Meet the Director

Dear Prospective Accounting Honors Student:

The Ohio State University Accounting Honors Program is the pride of the Department of the Accounting and MIS faculty. We seek students who embrace challenges and are not only interested in learning about the profession of accounting, but also are eager to study accounting as an intellectual subject. In order to understand why accounting is done the way it is, you will learn how to apply economic analysis to business decisions and learn about the importance of accounting, from its facilitation of the operations of a small business to its role in the financial markets.

You may be curious about whether you are a good fit for our Program. While it is generally true that aptitude and prior coursework in such academic fields as economics, mathematics, and statistics are nice to have, the most important characteristic of an Accounting Honors student is a healthy attitude towards learning.

Accounting Honors students are chosen because they fit this description. If you do as well, you will likely come to find that taking courses from active researchers who are genuinely interested in educating their students is exactly what a University education should be about. In addition, our graduates consistently mention that the highlight of their Accounting Honors experience is their frequent opportunities to interact with other hard-working and motivated students. Due to these experiences, our students make lifelong friends. It is no wonder that our alumni frequently are eager to return to talk to our current students about the value of the training they received as participants in the Accounting Honors Program.

You may be wondering whether the Accounting Honors Program is for you. While many of our students are interested initially in public accounting, it turns out that a significant of our graduates go directly into other careers including consulting, investment banking, law school, medical and dental school, and masters and doctoral programs. The reason why our program can be beneficial for people in such diverse fields is that the curriculum hones students’ analytical abilities and develops students’ confidence in their abilities to think for themselves. Students are expected to learn how to work independently and arrive at class prepared to participate in an active discussion. Rote learning is simply not part of the program. The value of this approach is that students are prepared for a successful career in the long run, not merely for entry level positions.

If what we have to offer appeals to you, I encourage you to scan our webpages and learn more about our Program. Of course, it goes without saying I will be happy to have you contact me by email or phone or meet with me here on campus, so we can address your questions.

Yours truly,

Professor Rick Young
Director, Accounting Honors Program

Revised Oct. 2018