Changes to the accounting minor are not so minor
By Brittany Chu
Feb. 24, 2012 12:05 a.m.
UCLA students intending to pursue a minor in accounting will face a new set of requirements come January 2014, a change that affects current students in the program.
The new requirements will ask students applying for their Certified Public Accountant license to take an additional 45 units in various subjects.
There will be an additional nine units of designated accounting credits, eight units in business-related subjects, while at least 15 of these units will go toward ethics courses.
Before this change was announced, students were required to take 36 units in accounting-related subjects, such as management, and 36 units in business-related subjects, such as mathematics, economics and business administration, according to Rachel Saar, the director of student affairs to the undergraduate accounting minor.
Students must also have 225 quarter units in order to be eligible for the license. Because the unit cap for UCLA students is 216 units, students without Advanced Placement or community college units can petition to have their unit cap raised.
In addition to ensuring that students receive the necessary classes, the university must make students aware of the change. Getting an accounting minor will not necessarily ensure that students are eligible to take the license exam by the time they graduate.
“UCLA needs to make sure everyone is aware of this. They should hold workshops or informational nights on what we can do to prepare for the changes,” said Hayley Linsenbard, a second-year economics student who said she was interested in obtaining her license.
Students should not worry about being put at a disadvantage simply because UCLA does not offer the newly required ethics courses during the academic year or because they cannot take 225 units. UCLA has decided on other measures to make its students just as competitive as those from other schools with accounting degrees.
UCLA is taking several steps to help students interested in obtaining their license and working in accounting cope with these new requirements.
In terms of the license, these newly designated units in business and ethics can be taken through a community college, such as Santa Monica College, online or even through a new summer institute to be provided by UCLA.
The university plans to offer students extra units in ethics and other accounting subjects to cover the courses not offered by UCLA during the academic year, Saar said.
While many students might not want to pay for such a program or dedicate their summer to this, the payoff is more than enough.
“The professors are doing the best that they can by providing the summer institute, while the university is going to need some time to put these extra ethics classes in the curriculum,” said Carolyn Oran, a fourth-year business economics student.
Students interested in accounting or business go through recruitment for employment after college as early as freshman year. Internships obtained during the summer before senior year often lead to full-time offers for students, ensuring they have a job directly out of their undergraduate education.
The summer institute will not only help students cope with the new requirements, but it is also less expensive than masters programs in accounting and will allow students to begin working immediately.
The institute may also include classes on human resources and guest lectures by professionals from various firms, Saar said.
While UCLA does not have an accounting major, the minor not only allows students to specialize in accounting, but it also gives them the room to major in something else.
This opportunity to provide a multi-disciplinary education is one that should be maintained by UCLA.
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