Certificate of Achievement in Accounting Ethics

The Certificate of Achievement in Accounting Ethics is designed for students whose goal is to complete the coursework necessary to obtain their Certified Public Accounting (CPA) license. A CPA license is a distinguished and highly valued credential which enables the holder to work for public accounting firms, industry, government, not-for-profit, and academic institutions. All courses in this certificate meet the 150 semester hour education requirement for licensure in the state of California.

 

On average 542 students have taken Auditing, 664 students have taken Fraud Examination, and  1,007 students have taken Ethics in Accounting in the Academic Years 2019-20 and 2020-21. All three courses are offered online in an asynchronous basis across all four quarters. The demand for these courses continues to be strong. The efficient design of the certificate will attract students looking to gain the courses necessary to take and pass the CPA exam.

 

All of the courses for the Certificate of Achievement in Accounting Ethics can be taken 100% online, asynchronously, allowing students anywhere to take these classes. We believe this will increase the number of students who complete the certificate.

Course #	Course Title	Annual Sections (19/20)	Annual Enrollment(19/20)	Annual Sections (20/21)	AnnualEnrollment(20/21)
ACTG 58	Auditing	7	284	7	258
ACTG 59	Fraud Examination	8	356	8	308
ACTG 76	Ethics in Accounting	22	855	13	465

The general objective of the Certificate of Achievement in Accounting Ethics is to prepare students to work as accountants, examining and preparing financial records, preparing budgets, and implementing internal control and cost control for private industry, public accounting companies, government agencies, individuals, and non-profit entities. The academic goal of the certificate is to prepare students to transfer to four-year institutions. The vocational goal is to prepare students to take the CPA exam, to satisfy the educational requirement for the CPA license, to satisfy continuing education units for accountants who currently hold a CPA license, and to prepare students to become marketable in the field of accounting.

 

Program Learning Outcomes:

·      Students will be able to understand and apply the skills related to professional responsibilities, including ethics, independence, and professional skepticism

·      Students will be able to understand the business entity including its operations, information systems, risks, and internal controls

·      Students will be able to understand the flow of transactions and underlying data through a business entity

·      Students will be able to assess risk and develop a planned response

·      Students will be able to obtain audit evidence and perform further procedures

·      Students will be able to form conclusions and report on those conclusions

·      Students will be able to discuss the history and function of ethics

·      Students will be able to differentiate between the six guiding principles in the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct

·      Students will be able to apply the AICPA standards and the IRS rules to common ethical dilemmas faced by CPAs in practice

·      Students will be able to explain the ideals of integrity, independence, and objectivity in relation to the distinctive work of an accountant

·      Students will be able to compare and contrast the three layers of failure to exercise due care

·      Students will be able to describe the difference between being independent in appearance and independent in fact

·      Students will be able to define the revenue recognition and matching principles and explain why they are important to users of financial statements

·      Students will be able to explain the full disclosure principle under GAAP and illustrate why it's important to users of financial statements

Students will need to take three required courses. This can be competed within 2 quarters.

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
ACTG 58	Auditing	5	Y1 Fall
ACTG 59	Fraud Examination	5	Y1 Winter
ACTG 76	Ethics in Accounting	5	Y1 Fall

Foothill College offers programs and services that empower students to achieve their goals as members of the workforce, as future students, and as global citizens. The demand for accountants continues to be high, with growth projected by the bureau of U.S. Labor and Statistics at 7% over the next ten years. The Certificate of Achievement in Accounting Ethics will enable students to achieve their goals in respect to CPA candidacy, as well as those returning to the workplace, self-employment, or transfer to a four-year college. The program is a critical step for students who wish to obtain the courses necessary to sit for the CPA exam.

In Foothill College’s service area, none of the surrounding colleges offer the Certificate of Achievement in Accounting Ethics. Outside of our service area, but still in California, Santa Monica College has a CPA track certificate which is more general and covers the basic concepts for the CPA examination.