New PSU study reveals gaps in research about access to accounting education and professional credentials

The primary goal of accounting education is to provide means for individuals to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to enter the profession and obtain professional licensure. 

This goal is being challenged in the current environment for a host of reasons, namely the disruption of a global pandemic and its disproportionate impact on students, especially students from lower socioeconomic economic backgrounds and Black and Indigenous students of color.

The leading accounting education journal, Issues in Accounting Education recently published the study, Research Initiatives in Accounting Education: Providing Access to Education and Obtaining Credentials, by Portland State University Associate  Professor of Accounting Joleen Kremin and colleagues. The article suggests researchers need to take a hard look at the value proposition of accounting education, and barriers to enter the profession. 

“We have been watching for years as highly qualified but disadvantaged students struggled to afford an education only to be hired at stagnant salaries,” said Kremin.“As an educator, I question whether our current educational model is the best fit for our changing profession.” 

Using existing accounting research Kremin and her co-author William Pasewark from Texas Tech University suggest areas where future research is needed to understand the value proposition of tuition and the related usefulness of a degree. 

Finally, they advocate for a rigorous dive into professional credentials, the decline in CPAs, and the barriers that may inhibit the supply of quality candidates from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.

Kremin states this research highlights the importance of educators asking progressively more challenging questions of themselves. 

“There is much we can do as researchers to understand our students’ needs as well as the needs of a rapidly changing profession,” said Kremin.“The future will always win, and it demands changes, often radical, in perspective and approach. Research is our best chance for survival.”