Accounting Department Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The Lebanon Valley College Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics seeks to make LVC the school of choice among selected high-potential, college-bound high school seniors and college sophomore transfer students in Pennsylvania and surrounding Mid-Atlantic states. The specific mission of each departmental program is to build on the flexibility and breadth of the liberal arts curriculum of the college and help each student develop the particular skill set essential to launch and manage their careers. In pursuit of this mission, the Department holds to a set of core values: collegiality, professionalism, and respect for colleagues’ academic freedom; achievement through collaboration and teamwork; integrity supported by ethical behavior; exceptional communication skills; and continuous improvement using ACBSP accreditation benchmarks and best practices. These values facilitate the interactions within the Department and across the campus deemed essential to success in this endeavor.
Program Goal 1: Students will develop the skills necessary to apply accounting principles, practices, data, and information to business strategy.
- Students will develop a thorough foundation in financial accounting, managerial accounting, auditing, taxation, and other key areas, ensuring they understand and can apply fundamental accounting principles and standards.
Program Goal 2: Students will demonstrate effective communication skills.
- Students will demonstrate effective communication in method, manner, and content particular to their discipline through the organization, presentation, formatting and stylistic choices in their written and oral communications.
- Students will communicate clearly and persuasively in various business contexts both in writing and orally, as well as present ideas effectively in class discussions and formal presentations.
- Students will synthesize communication skills with leadership skills to both lead teams and collaborate effectively in teams.
Program Goal 3: Students will demonstrate advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Students will analyze complex business situations, identify problems, and develop strategic solutions using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
- Students will apply course material to problem-solving and decisions in core business disciplines, demonstrating a broad understanding of how different functions integrate within an organization.
- Students will construct perspectives reflective of business environments in which cultural diversity and disciplinary practices are consistent with the challenges of operating in a global economy.
Program Goal 4: Students will display the knowledge and competencies necessary to work effectively as a professional in the field of study.
- Students will utilize contemporary business technologies and data analytics tools to make informed decisions and foster business innovation.
- Students will consider ethical implications and social responsibilities in business decisions, promoting sustainable and socially responsible business practices.
For more information on learning goals and outcomes, contact institutionalresearch@lvc.edu.
Additional Information
Faculty supporting the Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting major at Lebanon Valley College is committed to providing an exceptional learning experience and a supportive learning environment that:
- Conveys effectively the knowledge and comprehension of the discipline of Accounting within the context of a liberal arts education.
- Produces students with superior written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on the types of communications specific to the accounting profession.
- Develops students’ abilities to effectively analyze business and organizational context from an accounting perspective; apply accounting principles and concepts to real problems and opportunities, and synthesize solutions.
- Develops a thorough understanding of the ethical challenges facing accountants and accounting managers in the business environment and develops in students the habit of honest, objective, and moral evaluations of the consequences of their actions.
- Encourages and assists the development of the multi-disciplinary skill set, the relationship-building skills, and the life-long learning skills that suit each student’s expressed post-graduate career intentions.
- Establishes a solid foundation on which to complete preparation for the numerous professional certifications that are now in play.
Students completing a B.S. in Accounting at Lebanon Valley College will demonstrate and possess:
- An understanding of concepts of the accounting discipline and the application of those concepts to the intra-disciplinary focus of their own choosing.
- An understanding of the fundamental knowledge in the disciplines of economics, finance, business law, management science, and corporate strategy.
- Effective reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills appropriate to the accounting profession.
- Effective fundamental project management skills.
- Effective information research skills including information gathering, databases searching, assessing the value of information, and communicating findings on a focused topic in the discipline.
- Effective skills in applying generally accepted quantitative methodologies to the analysis and solution of complex accounting problems.
- Critical thinking skills appropriate to the accounting discipline including the ability to describe, analyze, and link the context with concepts and theories, evaluate the situation, solve problems, and make and defend decisions.
- The ability to understand, apply and integrate lead-edge information technology in the accounting environment.
- The ability to examine and evaluate individual and organizational behavior and its consequences within a moral framework.
- An assertive and active approach to launching and managing their careers.