FREQUENTLY ASKED ADVISING QUESTIONS
FOR ACCOUNTING MAJORS
BEFORE CONTACTING YOUR ACCOUNTING ADVISOR
READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION!
1. Are you entering the College of Business for the first time or after a several year separation from ODU?
If No, go to #2.
If yes, keep reading. Did you attend a Freshman or Transfer PREVIEW? If not, you should contact the College of Business' Central Advising Center in Constant Hall 1011 at 683-5777, BusinessAdvising@odu.edu to receive information as a first time enrollee in the College. After this initial information session, you will use your Accounting Advisor until your senior year.
2. Are you a senior with 80 credit hours and only two semesters left before graduation? OR Did you receive a letter telling you to see your advisor for your Certification for Graduation?
If No, go to #3.
If yes, keep reading. Go to the College of Business' Central Advising Center in Constant Hall 1011, BusinessAdvising@odu.edu, and complete an application for graduation and set up an advising appointment. The Advising Center will review your coursework to assure you will take the courses you need to complete your degree that last semester and complete the Certification for Graduation.
3. You must apply to the College of Business to receive a BSBA? The College of Business has an admissions policy for students seeking a BSBA. Students must receive a C or better in ACCT 201, ECON 202S, ENGL 110C and MATH 162M to be admitted to the College. Applications for admission are available at the College of Business' Central Advising Center in Constant Hall 1011 or at www.odu.edu, select "Academics" from the menu bar at the top of the screen, select "Admission details" and click on the BSBA Application link. The completed application with attachments should be returned to the CBPA Dean's office in 204 Constant Hall. To enroll in 300-400 level business courses, students must be accepted to the College of Business. You must also have a resume approved and on file with Career Management. Please see the current ODU catalog for more information.
4. Do you want to register for classes in the coming semester?
FIRST: Check to see if you have an Advising Hold.
Go to the web site www.odu.edu
In the main left menu choose "Current Students"
Go to Row 3, left menu and select "Registration & Records"
Select "Registering for classes"
Click on www.leoonline.odu.edu
click on the first selection "Enter LEO Online News and Secure Area"
scroll to the bottom of the news screen, to "Enter Secure Area"
click on the key button
enter your University ID Number or social security number and your PIN (your birthdate, MMDDYY)
click on "Login"
click on "Admissions, Registration, Student Records, and Financial Aid"
click on "Student Records"
click on "View Holds"
look at the ADVISOR hold (that is the only one an Advisor can unblock). It will show the last semester in which you can preregister before you must contact your advisor for unblocking. Look at the date the advising block becomes active. If it is not the current date, or before the current date, you do not have an advising hold yet! The Registrar's office now warns you of upcoming advising blocks.
DO NOT REQUEST UNBLOCKING FROM AN ADVISOR IF YOU ALREADY HAVE THE ADVISING BLOCK REMOVED OR IF SOME OTHER DEPARTMENT AT ODU HAS YOU BLOCKED. Advisors can only unblock an Advising Hold. For any other hold, you must go to the department that placed the hold and have them lift the block.
You DO NOT have to see an Accounting Advisor in person to have an advising hold unblocked unless you are a freshman or are currently on probation or in academic difficulty. Academic difficulty means you have an overall grade point average less than 2.30. Students in academic difficulty are encouraged to schedule an appointment with the College's Central Advising Center in Constant 1011, BusinessAdvising@odu.edu. You may e-mail your advisor or call the advisor for unblocking. Please give your name and University ID Number or social security number.
5. Do you want to change your undergraduate major within the College of Business, declare or change a double major in the College of Business or declare a Business minor AFTER ACCEPTANCE TO THE CBPA (See #3 above or read below)? You DO NOT SEE AN ACCOUNTING ADVISOR. You should e-mail Dr. Ali Ardalan, the Associate Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration, (aardalan@odu.edu) requesting the change in major, double major, or minor. Please give your name, University Identification Number or social security number, and be specific as to the change you desire. Keep reading!
To change your undergraduate business major or declare a second business major, first
check to see if you are a Declared Business Major signifying you have been accepted to the CBPA (See Step 3 if you need to be accepted to the CBPA)
Access your transcript, go to the web site www.odu.edu
In the main left menu choose "Current Students"
To the right is "myODU" portal enter your Midas Identification and password
Select "Degree Works"
You will see if you have been accepted in the BSBA program and the major(s)/minors you have declared.
OR from "Current Students"
Go to Row 3, left menu and select "Registration & Records"
Select "Registering for classes"
Click on www.leoonline.odu.edu
click on the first selection "Enter LEO Online News and Secure Area"
scroll to the bottom of the news screen, to "Enter Secure Area"
click on the key button
enter your University ID Number or social security number and your PIN (your birthdate, MMDDYY)
click on "Login"
click on "Admissions, Registration, Student Records, and Financial Aid"
click on "Student Records"
click on "Academic Transcript"
click on "Display"
check your last semester at ODU to see if the Major field says Accounting or another Business Major
6. Do you need a curriculum sheet for accounting, or a double business major along with your accounting major?
If you signify what catalog year you are pursuing and, whether you want a double business major, and what that other business field will be in an e-mail, your advisor can send you this information by e-mail. Be specific when you are majoring in IT or Finance as they have several tracks. On the curriculum sheet, if a course is marked with a GE, please look at the Lower and Upper General Education section following the curriculum sheet for courses that can be used to fulfill the requirement. You can use your unofficial transcript from LEO online or Degree Evaluation to check what courses you have taken. Curriculum sheets are not the "official" graduation information source. You are responsible, for reviewing the Catalog you are matriculating under as that is the official curriculum source of record at ODU.
7. What classes should I take?
First make sure you have a curriculum sheet for accounting and you have been checking off your courses as you take them. You are responsible for making sure you have the prerequisites for courses before you enroll in them. The current ODU catalog is your guide for coursework and course prerequisites and it is available on ODU's website, Registrar's office.
You can use the Degree Evaluation system to see if you have fulfilled requirements.
No you do not take IT 360 if you are an accounting major if you are in a catalog before 2010-2011. If you are a double major in accounting and another business area in a catalog prior to 2010-2011, IT 360 is waived after you successfully complete ACCT 460.
Accounting advisors DO NOT tell you what courses to take. If you have future career plans, they may make recommendations on what courses you should consider. If you want an opinion on the mix of classes you are planning to take, you should have the courses selected before contacting your advisor. ACCT 460 should be the last accounting course you take (you can take ACCT 421 at the same time as ACCT 460) as there is a comprehensive assessment exam on the information in ACCT 301, 302, 311, 421, and 460.
As a rule of thumb, taking two 300/400 level accounting courses is a heavy load in one semester along with one or two other courses if you have other outside commitments. Try to avoid taking three upper-division accounting courses in the same semester.
8. Do you need to take GEN 101 New Portal to Appreciating Our Global Environment?
Beginning in Spring 2005, this course was required for entering Freshmen, and Transfer students with less than 12 hours of credit.
GEN 101 was eliminated as a requirement for
graduation in Fall 2007.
9. Are you confused by Upper Division general education requirements?
Students in catalogs prior to 2010-2011, should follow the requirements for "Clusters". See http://uc.odu.edu/clusters/
Students in the 2010-2011catalog will follow the requirements for "Interdisciplinary minors". http://www.odu.edu/ao/gened/impinfo/15-UpperDivFulfillOptions.shtml
10. Are you concerned or confused about your three GPAs needed for graduation?
Ask your accounting advisor for a GPA calculation sheet. You need to know what catalog year you are using for graduation.
11. Did you start coursework at ODU, get bad grades, end up on probation, and not come back for at least one year?
You may be eligible for a program called Adjusted Resident Credit (ARC) which can help you get your low GPA "repaired." ARC will erase all grades below a C from your GPA calculation. To see if you are eligible for this program go to http://www.odu.edu/ao/registrar/grades/arc/index.shtml
12. When do I take the Writing Exit Exam that is part of graduation?
You can take the Writing Exit Exam as soon as you have completed ENGL 110C and 58 credits. It is strongly recommended that you take the exam as soon as you can during your junior year so you will have time to retake it should you fail it. Information on the Writing Exit Exam is available at studentaffairs.odu.edu/writingcenter/
13. I need tutoring to get through my coursework!
ODU offers tutoring through the University College. Go to http://uc.odu.edu/taa/ to find the tutoring schedule. If you need help with writing contact Writing Tutorial Services in BAL 1002 at (757) 683-4013. If you need Math or Chemistry tutoring see www.sci.odu.edu/msrc . There is also online tutoring available in Blackboard for some courses. Go to Blackboard and look under "Tools" for Smarthinking. If there is on-line tutoring for the course it will appear there.
14. I have an Associate Degree from a Virginia Community College and heard I don't need to take any Lower Level General Education Courses?
The facts are these: if you have an A.S. or A.A. in General Business you will receive credit for Foreign Language and all Lower Level General Education courses with an exception. The student must earn a C or better in the following courses to satisfy the requirements for the BSBA: COMM 101R, ENGL 211C (or other ENGL 2**C) , MATH 162M, MATH 200M, ACCT 201, ACCT 202, ECON 201S, ECON 202S, DSCI 206, and Computer Literacy or Information Literacy.
An A.A.S. in Accounting does not fulfill the above so courses will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis.
15. Do you think you were "shorted" on transfer credits!
Transfer evaluations are first done by a computerized program. Courses are added to the program for the various universities in the U.S. and elsewhere as they are evaluated at the department level. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!? If a student comes from a university that ODU has not dealt with regularly, or at all, the student usually gets short-changed on credits. Advisors do not have any power in this situation, but the student does.
First check your transfer courses in Monarch Transfermation:
Go to www.leoonline.odu.edu
Click on Admissions Menu
Click on Monarch Transfermation
Select the state where you attended the transfer institution
Find the transfer institution in the list presented
Perform a class by class search to find the course number at ODU (you must have a C or better in the course to receive credit at ODU)
If your course is listed, see how it is evaluated and if you do not agree with the evaluation you will need to follow the process described below. If the course is not listed, you will definitely have to pursue the following process.
If you are willing to take the time, you can generally receive credit for more transfer credits by doing the following:
a. You will need a copy of your transcript or grades from the other school(s) showing the course(s) you took, and a printed description of the course(s) you believe is equivalent to a course at ODU. Catalog descriptions from the Internet are often acceptable, or a syllabus from the course with at least the name of the textbook that was used.
b. Take this information to each department where you are seeking transfer credit, and ask that the course at the other school be evaluated against a specific course at ODU and a Transfer Equivalency Form be completed. This is the time consuming part as you have to go to each department and find either the head advisor or instructor who teaches the course. (You will need to give paperwork to each department so make plenty of copies.)
16. Can I use an Internship toward my degree?
You can use an Accounting internship as your ACCT elective, or as a Free Elective (you may have difficulty finding a faculty sponsor for a free elective!) An existing job generally does not qualify for an internship unless you will be starting substantially new duties or are beginning a new project. You must arrange internship credits at least one semester in advance of the semester of enrollment in ACCT 367. This is a two step process: 1) first see Penny Craig-Pickle or the Career Management Representative in Career Management in Constant 1011 (683-5777) to receive an orientation on internships and for help in identifying internship opportunities if you have not already located an employer sponsored internship, 2) next see Mr. Randall Spurrier in Constant 2151 (683-6312) to confirm that the internship will qualify for ACCT 367 credit and to deal with the paperwork that must be completed.
17.Do you need a Military Degree Plan, a Degree Plan for your employer, or a Degree Plan for your sponsoring government?
The CBPA policy is that the department advisor does not complete the plan and does not sign it. The approval signature must come from the CBPA Central Advising office in Constant 1011. Please contact them at 683-5777 or 683-6166 to schedule an appointment, BusinessAdvising@odu.edu. You are responsible for developing the plan for courses you will take each semester based on the guidelines you have been given by your sponsor, and for bringing the plan to that appointment. To develop a plan, you will need a curriculum sheet for your catalog year and, if you are a transfer student, an evaluation of your transfer credits. If you are a transfer student and have not attended a Transfer Preview or received an evaluation of your transfer credits then you must do so yourself. First, if you have an Associates Degree see # 14 above and fill in the curriculum sheet accordingly.
If you do not have an A.A., using your transfer transcript or transfer grades go to Monarch Transfermation
Go to www.leoonline.odu.edu
Click on Admissions Menu
Click on Monarch Transfermation
Select the state where you attended the transfer institution
Find the transfer institution in the list presented
Perform a class by class search to find the course number at ODU (you must have a C or better in the course to receive credit at ODU)
Complete the curriculum sheet for the courses you will transfer.
Next plan your degree plan based on the remaining courses, paying attention to the pre-requisites or co-requisites for the courses. You can utilize the DegreeWorks software available through the ODU Portal at https://my.odu.edu. See the attachment in the advising packet for details on how to use the software.
When done, make an appointment with CBPA Central Advising.
18. It is past the date to Withdraw from classes, but I have an extenuating situation (health, work related, family crisis) that prevents my attending class. I don't want to get an F. Is there anything I can do?
If you have attended classes through 80 percent of the time allocated for the course, have made substantial progress toward completion of the course requirements, and you are not failing the course, you may request a grade of Incomplete from the faculty member. If the faculty member agrees, you will attend the course the next semester with that faculty member to complete the course requirements. Do not re-register for the course in Leoonline if you have an Incomplete. Simply remind the faculty member before classes start that you will be attending the class to clear the "I" grade.
If you do not meet the requirements for an incomplete or the faculty member does not agree to an incomplete, you should contact Ms. Stella Mims, Student Advocate, in 1101 Webb Center, 683-5869 or smims@odu.edu to see if there is the possibility of being administratively dropped from all your courses. You will need to document your reason for being administratively dropped from your courses. This should be done in a timely fashion.
19 What student clubs are available for Accounting majors?
There are two clubs you may be interested in. Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) is the honors Accounting organization and provides both social and professional events for accounting majors with strong grade point averages. It is a very favorable item to have on a resume. Students who wish to join BAP must get a B or better in ACCT 301, Intermediate Accounting. Continued membership requires active participation at meetings and sponsored events. Students may pledge the organization while they are taking ACCT 301. BAP meets every Thursday during activity hour during the Fall and Spring semesters.
The Managerial Auditing and Accounting Club (MAAC) is open to all accounting majors and is sponsored by the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of Management Accountants, and the Association of Government Accountants. MAAC sponsors speakers from different accounting sectors to offer students a better understanding of the employment possibilities available to accounting majors. MAAC meets every other Tuesday during activity hour during the Fall and Spring semesters.
20. What are the requirements to take the CPA exam?
There are two possible levels to the CPA designation: a certificate and a license. Certificates are given upon successful completion of the CPA exam. Certificate holders do not have to meet continuing education requirements, but cannot advertise themselves as a CPA or give opinions on financial statements. The certificate is simply evidence of passing the CPA exam. Virginia does not have a certificate program; individuals must maintain a license.
A CPA license is obtained by passing the CPA exam, passing an ethics exam, meeting an education requirement, and meeting a work experience requirement established by state regulators. The license holder can only maintain their licensing by pursuing continuing accounting education requirements each year. Individuals who hold a CPA license can advertise themselves as CPAs.
The Virginia State Board of Accountancy establishes the requirements for education to sit for the CPA exam, and the work experience for licensing in the Commonwealth. Currently, the Board's education requirements to sit for the CPA exam in Virginia are a baccalaureate degree or higher from an accredited university/college, 120 hours of education, twenty-four hours in upper division accounting courses (excludes principles of accounting), and twenty-four hours in business courses (can include up to six hours of accounting, so principles is included here) beyond the accounting courses. The degree must be completed at the time of application.
To be licensed in Virginia the candidate must have 150 hours of education and the work experience requirement is one year of accounting experience for those candidates who possess both an undergraduate and graduate degree in accounting. For detailed information on the qualifications to take the CPA exam in Virginia or for licensing requirements, please see the web site: www.boa.state.va.us.
For information on the requirements to become a CPA in another state, visit the AICPA web site at www.aicpa.org to find the telephone number for the appropriate state Board.
21. None of this information solves my problem!
You may want to call your advisor or send an e-mail describing your problem or you may arrange for face-to-face advising. Please give your name and University Identification Number or social security number if you call or e-mail your advisor so they can locate your student record. You must bring a copy of your unofficial transcript or Degree Evaluation, and your curriculum sheet completed with the courses you have taken to date.
