Fisher School

of Accounting
 Accounting has been one of the basic acade-
mic programs at the University of Florida for
more than 60 years. In 1977, the School of
Accounting was established as a separate school
within the College of Business Administration
by the Board of Regents and was endowed in
1985 through the generosity of alumnus
Frederick E. Fisher. The Fisher School's primary
mission is to provide a professional program
within which students develop the knowledge,
learning capabilities, professionalism, interper-
sonal skills and adaptability necessary to
assume leadership roles in a changing profes-
sional and business environment. As evidence
of the Fisher School's success in achieving its
goals, the school's degree programs are consis-
tently ranked in the top ten in the nation by var-
ious academic and professional surveys. Most
recently (1996) the graduate and undergraduate
programs were ranked fifth and tenth respec-
tively by the Public Accounting Report.

Programs
 All Fisher School of Accounting programs
are fully accredited by the American Assembly
of Collegiate Schools of Business (the AACSB).
The school was one of the first in the country to
meet the accreditation requirements for all of its
accounting programs under the new AACSB
standards. UF's undergraduate and graduate
programs in accounting and business were re-
accredited by the American Assembly of
Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) at their
annual meeting April 1991.
 The school offers the Bachelor of Science in
Accounting (B.S.Ac.) and Master of Accounting
(M.Acc.) and coordinates the accounting concen-
tration for the Ph.D. in business administration.
A program of studies leading to the joint award-
ing of the Juris Doctorate and M.Acc. degrees
(JD/M.Acc.) is also offered by the Fisher School
of Accounting and the College of Law.
 The recommended curriculum to prepare for
a professional career in accounting is the 3/2
five-year program with a joint awarding of the
Bachelor of Science in Accounting and the
Master of Accounting upon satisfactory comple-
tion of the 152-hour program. The recom-
mended entry point into the 3/2 program is the
beginning of the senior year. Interested students
are encouraged to take the GMAT in their junior
year.
 The 3/2 program allows the student to con-
centrate in an accounting specialty; it also pro-
vides knowledge of both the basic accounting
framework and the underlying business and
related disciplines. Details concerning the 3/2
program, including the specialization areas of
financial/auditing, systems and tax, are
included in the Graduate Catalog, which can be
obtained by writing the Office of Admissions,
Box 114000, University of Florida, Gainesville,


FL 32611-4000. Additional information also can
be obtained by contacting the Fisher School of
Accounting, Box 117166, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611-7166.
 Students who choose to complete the four-
year undergraduate program will receive the
Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree. These
graduates will have the requisite accounting,
business and general education to pursue a vari-
ety of career opportunities in accounting and
business and to apply to graduate and profes-
sional degree programs in accounting, business
or law. Students wishing to specialize in profes-
sional accounting should plan to complete the
3/2 program.
 Prospective students are cautioned to
become familiar with the five-year post-sec-
ondary education requirement to sit for the
Certified Public Accountants Examination in the
state of Florida. Information may be obtained
by contacting the Florida Board of Accountancy,
2610 NW 43rd Street, Suite 1A, Gainesville, FL
32606.


Faculty
The Fisher School of Accounting has 20 faculty
members, and they have earned Ph.D. degrees
from the nation's leading universities. The fac-
ulty is committed to excellence in teaching,
research and service. In addition to publishing
the school's own research journal, the faculty
actively contribute to the accounting profession
by maintaining editorial positions for major
accounting journals, participating in profes-
sional organizations at the national and state
level and providing services to major corpora-
tions and public accounting firms.

Student Organizations
Beta Alpha Psi
 This honorary accounting fraternity has 115
chapters nationwide. The Upsilon Chapter of
the University of Florida was the 18th chapter to
be founded (in 1938) and is recognized as one of
the best chapters in the country.
 An active professional program is conducted
by Beta Alpha Psi each year, including guest
speakers, panel discussions, field trips and other
activities designed to promote professional
awareness. Beta Alpha Psi co-sponsors the
Graduate Accounting Conference which annu-
ally attracts more than 100 accounting practi-
tioners and also co-sponsors the school's spring
banquet. Members of Beta Alpha Psi provide
services to the school through the tutoring pro-
gram and through peer counseling. Service to
the external community is provided in the form
of the VITA (voluntary income tax assistant)
program.
 Beta Alpha Psi accepts applications for
memberships every semester. Membership
requirements include high ethical standards and
a minimum grade point average. Scholastic
requirements in Beta Alpha Psi include:


Undergraduate: Completion of at least 12 hours
of upper division (i.e., 3000 level or above)
accounting courses at the University of Florida
with a cumulative 3.2 average in these courses;
and
 A 3.0 cumulative average for all work com-
pleted in upper division courses at the
University of Florida.

Graduate: For purposes of Beta Alpha Psi mem-
bership, a graduate student is defined as a stu-
dent who has completed at least one 5000-level
or higher accounting course.
 A 3.1 cumulative average in accounting
courses (i.e., 3000 level or above) completed at
the University of Florida; and
 A 3.0 cumulative average for all work com-
pleted in upper division courses at the
University of Florida.

Fisher School of Accounting Council
 The Fisher School of Accounting Council
(FSOAC) is part of the campus-wide Board of
College Councils. Student Government funds
the FSOAC via the Board of College Councils
through the student activity fees. The council
serves as a liaison between the accounting stu-
dents and faculty. At the beginning of the fall
and spring semesters, each upper-division
accounting class selects a student to represent
them at FSOAC meetings and functions. All
students accepted to the Fisher School of
Accounting are eligible to be non-voting mem-
bers of the Council, and after attendance at
three consecutive meetings, are eligible for vot-
ing status. Students on the council can partici-
pate on a number of committees of their inter-
est. Officers of the FSOAC are elected by the
voting members of the council at the end of each
semester and serve the following semester.
 The council participates in many activities
throughout the year including the school's ori-
entation program; Career Expo; Footnotes
(weekly announcements to accounting classes);
and publication of The Balance Sheet (the Fisher
School of Accounting newsletter). The council
is also involved with UF Homecoming and
Gator Expo in the fall, and the Spring Awards
Banquet. Finally, the council presents profes-
sional programs to accounting students, often in
cooperation with Beta Alpha Psi or the Florida
Accounting Association. These programs
expose students to accounting in public, private,
industrial and governmental practices.

Florida Accounting Association
 The Florida Accounting Association (FAA) is
a student accounting organization whose pur-
pose is to encourage professional career devel-
opment and to increase social interaction among
accounting students. Membership is open to all
students enrolled in the Fisher School of
Accounting and to prospective accounting
majors currently enrolled in ACG 2021C.
Membership application forms are available in
the Fisher School of Accounting office and may