Regional opportunity and readiness
EWU graduates are prepared for the analytic and tax core of the occupation: statement preparation and analysis, budgeting, and federal tax return preparation. Forward moves extend that reach into hands-on bookkeeping, audit findings reporting, and client advisory.
862projected annual openings, Spokane region
137EWU graduates a yearof about 270 across the region
6 of 8 areas prepared or developing, 2 opportunities to extend reach
Budgeting and cost analysisPrepared
9
Accounting systems design and recordkeeping technologyDeveloping
12
Financial statement preparation and analysisDeveloping
11
Tax determination and preparationDeveloping
2
Internal controls, fraud, and compliance examinationDeveloping
16
Audit fieldwork and findings reportingDeveloping
14
Advisory and communication with clients and managementOpportunity
15
The accounting cycle and bookkeepingOpportunity
15
| Skill area | Readiness | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Budgeting and cost analysis | Prepared | 9 of 40 |
| Accounting systems design and recordkeeping technology | Developing | 12 of 40 |
| Financial statement preparation and analysis | Developing | 11 of 40 |
| Tax determination and preparation | Developing | 2 of 40 |
| Internal controls, fraud, and compliance examination | Developing | 16 of 40 |
| Audit fieldwork and findings reporting | Developing | 14 of 40 |
| Advisory and communication with clients and management | Opportunity | 15 of 40 |
| The accounting cycle and bookkeeping | Opportunity | 15 of 40 |
The clearest move Authorize the Office of Professional and Continuing Education and the accounting faculty to develop a stackable Bookkeeping and Reconciliation certificate and add a full-cycle bookkeeping deliverable to ACCT 323, capturing the reconciliation, journal-entry, and month-end-close work named most often in regional Robert Half postings.
What graduates are prepared for, and where to extend reach
Prepared for
- Budgeting and cost analysisA graduate builds flexible and static budgets and prepares variance reports that explain each major variance against actual results, in ACCT 557.
- Financial statement preparation and analysisA graduate prepares a full income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, then analyzes financial condition to support planning and decisions, in ACCT 510 and ACCT 531.
- Tax determination and preparationA graduate prepares complete and compliant federal individual returns under supervision through experiential VITA-style placements in ACCT 345.
- Audit fieldwork foundationsA graduate sets audit scope using risk and materiality and works with audit evidence and sampling, in ACCT 514.
- Internal controls, fraud, and compliance examinationA graduate applies fraud investigation tools to flag anomalies and applies business rules to mitigate information-systems risk, in ACCT 532 and ACCT 359.
- Accounting systems and recordkeeping technologyA graduate manages vendor transactions and generates statements in current accounting software, in ACCT 323, with information-systems design in ACCT 359.
Opportunities to extend reach
- Hands-on bookkeeping and the accounting cycleAdd a full-cycle bookkeeping deliverable to ACCT 323, journal entries through reconciliation to an adjusted trial balance, and offer a stackable Bookkeeping and Reconciliation certificate through the Office of Professional and Continuing Education covering chart of accounts, journal entries, account and bank reconciliation, payables, and month-end close. Reconciliations, journal entries, and month-end close are named most often in regional Robert Half postings across Spokane, Vancouver, and Eastsound.
- Client and management advisoryBuild a client-advisory and communication component into ACCT 355 or a capstone, where a student meets a client, gathers facts, and presents a recommendation memo, and offer a stackable certificate for alumni moving from staff to senior and advisory roles.
The 8 regional skill areas
Budgeting and cost analysis Preparednamed in 9 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can develop and maintain budgets and prepare periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs.
Assessment item Given a department's budget and a period of actual results, the student prepares a flexible budget and a variance report that explains each major variance to a stated significance threshold. Apply
CurriculumKeep ACCT 557 as the anchor course; its flexible and static budgets and variance analysis outcome teaches both budget development and the budget-to-actual comparison the task names.
Student experienceA budgeting and variance-analysis exercise in ACCT 557 built on a real departmental or small-business budget, retained as a portfolio artifact for staff-accountant and project-accountant roles.
CertificateCovered, not a certificate candidate.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop, maintain, or analyze budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs. | Prepared | ACCT 557 | ACCT 557 teaches flexible and static budgets and variance analysis, covering both budget development and the comparison of budgeted to actual costs. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: budget, variance, cost accounting, cost analysis.
Accounting systems design and recordkeeping technology Developingnamed in 12 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can develop, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems using current accounting software and technology.
Assessment item Given a small business with no formal system, the student sets up an accounting software company file with a chart of accounts and documented procedures, and demonstrates recording and reporting against it. Create
CurriculumACCT 559 covers emergent technologies at an awareness level only, so the build-a-system deliverable belongs in the software course ACCT 323, with ACCT 359 Accounting Information Systems supporting the design side. Add a graded deliverable in ACCT 323 where students set up, configure, and document a working company file, which moves the program from awareness toward building a system.
Student experienceA systems setup project where each student stands up and documents an accounting software environment for a real or simulated small business, retained as a portfolio piece for roles that name developing and maintaining accounting systems.
CertificatePartial coverage, a possible certificate candidate. An Accounting Systems Setup and Documentation micro-credential could cover configuring software, building the chart of accounts, and writing system documentation, though ACCT 323 already provides the software base.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop, implement, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems, making use of current computer technology. | Developing | ACCT 559 | ACCT 559 teaches understanding how emergent technologies can be used in the accounting profession, which touches the current-technology angle at an awareness level. Developing, implementing, or modifying the systems themselves is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: quickbooks, accounting software, erp, general ledger system, netsuite, sap.
Financial statement preparation and analysis Developingnamed in 11 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can prepare an income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, then analyze them to judge financial condition, assess performance, and support financial planning.
Assessment item Given a trial balance and supporting schedules for a midsize company, the student prepares a complete set of financial statements and a written analysis of the firm's financial condition that a reviewer can tie to each statement line. Analyze
CurriculumKeep ACCT 510 Professional Financial Reporting I as the anchor course for the prepare-and-analyze core; it teaches preparing the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement and using financial statement analysis, budgeting, and valuation to justify decisions. Add one graded exercise inside ACCT 531 Financial Statement Analysis that ends in an internal report to management, since the outcomes do not yet include reporting the finances of an establishment to management, and add an examine-for-accuracy-and-conformance component so the verification half is taught, not only the prepare half.
Student experienceA capstone project in ACCT 510 or ACCT 531 in which each student builds a full statement set for a real or simulated regional company and presents a two-page financial condition memo as a portfolio piece.
CertificateCovered in part, not a certificate candidate. The prepare-and-analyze core is a program strength; the missing verification and management-reporting tasks are better closed inside ACCT 531 than in a separate certificate.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare, analyze, or verify annual reports, financial statements, and other records, using accepted accounting and statistical procedures to assess financial condition and facilitate financial planning. | Prepared | ACCT 510 | ACCT 510 teaches financial statements analysis, budgeting, and valuation to make and justify decisions, and a sibling outcome teaches preparing the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, so both the prepare and analyze halves are taught. |
| Review data about material assets, net worth, liabilities, capital stock, surplus, income, or expenditures. | Prepared | ACCT 531 | ACCT 531 teaches conducting an effective financial statements analysis and using statements to evaluate company performance, which is the review and evaluation of the assets, liabilities, equity, and income data the task names. |
| Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards. | Developing | ACCT 554 | ACCT 554 teaches preparing financial statements under international accounting rules, which covers the prepare-plus-conformance core. Examining records to assess accuracy and conformance is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add the verification piece. |
| Analyze business operations, trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations to project future revenues and expenses or to provide advice. | Developing | ACCT 531 | ACCT 531 teaches projecting financial statements plus valuation and risk analysis, matching the project-future-revenues core. The integrated analysis of operations, trends, costs, and obligations as one forecasting workflow is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
| Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions. | Opportunity | none | Inspecting or auditing account books and systems for efficiency, effectiveness, or adherence to accepted procedures is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the top candidate teaches producing memos and research reports. |
| Report to management regarding the finances of establishment. | Opportunity | none | Internal reporting of an establishment's finances to management is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the nearest outcome targets outsiders rather than management, and another teaches producing statements. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: financial statement, balance sheet, income statement, cash flow, financial report.
Tax determination and preparation Developingnamed in 2 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can compute taxes owed and prepare compliant tax returns, and can begin to evaluate a taxpayer's finances to determine liability.
Assessment item Given a taxpayer's income documents, the student prepares a complete and compliant federal individual income tax return and states the liability with the supporting basis. Apply
CurriculumKeep ACCT 345 Experiential Tax Preparation as the anchor for return preparation; it teaches preparer responsibilities and tax laws encountered in practice. Add valuation and time-value-of-money methods, interest and discount rates, annuities, and amortization of depletable assets, to a tax course so liability determination is taught at the method level, and add a tax-authority audit unit, since the outcomes do not yet include reviewing taxpayer accounts and conducting tax audits.
Student experienceContinued VITA-style placements through ACCT 345 where students prepare live returns under supervision, which already produces a resume and cover letter built only on the skills gained.
CertificatePartial coverage, a niche certificate candidate. A Tax Liability and Valuation micro-credential could cover the interest, annuity, and amortization methods behind liability determination, but the experiential return-preparation strength is best left in ACCT 345.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements. | Prepared | ACCT 345 | ACCT 345 teaches preparer responsibilities and tax laws encountered in tax practice, which is the substantive work of preparing returns and complying with tax requirements. |
| Evaluate taxpayer finances to determine tax liability, using knowledge of interest and discount rates, annuities, valuation of stocks and bonds, and amortization valuation of depletable assets. | Developing | ACCT 536 | ACCT 536 teaches generating and communicating tax accounting information for client decisions, in the tax-liability domain. The valuation and time-value-of-money methods the task requires are not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add them. |
| Review taxpayer accounts, and conduct audits on-site, by correspondence, or by summoning taxpayer to office. | Opportunity | none | Reviewing individual taxpayer accounts and conducting tax audits on-site, by correspondence, or by summons is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the auditing course teaches financial-statement audits and the tax course teaches planning. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: tax return, tax preparation, tax , income tax, tax compliance.
Internal controls, fraud, and compliance examination Developingnamed in 16 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can gather and analyze data to detect fraud, evaluate financial and information systems, and recommend controls that protect system reliability and data integrity.
Assessment item Given a set of transaction data and a control narrative, the student applies a fraud detection technique to flag anomalies and recommends a specific control to close the weakness, justified against a stated control objective. Analyze
CurriculumDeepen ACCT 532 Forensic Accounting and ACCT 359 Accounting Information Systems. ACCT 532 teaches applying fraud investigation tools and processes, which covers the fraud half, and ACCT 359 teaches applying business rules to mitigate information systems risks, which covers the systems-controls core. Add explicit coverage of detecting deficient controls, duplicated effort, and management-policy noncompliance, and add a payroll and employment-tax compliance examination unit, since no course currently teaches either.
Student experienceA controls and fraud analytics project in ACCT 532 or ACCT 359 using a transaction dataset where students detect anomalies and write a controls recommendation, suited to the internal-auditor and IT-auditor roles in the Washington postings.
CertificatePartial coverage, a viable certificate candidate. A Controls and Fraud Analytics micro-credential could cover data-driven fraud detection, control evaluation, and payroll and compliance auditing for incumbent internal auditors, though the forensic and AIS courses already provide the base.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud, or non-compliance with laws, regulations, and management policies. | Developing | ACCT 532 | ACCT 532 teaches applying fraud investigation tools and processes, which is the fraud half. Detecting deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, or management-policy noncompliance is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
| Examine and evaluate financial and information systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity. | Developing | ACCT 359 | ACCT 359 teaches applying business rules to implement and mitigate information systems risks, the controls-over-information-systems core. Evaluating systems for reliability and data integrity end to end is not yet fully in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to extend it. |
| Examine whether the organization's objectives are reflected in its management activities, and whether employees understand the objectives. | Opportunity | none | Evaluating whether organizational objectives are reflected in management activities or whether employees understand them is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the closest outcome catalogs an AIS. |
| Audit payroll and personnel records to determine unemployment insurance premiums, workers' compensation coverage, liabilities, and compliance with tax laws. | Opportunity | none | Auditing payroll and personnel records for unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, or payroll-tax compliance is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the closest outcomes cover governmental reporting and tax planning. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: internal control, sox, fraud, compliance, risk.
Audit fieldwork and findings reporting Developingnamed in 14 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can plan an audit, set its scope using risk and materiality, gather and inspect evidence to confirm records are accurate, and document and conclude on findings.
Assessment item Given a client engagement scenario, the student determines the audit scope using a stated risk and materiality basis, designs tests for a named account, and drafts a findings memo concluding on whether the records are fairly stated. Evaluate
CurriculumStrengthen ACCT 514 Essentials of Auditing by adding a graded audit findings report deliverable and a section on reporting results and recommendations to management. ACCT 514 already teaches risk and materiality assessment, audit evidence, and sampling, which is how scope is set, but it frames documenting and concluding as understanding the process rather than producing a findings report, and the outcomes do not yet include the supervisory or management-reporting half.
Student experienceA simulated audit engagement in ACCT 514 or ACCT 551 where teams take an account from a planning memo through testing to a findings report and a recommendations memo to management, modeled on internal-auditor and project-accountant roles that appear in the Washington postings.
CertificatePartial coverage, a moderate certificate candidate. An Audit Workpapers and Findings micro-credential could cover scoping with risk and materiality, evidence inspection, workpaper documentation, and writing a findings and recommendations report, but the core auditing course already exists, so the stronger move is deepening ACCT 514 rather than a new certificate.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare detailed reports on audit findings. | Developing | ACCT 514 | ACCT 514 teaches the formation of the auditor's opinion and working paper techniques, which substantively cover documenting and concluding, and frames this as understanding the process. Preparing a detailed findings report as a deliverable is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
| Supervise auditing of establishments, and determine scope of investigation required. | Developing | ACCT 514 | ACCT 514 teaches risk and materiality assessment and sampling, which is how scope is determined. The supervisory half of directing the audit is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
| Inspect cash on hand, notes receivable and payable, negotiable securities, and canceled checks to confirm records are accurate. | Developing | ACCT 510 | ACCT 510 teaches procedures relating to company receivables, covering one account named, and presents it as accounting procedures rather than audit inspection of cash, securities, and canceled checks, so that slice is covered and the audit-inspection angle is an opportunity to add. |
| Report to management about asset utilization and audit results, and recommend changes in operations and financial activities. | Opportunity | none | Reporting audit results or asset utilization to management or recommending changes is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the closest outcomes cover financial-statement production and external reporting alternatives. |
| Examine records and interview workers to ensure recording of transactions and compliance with laws and regulations. | Opportunity | none | Examining records and interviewing workers to verify transaction recording and legal compliance is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the nearest outcome develops a general understanding of the auditing profession. |
| Conduct pre-implementation audits to determine if systems and programs under development will work as planned. | Opportunity | none | Auditing systems and programs still under development to verify before go-live is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the nearest outcomes teach auditing existing accounting information systems for risk and control. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: audit, auditor, auditing.
Advisory and communication with clients and management Opportunitynamed in 15 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can confer with company officials on financial and regulatory matters, advise clients on tax, benefits, and systems decisions, and direct the staff who process financial records.
Assessment item Given a client's financial situation and a stated objective, the student delivers a recommendation memo that advises on a tax or systems decision and explains the regulatory considerations to a non-accounting audience. Evaluate
CurriculumBuild a structured client-advisory and communication component, conferring with officials, advising on decisions, and supervising a records function, into ACCT 355 Accounting Career Preparation or a capstone. ACCT 536 ties tax accounting information to client decisions, which covers the tax-advisory slice, and the outcomes do not yet include conferring with officials, advising on compensation, benefits, or systems design, or directing records personnel.
Student experienceA client-advisory simulation or internship deliverable where the student meets a mock or real client, gathers facts, and presents a recommendation, paired with a supervised role coordinating a small records or close process, building toward senior-accountant roles in the postings.
CertificateThis area maps to a stackable certificate: advising clients and officials, writing recommendation memos, and supervising a records and close function, valuable to alumni moving from staff to senior and advisory roles.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confer with company officials about financial and regulatory matters. | Opportunity | none | The consultative act of conferring or advising company officials is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the closest outcome teaches familiarity with overseas accounting regulations. |
| Advise clients in areas such as compensation, employee health care benefits, the design of accounting or data processing systems, or long-range tax or estate plans. | Developing | ACCT 536 | ACCT 536 teaches communicating tax accounting information for client decision making, covering the long-range tax planning slice. Advising on compensation, benefits, or systems design is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
| Direct activities of personnel engaged in filing, recording, compiling, and transmitting financial records. | Opportunity | none | Personnel management or oversight of a records-processing function is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the candidates teach document writing, research, and reporting standards. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: advisory, advise, client, stakeholder, present, communicat.
The accounting cycle and bookkeeping Opportunitynamed in 15 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can run the full bookkeeping cycle: set up a chart of accounts, classify and record transactions, prepare adjusting journal entries, reconcile accounts, and process payables.
Assessment item Given one month of source documents for a small business, the student records all transactions, prepares period-end adjusting journal entries, reconciles the cash and accounts receivable balances, and produces an adjusted trial balance with no unreconciled differences. Apply
CurriculumAdd an explicit full-cycle bookkeeping component, journal entries through reconciliation to adjusted trial balance, inside ACCT 323 Accounting Software and Certification, which already teaches managing vendor transactions and generating statements but stops short of the recording cycle. The current closest match for journal entries is a word collision with scholarly history journals in ACCT 544, since the outcomes do not yet include the entry-recording skill itself.
Student experienceA full-cycle bookkeeping project on a real small-business ledger, ideally through a VITA-style or local nonprofit placement, where the student carries one entity from source documents to a reconciled adjusted trial balance and turns in the workpapers as a portfolio piece.
CertificateThis area maps cleanly to a stackable certificate for the Office of Professional and Continuing Education: chart of accounts, journal entries, account and bank reconciliation, accounts payable processing, and period-end close, serving current students, alumni, and incumbent regional bookkeepers. Reconciliations, journal entries, and month-end close are the work the Spokane and Washington postings name most often by name.
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare adjusting journal entries. | Opportunity | none | The debit and credit recording of accruals, deferrals, and depreciation at period end is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the top match is a word collision on journals meaning scholarly publications. |
| Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences. | Opportunity | none | Account reconciliation is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the closest outcome is about comparing national accounting systems, not reconciling accounts. |
| Establish tables of accounts and assign entries to proper accounts. | Opportunity | none | Building a chart of accounts or classifying transactions into the correct ledger accounts is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
| Examine inventory to verify journal and ledger entries. | Opportunity | none | Examining physical inventory and cross-checking it against recorded journal and ledger entries is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it; the nearest outcome teaches how to record inventory, not how to verify the entries. |
| Process invoices for payment. | Developing | ACCT 323 | ACCT 323 teaches managing vendor transactions, which covers the accounts-payable core. The full invoice workflow of purchase-order matching and approval routing is not yet in the listed outcomes, an opportunity to add it. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: reconcil, journal entr, month-end, month end, bookkeep, accounts payable, general ledger, close process, period-end, period end.