Curriculum Report
The Accounting Task Force of the MaCuDE project did a thorough review of the accounting curricula of about 95 colleges and universities. A main conclusion is that digital content in accounting is primarily comprised of managing and manipulating large data sets, applying analytics tools to answer questions and tell a story, and understanding automation of accounting functions. More specifically, the task force found that the key digital themes covered in undergraduate accounting curricula are: Accounting & Business Analytics, Data Management, Modeling, Software & Programming. The majority of undergraduate programs have embedded digital skill acquisition into multiple courses while most of the rest provide this instruction in a standalone class. When embedded within existing courses, the content is most frequently included in Information Systems and Auditing courses. However, this content is also distributed across tax, advanced accounting and managerial classes. The products and topics that are most frequently included are Alteryx, data visualization software, textual analysis and modeling in excel.
The detail coverage within each of these topical areas varies. In the area of Accounting and Business Analytics, the courses tended to focus on acquiring the skills needed to examine data and tell a compelling story within a specific business or accounting context. Data management and manipulation courses teach data science type skills rather than analytics. Modeling classes focused primarily on decision modeling, visualization and predictive modeling, and financial modeling. Software/programmingcoursework covered statistical packages, programming languages (e.g. Python) and/or programs (mobile applications) that are frequently used within the area of accounting.
At the graduate level, digital content in the form of standalone coursework was found in the majority of the schools in the sample. The topical focus of those courses varies with the most common as a requirement or an elective being in the area of accounting and business analytics. Courses on data management, modeling and programming tended to be part of degree programs that had been designed with a focus on analytics.
Within the graduate curriculum, digital content is most frequently embedded in Accounting Information Systems followed by Auditing and then Managerial/Cost Accounting and Advanced Accounting. Again, the most common software used in the undergraduate course work are Excel and Tableau Alteryx was the sole additional software that is used in graduate programs.
This task force is currently surveying industry leaders for an assessment of future needs in the accounting area. It will then produce recommendations for the MaCuDE steering committee.