Greetings from the Accounting Department Chair

AACSB Accredited

Welcome to the Department of Accounting website. Our goal as a department is to successfully launch students into their accounting careers. Aside from the comparatively affordable education offered by West Chester University as a PASSHE institution and our AACSB accreditation, the department has identified what we believe are three critical success factors students should consider as they begin their journey towards choosing the right accounting program for them: our curriculum, our internship program, and our scholarship program.

First, our curriculum appropriately prepares you for the CPA exam. We believe that, while there are many factors that contribute to passing the CPA exam, the successful completion of our program provides you with the base accounting knowledge required to complete the uniform CPA examination. Many of our graduates have gone on to become CPAs.

Many accounting departments are currently assessing their programs in light of data analytics and “big data”; we are no exception. We recognize the need for our graduates to have increased skills in the area of statistical data analysis both now and going forward. To that end, we are working to integrate data analytics into many of our existing accounting classes. Additionally, in collaboration with the WCU Department of Mathematics, we advise our students to consider adding the Minor in Applied Statistics.

The Department of Accounting, in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics, is pleased to announce its Accelerated B.S. in Accounting to M.S. in Applied Statistics program. Beginning in fall of 2020, students will be able to seamlessly complete their bachelor’s degree in accounting, while taking graduate classes as an undergraduate, earn a master’s degree in applied statistics, and satisfy the 150-college credit requirement in five years. Please contact Dr. Richard Barndt at RBarndt@wcupa.edu for more details.

Second, while internships are not required to graduate, we support a strong accounting internship program which, generally, provides a clear path to employment after graduation. Our recruiter base consists of the big four firms, medium sized and regional firms, and small local firms, as well as non-CPA firms. Many of our recruiters seek interns which generally carry the prospect of future employment, while other recruiters seek our students to fill full-time positions after graduation. Our model for connecting students with recruiters is highly effective.

Approximately 62% of our December 2018 accounting graduates, 50% of our May 2019 graduates, and 45% of our December 2019 accounting graduates had at least one internship during their academic career. Please visit the Careers tab on our website for more information on internships. The opportunities are here for you at WCU.

Finally, we have scholarship money available and are working to provide increased scholarship opportunities. While we do not offer large scholarships at this time, we awarded one $1,000 scholarship, 17 scholarships of $500, and twenty $250 book scholarships at our annual Spring 2019 Student Awards event. Please visit the Department Life tab on our website for more information on available accounting scholarships and the WCU Financial Aid website for other scholarship opportunities.

In closing, I wish you success in your search for an accounting program that meets your needs. Further, I believe there are compelling reasons for considering WCU. If you are prepared to get involved and make the commitment to academic excellence, our program can successfully launch you into your accounting career.

  • Best regards,
  • Lori Fuller, CPA 
  • Chair, Accounting Department
  • 610-436-2377
  • LFuller@wcupa.edu
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