Letter from the Director: Empowering Our Graduates to Succeed

Ray Whittington Professor and Director School of Accountancy & MIS

In July I returned to the School of Accountancy & MIS as director after concluding my tenure as dean. I am excited to be back at the school and to share, through the launch of this new General Journal, how we are fulfilling our mission to prepare graduates to succeed in the accounting profession.

To advance this mission, we recently revised our Master of Accountancy degree, renaming it the Master of Science in Audit and Advisory Services (MSAA). The new name reflects the program’s cutting-edge curriculum in audit, forensic accounting and data analytics, integrating the latest technology and software tools that will empower our graduates to adapt to the changing business models and technologies affecting the accounting profession. These tools will allow our students to gain sought-after skills for transforming financial data into value for employers.

Blending theory and practice is what distinguishes the MSAA, as well as our highly ranked Master of Science in Accountancy and Master of Science in Taxation programs, our MBA concentration in accountancy and our undergraduate accountancy major. It is also what makes our graduates highly marketable. DePaul’s most recent alumni career survey, which tracked the Class of 2016, reported that 96% of undergraduate students and 97% of graduate students were employed, continuing their educations (e.g., graduate school) or not seeking employment at the time of graduation. Self-reported median salaries for the Class of 2016 were $59,000 for undergraduate accounting $60,000 for graduate accounting, and $94,000 for graduate tax students. We look forward to the growth of our MSAA, which will contribute to positive career outcomes of our students in the coming years.

Our industry connections also continue to grow in our endeavor to link students to successful careers in CPA firms, corporations, government and nonprofit organizations. Of our graduating class in 2016, 125 undergraduate students received a full-time job offer from one of the top nine public accounting firms in Chicago.

I am grateful that our school and its students can rely on its strong alumni and industry connections, a distinguished faculty, and generous donors to meet its mission. Together they spark innovation and student success at the school.

Ray Whittington

Professor and Director

School of Accountancy & MIS

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