Accountancy

In the Department of Accountancy at Weatherhead School of Management, we develop students with outstanding measurement and communication skills. Our graduates go on to secure starting positions at leading for-profit, nonprofit, and government organizations, holding jobs in public accounting firms, corporations, government agencies, consulting firms, investment banks, private equity firms and beyond.

While some programs focus on imparting technical accounting skills, we understand the importance of teaching students how to think critically, communicate clearly and persuasively, and consider the needs of all relevant stakeholders. Faculty members work one on one with students—and cultivate relationships that last a lifetime.

Study Accountancy at CWRU

Earn a degree from the Department of Accountancy at the Weatherhead School: 

BS in Accounting

Our undergraduate accounting curriculum prepares you to enter the accounting field, including the foundation you need to sit for the certified public accountant examination or to earn other professional certifications.

Master of Accountancy

Whether you’re hoping to land a position at a top accounting firm or have an interest in investment banking, private equity, or government, this one- to two-year Master of Accountancy program will help you build critical-thinking skills to set you up for a rewarding career.

PhD in Management - Accountancy

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

Expert Faculty

Our faculty members have accomplished impressive things outside of the classroom, from working in investor relations for the first company in the world to publish monthly financial statements, to serving as a general manager of the business unit that sold the first car insurance policy purchased by a motorist over the internet. 

Others have worked as the national auditing director of a public accounting firm, served as CFO and CEO of a company, worked for private equity organizations, oversaw the turnaround of a business, provided financial planning for business executives and served as president of the American Accounting Association. 

Perhaps most importantly, our faculty members help students become professionals ready for the rigors of employment. Close to 100% of our students eligible for full-time employment in the United States get internships at global, national and local employers between their junior or senior years of school in cities across the country—and the globe. 

Thanks to our mentorship and guidance, most receive full-time job offers after their internships. Our emphasis on academic rigor alongside faculty mentorship prepares students to be leaders and employment-ready when they graduate.

Our Research Approach

Our faculty members have published in leading academic and practitioner journals, displaying their expertise in historical methods to address student accounting issues, sociology methods to study accounting organizations and processes and much more. 

Learn More About Our Research

Accounting Curriculum

Because we recently completed a major upgrade to our undergraduate and MAcc programs, Weatherhead’s 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 schedule of classes contains comprehensive information on course offerings. See the General Bulletin for specific degree requirements.

Historical Achievements

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

• 1928: The Weatherhead School’s 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: Case Western Reserve University 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 ‘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. 

• Academic Year 2021–22
• Academic Year 2020–21
• Academic Year 2019–20

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. 

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