Accountancy

Faculty member Tony Bucaro stands before a class of students holding a dry-erase marker and gesturing

The Department of Accountancy at Weatherhead School of Management offers curriculum innovation in a superior learning environment that develops skills in professional and ethical behavior, communication and critical thinking. The Department creates this environment through its active engagement with teaching, practice and research. Faculty members work closely with individual students 鈥 and cultivate relationships that endure.

Our graduates go on to secure starting positions at leading organizations, including public accounting firms, investment banks, corporations, consulting firms, private equity firms and government agencies.

The Department of Accountancy鈥檚 programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)鈥攆ewer than 10% of all accounting programs globally receive this recognition. The AACSB鈥檚 accounting accreditation recognizes a school鈥檚 commitment to learner success, thought leadership and societal impact

Our Programs

We develop students with outstanding financial, analytical and communication skills. We believe that students with strong accounting skills, and the ability to understand the challenges and opportunities surrounding an organization鈥檚 financial position, are well-positioned to conquer business challenges and to achieve professional success. Our programs integrate technology and business analytical skills that are key to a successful professional career. 

Our programs prepare students to enter accounting fields and to obtain desired professional certifications, including the certified public accountant (CPA), certified management accountant (CMA), and others.

Undergraduate Accounting 

Our undergraduate program offers both a B.S. in Accounting and a Minor in Accounting. Our undergraduate curriculum is designed to develop critical thinking, quantitative analysis and decision-making. In addition to courses in accounting, technology skills and business analytics, students take courses in banking and finance, economics, marketing and organizational behavior. 

Master of Accountancy 

The Master of Accountancy program offers the flexibility to combine advanced accountancy knowledge and skills with those of WSOM鈥檚 other world-class disciplines. An added benefit is the ability to obtain a STEM-eligible degree in as little as one year. The program can be completed either part-time or full-time. Like our undergraduate program, our faculty teach accounting concepts, but focus on critical thinking, analysis, and communication of business information.

Integrated BS and MAcc

A number of our undergraduates enroll in our B.S. Accounting /Master of Accountancy integrated program, wherein students can obtain both degrees in as little as four years. In addition, each year, a select number of exceptionally well-qualified high school seniors who plan to pursue careers in accountancy are offered early admission to the integrated program.

See the  for specific degree requirements.

PhD in Management鈥擜ccountancy

Through our four-year PhD in Management鈥擜ccountancy program, which emphasizes academic research and writing, we train thought leaders who will influence accounting scholarship, education, and practice over their careers.

Our Faculty

Our faculty members have impressive accomplishments outside of the classroom. Members of the faculty have been partners in international accounting firms, served as C-suite executives of companies, led business turnarounds, provided financial planning to high wealth individuals, and served on the boards of both corporate and non-profit organizations. All of our faculty members hold either a CPA or CMA qualification.

Members of our faculty actively participate in national and international professional and academic organizations, including the following:

  • American Accounting Association
  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  • Institute of Management Accountants
  • Financial Executives International
  • The Institute of Internal Auditors

With this deep and extensive experience in the 鈥渞eal world,鈥 our faculty members help students become business professionals ready for the rigors and challenges of employment. Close to 100% of our students eligible for employment in the United States get internships and full-time employment at organizations around the country, with many of our students obtaining their first internship before their sophomore year. 

Our Alumni

An Accounting degree from Weatherhead School of Management prepares our graduates for a wide range of opportunities and for diverse long-term careers. Our alumni can be found in leadership roles within public accounting and consulting organizations, from beginners to senior partners. Alumni also hold leadership positions in corporate finance organizations within healthcare, manufacturing, and other industries鈥擟hief Financial Officers, Controllers, Business Analysts, and more. When you speak the language of business, the sky鈥檚 the limit.

Our Research

Our faculty members have published in leading academic and practitioner journals, displaying their expertise in various methods to address professional judgment, critical thinking, student learning and growth, advancing technology in the field, sociological and psychological affects on accounting organizations and processes, and much more.

Learn More About Our Research

Give

Donors to the department of Accountancy support the advancement of the profession through student scholarships and the advancement of research. When you pledge to Weatherhead, please consider directing your contribution to Accountancy Scholarships or Accountancy Research and Operations.

In the News

Accounting Curriculum

Because we recently completed a major upgrade to our undergraduate and MAcc programs, Weatherhead鈥檚 accounting curriculum is among the most up to date of any peer university. We have integrated the use of technology and analytics into our curriculum. Our MAcc program was one of the first in the U.S. to have achieved STEM designation.

The contains comprehensive information on course offerings. See the for specific degree requirements.

Historical Achievements

Get to know some of our department鈥檚 accomplishments since our founding nearly a century ago.

  • 1928: The Weatherhead School鈥檚 accounting department was first established.
  • 1930: The Beta Alpha Psi honorary student organization was founded as the 12th chapter in the world. There are over 300 such chapters today.
  • 1981: 星空传媒 was among the first universities to develop a Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program.
  • 2011: Professor Gary Previts was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame.
  • 2016: Ally Zimmerman, a 2016 PhD graduate, won the best dissertation award from the American Accounting Association. About 100 universities in the U.S. offer a PhD in accounting.
  • 2018: The department rolled out a STEM-designated curriculum for the MAcc program.
  • 2019: Tim Mayer (BS/MAcc 2019) won the Elijah Watt Sells Award for outstanding performance on the CPA examination. He was one of 137 awardees out of roughly 75,000 candidates who took the exam that year.  
  • 2020: Emily Ahlstrom (CWR 鈥20) was one of 89 people to win the Elijah Watt Sells Award.

Departmental News 

Keep up to date with the Department of Accountancy at Weatherhead School of Management by reading the latest editions of our newsletter. 

Departmental Awards

In the Department of Accountancy, we sponsor the Braden Award. Named in honor of longtime professor Andrew Dale Braden, it is given to an outstanding leader in the professional practice community who has made distinctive contributions to the knowledge and advancement of the discipline of accountancy. 

2023 - Barry Melancon
President and CEO of AICPA-CIMA

2022 - Alice L. Jolla
Chief accounting officer and CVP, Corporate Finance and Services, of Microsoft Corporation

2021 - Jeffrey C. Thomson
President and CEO of the Institute of Management Accountants

2020 - No Award
Due to pandemic

2019 - Christine Botosan
Member, the Financial Accounting Standards Board

2018 - Cathy Engelbert
Former CEO, Deloitte U.S.

2017 - Mark Weinberger
Global Chairman, EY
MBA and JD Alumnus of 星空传媒

2016 - Robert H. Herz
Former Chairman, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)

2015 - Jeanette M. Franzel
Board Member, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)

2014 - Judith H. O'Dell
President, O'Dell Valuation Consulting LLC

2013 - Gene L. Dodaro
Comptroller General of U.S. and Head of the GAO

2012 - James H. Quigley
Senior Partner, Deloitte LLP,
Former CEO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd.

2011 - Charles A. Bowsher
Former Comptroller General of U.S. and Head of the GAO

2010 - Charles D. Niemeier
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board

2009 - Donald T. Nicolaisen
PricewaterhouseCoopers

2008 - Dan M. Guy
AICPA

2007 - Gretchen R. Haggerty
United States Steel Corporation

2006 - James G. Castellano
Chairman of the Board, RubinBrown LLP

2005 - J. Michael Crooch
Member, Financial Accounting Standards Board

2004 - Peter R. Bible
Chief Accounting Officer, General Motors Corporation

2003 - J. Michael Cook
Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte LLP
Serving on the Advisory Board of The Directorship Search Group

2002 - David Mosso
Chairman, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board

2001 - Donald Kirk
Public Oversight Board

2000 - Olivia Kirtley
AICPA Board of Examiners

1999 - James Leisenring
Financial Accounting Standards Board

1998 - Arthur Siegel
Independence Standards Board

1997 - Michael Sutton
Securities and Exchange Commission

1996 - Robert Mednick
Andersen LLP

1995 - Robert Elliott
KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

1994 - Edmund L. Jenkins
Andersen LLP

1993 - Jerry D. Sullivan
Public Oversight Board

1992 - Walter P. Scheutze
Securities and Exchange Commission

1991 - Gerald A. Polansky
Deloitte & Touche LLP

1990 - William D. Hall
Andersen LLP

1989 - Gaylen Larson
Household International

1988 - Robert May
Andersen LLP

1987 - Dennis Beresford
Financial Accounting Standards Board

1986 - Clarence Sampson
Financial Accounting Standards Board

1985 - Mario Formichella
Ernst & Young LLP

1984 - Robert Neary
Ernst & Young LLP

1983 - Louis E. Levy
KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

Get in Touch

  • Portrait of Heidi Bocan

    Heidi Bocan

    Associate Director of Accountancy and Program Manager
    Master of Accountancy Program
    Weatherhead School of Management

    Email: heidi.bocan@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.2495

  • portrait of Anthony Bucaro

    Anthony Bucaro

    E. Mandell De Windt Endowed Professor in Leadership and Enterprise Development
    Department of Accountancy
    Weatherhead School of Management
    Department Chair
    Department of Accountancy
    Weatherhead School of Management
    Co-Director, Master of Accountancy Program
    Department of Accountancy
    Weatherhead School of Management
    Associate Professor
    Accountancy
    Weatherhead School of Management

    Email: anthony.bucaro@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.1057