Department of Accounting

Independent Study Courses

When you take accounting courses you may come across a topic or area that excites you. If you find that there is no course that satisfies your need to study that area of interest, the Department offers an opportunity to further your learning through Independent study Actg 396 (undergraduate) and Actg 596 (graduate).

You must study the basic materials in that area and develop a preliminary study plan. After that, contact a professor to act as your supervisor. It will be easier if you choose a professor who has already taught you in the past. If the professor's interests does not match your topic, or if the professor is unable to supervise you, you may search through other professors' areas of expertise by looking at http://www.uic.edu/cba/accounting/faculty.html and clicking on each faculty member's name.

Please do not approach any professor without some knowledge of your area of interest and a plan. Once the professor agrees, please fill the form: Independent Study Form:
http://www.uic.edu/cba/accounting/Form-Independent-Study.html

Follow instructions listed therein and turn it to the department office. The department staff will register you for the course.

Please try to do all this before the beginning of the term. You have to be registered by the second week of every term. This option is not for students who find at the beginning of the term they need a few more hours to fill up their schedule or to graduate. Genuine interest in a subject matter should drive the request to pursue an independent study course. Some recent Independent study topics have been:

  • Analyst earnings forecast revisions
  • Accounting practices in the real estate industry
  • Abnormal returns based on accounting information screens
  • Tax system in Taiwan
  • Bank call report standards vs GAAP
  • Accounting for Acquired In-process Research and Development

Other requirements:

  • Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
  • Only tenure track faculty may approve Independent Study course.
  • A minimum of 150 hours of work is expected.
  • Written Proposal: students are required to submit to the professor a 2-page proposal outlining the work to be done, the rationale for the project, and a timetable for submission of finished work.
  • Independent Study requests should be prepared prior to the start of the semester or in the first week of classes to allow registration in another course if approval is denied.