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Accountancy Major (AC)
Information Systems Audit & Control (ISAC)
Corporate Finance and Accounting Major (FA)
Prerequisite(s): Nine hours of accountancy courses at the 600 level or higher
A 1-credit field-based educational experience for Bentley students with the opportunity to (1) observe management practices in the accounting are a, (2) apply hands-on accounting practices and procedures learned in classes, (3) develop professional skills, (4) test aptitude and personal preferences for various career directions, and (5) establish a basis for future professional employment. This Internship option is available to Bentley graduate students. Students must work a minimum of 15 hours per week for a minimum of ten weeks at an organization and position suitable for the individual student's field learning experience and complete specific requirements during their Internship. A student is limited to doing one such 1-credit internship before degree completion.
Prerequisite(s): No prerequisite for MSA or Graduate Certificate in Accountancy; all others, BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524
Deals with the measurement and reporting problems of various asset and liability accounts, revenues and expenses, and the preparation and interpretation of financial statements at the intermediate financial accounting level. Pronouncements of the AICPA, FASB and other authoritative sources are used in instruction.
Prerequisite(s): AC 611
Builds upon the areas covered in AC 611 and deals with problems in accounting for items such as corporate debt and investments, pension plans, leases, and income tax allocation at the intermediate financial accounting level. Pronouncements of the AICPA, FASB and other authoritative sources are an integral part of this course.
Prerequisite(s): No prerequisite for MSA, or Graduate Certificate in Accountancy; all others, BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524
Covers basic concepts and techniques of cost accounting. Topics include cost accumulation procedures, cost-volume-profit analysis, and operational budgeting. Explores the analysis and presentation of information from a behavioral as well as a quantitative perspective.
Prerequisite(s): Director's permission
Under certain circumstances, a student may do the work in one or two courses as a directed study in a one-to-one relationship with a member of the Bentley faculty. The student meets with this faculty adviser periodically and receives guidance and consultation in the subject area of the course. Students should enter into a directed study arrangement with great care and careful planning as the demands could be greater than a regular classroom environment course. The student must have completed all the required courses prior to entering into a directed study arrangement and may not receive more than six credits in this manner. The fee for a directed study seminar is the same as that for a regular course.
Prerequisite(s): Nine hours of accountancy courses at the 600 level or higher
Affords students the opportunity to enhance self-realization and direction by integrating prior classroom study with experience in professional employment. Each student is required to prepare a research paper addressing a contemporary accounting issue and a paper on the work experience, under the supervision of a faculty adviser.
Pre- or corequisite(s): AC 612
Studies issues related to specialized topics such as partnerships, consolidations and business combinations, foreign operations, fiduciaries and not-for-profit organizations.
Prerequisite(s): AC 611
Examines current financial reporting and disclosure practices and financial reporting trends. Develops the student's skills in financial reporting measures for solvency, earnings, investment and forecasting implications. Looks at internal measures useful for management decision-making. Discusses behavioral implications of internal and external reporting through use of current research findings.
Prerequisite(s): AC 621
Provides advanced treatment of cost accounting topics, including activity-based costing and activity-based management, capital budgeting, inventory control methods, linear programming techniques, transfer pricing, and additional facets of process costing and variance analysis.
Prerequisite(s): No prerequisites for MSA or Graduate Certificate in Accountancy; all others BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524
Examines typical organizational business processes and the information technology that enables those processes. Reviews qualities of information, including those established by authoritative bodies, to assess the ability of information systems to support the business processes and an organization's management. Focuses on financial and accounting information systems (AIS) and explores several typical AIS application areas. Issues addressed include the effect of emerging technologies on business processes and their related information systems; control issues pertaining to these systems; and the implications of technology-enabled organizational changes on systems design, implementation and management. Students will be introduced to state-of-the-art tools and techniques for examining business processes and information systems and will engage in a project at a company site.
Prerequisite(s): AC 730
This course, designed for students who will be accountants and information systems professionals, shows how they can help management use information technology to effectively control the execution of business activities, while capturing accurate and complete data about those activities in real-time. Students will model, analyze and evaluate accounting information systems that support intra- and inter-organizational business processes as well as management control and decision-making. Students will learn to determine and document user requirements, communicate results, and support decision-making. By analyzing and discussing case studies, students will develop the ability to identify key issues, wrestle with conflicting information, and formulate appropriate and feasible recommendations. The course incorporates large-scale projects to enrich the student's experience with an appreciation for the accounting challenges and opportunities posed by information technology.
Prerequisite(s): BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524, or AC 611
Pre- or corequisite(s): AC 730
This course is designed to provide a foundation in financial statement auditing. Class sessions cover the economic and social justifications for auditing; the connections between enterprise strategy, business processes, business risks, financial measures, and the audit; the role of internal control in auditing; the technical details of audit planning, testing, and reporting; and the social responsibility of the auditor. Investors, analysts, and the public face a significant problem in assessing the quality of the financial information that an enterprise reports as it goes about its activities. Arguably, these parties can make better decisions if they can trust the executives and management of the enterprise and if they are reasonably sure that the information they encounter is of high quality. One way to gain both that trust and that assurance is by examining the quality of the information through the process of financial statement auditing.
Prerequisite(s): AC 741
Introduces three typical aspects of information technology (IT) audits: the audits of computerized information systems, the computer facility, and the process of developing and implementing information systems. Through readings, case studies, exercises, and discussion, students will learn to plan, conduct, and report on these three types of IT audits. Additional topics may include challenges posed by emerging information technologies, advanced audit software, business continuity planning, and the role of the IT auditor as an advisor to management.
Prerequisite(s): BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524, or AC 611
Explores in detail the duties and responsibilities of the internal auditor within the management team. Topics covered include the organization of the internal audit department, staff qualifications and development, long- and short-range audit plans, and the elements of internal auditing (i.e., preliminary survey, audit programs, fieldwork activities, reporting and management review).
Note: Not open to students who have completed TX 601
Examines individuals, C corporations, S corporations, and partnerships as taxable entities. Topics include the philosophy of taxation, income determination, deductions and credits, acquisition and disposition of property, and related gains and losses. Additional topics, including distribution from and liquidation of business entities, tax planning, and tax research, may be covered.
Prerequisite(s): AC 750 or TX 601
Examines the effect of taxation on business decisions and accounting policies. Topics include choice of business entity, valuation of assets and related cost recovery methods, and compensation issues related to equity-holders and employees. Tax planning and tax research will be integrated into all topics.
Prerequisite(s): BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524, or AC 611
The course presents techniques for identifying and measuring business risk and for devising strategies incorporating risk analysis into strategic planning. Provides students with a framework to develop a company's enterprise wide-risk management process. The course ties strategic objectives, risks, internal controls, and critical success factors to business performance measurements to evaluate an entity's progress toward achieving strategic goals. Students investigate the design and implementation of a performance measurement system based on the entity's strategic plan, identifying relevant leading indicators and appropriate industry benchmarks. A comprehensive project provides students with experience in designing or evaluating a company's risk management system.
Prerequisite(s): BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524, or AC 611
Deals with the measurement and financial reporting problems unique to federal, state and local governments. Covers various aspects of financial statement preparation and interpretation. Reference is made to pronouncements of the AICPA, FASB, GASB and other authoritative sources. Budgeting, budgetary control, and public sector auditing are introduced.
Pre- or corequisite(s): AC 611 or equivalent
Exposes students to the environment of financial fraud, with a focus on asset misappropriation and fraud perpetrated against the organization. Explores the prevailing theories of criminal behavior related to white collar crime, as well as the basics of the regulatory, criminal justice and civil justice systems, relevant federal and state statutes and regulations, and common law related to fraud. Covers fraud prevention, and detection and investigation tools related to asset misappropriation. Also introduces the digital environment of fraud, including identity theft, cyber crimes and internet forensics.
Prerequisite(s): AC 611 or equivalent. Recommended: AC 612 or equivalent
Focuses on complex frauds (including financial statement fraud, tax fraud and money laundering), and on non-fraud forensic accounting engagements (including cases of patent infringement, commercial damages, and anti-trust.) Covers related investigation methods and legal issues, valuation models, reporting and communicating findings, testifying as an expert witness, and other litigation advisory services.
Prerequisite(s): BF 506 or PF Module I or GR 524, or AC 611
Examines major international dimensions of financial and managerial accounting. Discusses national and cultural influences on accounting and on the accounting profession. Investigates financial regulation and varying financial reporting standards in selected foreign countries. Analyzes methods of translation and accounting for gains and losses from exchange rate fluctuations. Introduces students to managerial accounting issues raised by international business.
Prerequisite(s): AC 612
Pre- or corequisite(s): AC 621, AC 730 and AC 741
Introduces graduate students to professional accounting research. Focuses on how research can help address measurement, uniformity and disclosure issues that regularly arise in business. Reviews and critiques research works and their implications for the practice of accounting. Investigates ethical perspectives and emerging professional issues. Evaluates policy formulation of professional accounting standards and their impact on business reporting. Students research, analyze, develop and present proposed solutions to accounting and related business cases found in practice using modern information technology resources.