course examines the information and communications tools, technologies, and standards integral to consumer, merchant, and enterprise services in the payments and financial service sectors. Explores technology’s role in reshaping FinTech businesses. Technologies span messaging, communication networks and gateways, core processing, mobile and online software, and application program interfaces (APIs). Includes the challenges, standards, and techniques associated with securing systems and data.
The FinTech revolution is creating significant disruption to the traditional processes of managing and regulating financial institutions, especially banks. Understanding, assessing and forecasting FinTech’s impact on banking is particularly important because proper management and oversight of financial institutions is essential to the efficient operation of the national, as well as global, economy. In this course, students will learn about the principles and practices of commercial bank management, bank regulation, and the tradeoffs between risk and return. Challenges presented by the FinTech evolution, including traditional and emergent competitors as well as demographic, social, and technology forces driving change in the industry, will be integrated throughout the entire course.
This course provides the foundation for financial data analytics used in business and FinTech applications. The objective of this course is for students to gain experience in analyzing financial data using modern machine learning techniques, statistical methods, and prediction models. Students will develop computational skills to perform data analysis using a modern statistical programming environment and apply these skills to address a range of problems encountered by business firms, including those in the FinTech industry. The topics discussed include an introduction to R language, visualization of financial data, cluster analysis, simple and multiple linear regression, classification models, high dimension data analysis using Lasso, tree regression, and model assessment and selection using cross validation. Students will have hands-on experience in the development of data analytics applications to analyze real world financial problems.