Preparing for an Accounting Career

ACC 250, One Credit

Tuesdays 4:30 – 5:20 p.m.

N100 BCC

Fall Semester 2015

Syllabus

Course Instructor Office Hours

Lynne Zelenski Tuesdays 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Office: N240 BCC and by appointment.

Phone: 432-3034

E-mail: zelensk2@msu.edu

Course Homepage

Desire2Learn https://d2l.msu.edu

You need your MSU NetID and password to login and access your courses.

Assorted course documents, announcements and assignment/attendance records will be made

available through this site.

Overview This course was developed after considerable discussion by the faculty as a part of the

department strategic plan. Advice, ideas and feedback were sought from sources including

students, faculty, alumni, employers, the department External Advisory Board, and other leading

departments of accounting. There was and is a consensus that (1) Michigan State accounting

students need career preparation beyond what they get in their “academic” accounting courses,

(2) this preparation should be in a separate one-credit course, and (3) students should take it early

in their academic program, preferably as sophomores or in the first semester of the junior year.

Objectives

To introduce to students the various career options in the field of accounting.

To have students understand the academic/career preparation needed in the field of

accounting.

To prepare students to conduct a successful job search in accounting.

The course is divided into several interrelated topics:

1. Introduction to Careers in Accounting. The accounting profession is extremely diverse.

There are financial auditors, internal auditors, operational auditors, consultants, systems

analysts, cost accountants, tax accountants, and many other types of accounting

professionals. Accounting plays an important role in all sectors of our society—

manufacturing, service, financial, government, and nonprofit. Often accounting majors are

generally unaware of their many career opportunities and, as a result, they are unable to

target positions for which they are suited. Several sessions deal with what different

accounting practitioners do and the skills that are needed to be successful. A broad

overview of the various accounting careers will be provided. In addition, accounting

professionals will visit class and discuss their jobs and career paths.

2. Knowing yourself better. Students will spend time examining their own interests, values,

talents and preferences. The personality characteristics of those in the field of accounting

will be discussed in addition to the skills and characteristics needed to be successful now

and in the future.

3. Getting career-related experience. Through internships, part-time jobs and volunteer

work students learn a great deal about the accounting profession. Career-related experience

is also a valuable asset to graduates when seeking full-time employment. Resources

available to students in their pursuit of career-related experience will be introduced.

4. Conducting a job search, writing a resume and interviewing. Getting a good job often

depends on having the right job search strategy and tools. Having a professional resume

and representing yourself positively in an interview are important to job search success.

These topics will be discussed and students will be required to write and submit a resume.

5. Academic and professional preparation. Undergraduate and graduate degrees in

accounting will be discussed. Many accounting graduates aspire to be Certified Public

Accountants (CPAs) and certification requirements will be covered. Students will be

introduced to other certification options as well.

Grading The course is graded on a pass/no-pass basis. Assignment instructions are on D2L course

website under the “Content” tab. To pass you MUST do the following:

1. Attend at least 11 of 13 class sessions. I will not count the first day of class on

September 8th to give you time to secure and register your i>clicker. Between our

second class period on Tuesday, September 15th and our last class period on

Tuesday, Decenber 8th there are 13 class sessions. You must attend at least 11 of

these sessions. Attendance will be taken through the i>clicker. See the information

about the i>clicker in this syllabus. You must arrive on time and remain for the entire

class period. You must respond to all i>clicker questions to receive credit for

attendance on any particular day. Latecomers and those who leave early may miss an

i>clicker question and will not be given credit for attending. Attendance records are

posted on D2L. You can find your attendance record under the “assessment” tab.

Attendance points will be in the grades by date. You will receive a single point if you

answer the iclicker questions on any given day. It is your responsibility to check D2L

each week and alert the instructor immediately if you believe there has been a mistake

in your attendance record. I do not “excuse” absences. Each student can miss two

times so if you have a reason you need to miss class (doctor’s appointment, job

interview, sickness, travel etc.) you use one of your absences to cover this. That

is why you have two allowed absences; these are given so that you have flexibility

to cover situations like this.

2. Write a quality resume to be critiqued and rewritten if deemed necessary.

3. Take and submit the personality assessment test. See D2L course website for

instructions.

4. Sign up on the accounting listserv if you are an accounting major. Students who are

not accounting majors do not need to subscribe to the listserv. See D2L course

website for instructions.

5. It is your responsibility to meet all deadlines as noted in this syllabus. If you need to

miss class on a deadline date (you are allowed only two absences), you are still

responsible for submitting the task/assignment by the due date given. You can email

the assignment to me or drop it off to my mailbox in N270 BCC.

Classroom Respect and Courtesy

Please silence all digital and electronic devices while in class including. Laptops are not

required or needed, and these are not to be used during class. Please be courteous and give your

attention to the guest speakers who give their time to come to ACC 250.

Academic Honesty and Integrity

The Eli Broad College of Business Honor Code embodies the values and standards of

professional conduct adopted by the College’s undergraduate student body. As members of the

College, each undergraduate Broad School student is responsible for reading and understanding

the Honor Code. All undergraduate Broad students have the responsibility to adhere to the

professional values and standards articulated in the Honor Code. The Honor Code can be found

at http://broad.msu.edu/undergraduate-honor-code/ . The honor code is applicable to all students

taking courses in the Broad College of Business regardless of major.

Please note: MISREPRESENTING YOUR ATTENDANCE (for example: having someone

else in class use your i>clicker) is a violation of the course attendance policy and the honor

code. Anyone found doing this will not receive attendance for that day. The i>clickers (or

phone if using REEF polling) will be confiscated until after class. Both the person using the

i>clicker (or phone if using REEF polling) and the student who owns the i>clicker will not be

given credit for attending class and an Academic Dishonesty Report will be filed on each

student.

i>clicker Instructions, Information and Class Policies

I will be using i>clickers in class for in-class participation and recording of attendance in this

course. You will have the option to use any version: REEF polling by i>clicker, or any version

of the i>clicker remote.

If using REEF, I will only allow the use of Smart Phones for polling, not laptops or tablets.

(Laptops and tablets are not permitted to be used while in class.)

Using an i>clicker Remote

If you choose to use an i>clicker remote, you have the option of purchasing an i>clicker remote

(ISBN: 10716779390) or an i>clicker2 remote (ISBN: 1429280476). The i>clicker+ will also

work if you have this version. You may purchase the remote through the bookstore or online at

http://i>clicker.com/purchase/. Instructions for using both remotes are on the back of the remote.

If you do not already have an i>clicker you may want to purchase the i>clicker2 as this is the

newer model. While I will only ask Yes/No and Multiple Choice questions in class, you may

need an i>clicker2 remote for answering numeric/alphanumeric questions in another course. If

you’re using a used clicker, there is no need for the previous owner to unregister, but you will be

charged a one-time fee of $6.99 to register the used remote under your name. If you make a

mistake registering, just register again—the correct information will take precedence and you

will not be required to pay the fee again.

Registering your i>clicker remote

You must register your i>clicker in D2L. Sign into D2L. Choose ACC 250. Click on the

Content tab. Here you will find “Register your i>clicker Remote.” Enter your remote ID in the

box provided.

Using REEF Polling

To use REEF you must first create your REEF Polling account.

Go to http://reef-education.com or download the REEF Polling app for iPhone/iPad to sign up

for a REEF Polling account.

If you have an iPhone, download the free app and use REEF polling through the app.

If using another phone, you access REEF Polling through your browser. (They are working on

an app for Android but it is not yet available.)

When registering with REEF you should use your university email address, and your MSU

NetID in the Student ID field. DO NOT USE YOUR PID in the Student ID field. (Your NetID

is the portion of your MSU email address prior to the @msu.edu. For example my NetID is

zelensk2). The registration indicates the student ID is optional, but it is required for our class. I

sync your responses with the D2L gradebook and your MSU NetID is required for this to

happen.

If you need to make a change to your email address, password, or student ID, edit your account

profile in REEF. Do not create and use more than one REEF Polling account as you will only

receive credit from a single account.

Creating a REEF Polling account automatically starts a free 14-day trial subscription. After the

free trial in order to continue using REEF polling you will need to purchase it. You can use a

credit card to purchase online or in-app purchase. If you decide to continue with REEF polling

make sure you pay in advance of class. You will not be able to use REEF polling in class after

the free trial without purchasing access.

Add an i>Clicker Remote to Your REEF Polling Account

If you have an i>clicker + or i>clicker 2 remote and want the option to use either a remote or

REEF polling, you must register your remote within your REEF account. Register your clicker

by logging into REEF Polling, navigate to your profile, and then enter your 8-character clicker

ID. You may use either your smart device or registered clicker to vote in classroom polls

throughout the term and will be able to review your session history no matter which device you

use.

How i>clicker Will be Used in the Course

I will use the i>clicker informally as a way to get class feedback and encourage participation. It

will also be utilized to record class attendance. i>clickers are required in ACC 201 and ACC 202

so all accounting majors will already have one or will need one shortly.

Class Policies/Procedures for the i>clicker

Students must have their i>clicker (or a REEF polling account) ready for use by the second class

period on September 15th

You must register your i>clicker (follow registration procedure) or create a REEF Polling

account by the start of class on September 15th. If your i>clicker is not registered you will not

be given credit for attending. We must know who you are in order to record attendance thus

registering your i>clicker is imperative!

You must answer all i>clicker questions on any particular day to receive attendance credit.

Some days there may be several; other days there may be just one to register attendance.

I will not keep attendance lists. You must remember your i>clicker. If you lose it, you need to

buy a new one. Make sure your batteries are working and keep spares with you—this is

especially important for students who have older i>clickers. Because I allow you to miss two

class periods for whatever reason, I will not keep attendance lists and you must use your

i>clicker to register attendance. If you do not have it or it is not working, this will count as an

absence.

MISREPRESENTING YOUR ATTENDANCE by having someone else in class use your

i>clicker is a violation of the course attendance policy and the honor code. Anyone found doing

this will have the i>clickers confiscated. Both the person using the i>clicker and the student who

owns the i>clicker will not be given credit for attending class and an Academic Dishonesty

Report will be filed on each student.

How do you know if your i>clicker is working?

If you have the older i>clicker when you turn on your i>clicker the blue light should appear at

the top. If you have the i>clicker2 you will see the display when you turn it on. When you click

your answer, you should see a green light steady for a second under Vote Status. If it flashes red

then your answer was not registered. With i>clicker2 you will see “answer received”. In REEF

polling you will see a confirmation.

Outline of Topics

ACC 250

Careers in Accounting

Fall 2015

Class

Date

Topic

Presenters

Tasks/Assignments

1 Sept. 8 Class introduction

Lynne Zelenski

2 Sept. 15 Internships, leadership conferences,

other recruiting events Lynne Zelenski

3 Sept. 22 Writing a resume Lynne Zelenski Subscribe to listserv by today.

4 Sept. 29 Interviewing introduction and

mock interview Plante and Moran Resume due. Submit in class.

5 Oct. 6 Self-assessment- Myers Briggs Laurie Brady, Ernst and Young Personality assessment due. Submit

in class.

6 Oct. 13 Ethics Alfonzo Alexander, President of NASBA’s Center

for the Public Trust

7 Oct. 20

Undergraduate accounting program,

150 hour rule, MS program in

accounting

Lynne Zelenski

Shannon Mulally, MS Program Director

8 Oct. 27 Certifications Ed Outslay, accounting faculty member

9 Nov. 3 Career options- specialty areas in

accounting Accounting faculty

10 Nov. 10 Career options- specialty areas in

accounting Accounting faculty

11 Nov. 17 Career options- specialty areas in

accounting Accounting faculty

Class

Date

Topic

Presenters

Tasks/Assignments

12 Nov. 24 Careers in industry and government Experienced accounting professionals from

industry, government, and nonprofit organizations

13 Dec. 1 Careers in CPA firms Partners/Directors of CPA firms

14 Dec. 8 The entry level experience Recent MSU graduates working in various

accounting positions.

Finals Week

There is no final exam in this course. The

instructor will be available during the scheduled

exam time, Monday, December 14th, 5:45pm to

7:45pm, for any students seeking career assistance

and information. Please contact me if you want to

meet.