Accounting
- Degree Type Bachelor of Science
- Department Accounting and Finance
- Academic Division The Williams School
- Offerings Major
Accounting at W&L builds on the liberal arts course foundation, increasing analytical and communication skills while providing knowledge and skills for any number of business areas. Majors take a combination of accounting, economics and business administration courses.
Accounting
About one-third of our graduates are recruited by Big Four accounting firms. Another third join prestigious investment and commercial banking firms. The remaining third follow varied paths, including graduate school.
Students planning to work in public accounting must complete 150 hours of college credit to take the CPA Exam in most states. Students may register in the ELE program, use AP credit, earn summer school credit, elect to overload, or attend graduate school. W&L has agreements with highly rated graduate programs including University of Virginia, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and the University of Texas.
There are unique opportunities for students to intern and study in Sydney, Australia, Cape Town and London. In summer, students intern at accounting firms, major investment banks and other accounting and financial firms across the country.
“Accounting, the language of business, was a great fit because it showed me how people analyze and think about the exchange of money.”
Dannick Kenon
Class of 2019
Growing up in Lexington, Liwag saw firsthand how members of the W&L community made an impact, and she knew she wanted to be part of that.
Scott Boylan to Receive Award from the American Accounting Association
The professor of accounting will receive the 2023 Accounting Historians Journal Award at the organization’s annual meeting in August.
W&L’s Leslie Frederick to Present at the 2024 AACSB Assessment and AoL Conference in New York City
Frederick will serve as co-presenter for a session that demonstrates the beneficial uses of technology in the curriculum mapping process.
Liz Mira Santi ’24 came to W&L as a Gunn Scholar in 2023, and her time on campus has expanded her worldview and reinforced her ambitions.
W&L Students Claim First Place at University of Georgia Stock Pitch Competition
A four-person team comprised of John Schleider ‘24, Diwesh Kumar ‘24, Bradford Bush ’25 and Drew Thompson ‘25 claimed the $3,000 top prize for their pitch on CVS Health.
Laura Murambadoro ’26 brings varied interests, a collaborative leadership style and a passion for community engagement to W&L’s campus.
Rubel’s lecture will be held in Northen Auditorium on Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Washington and Lee students are applying their accounting skills in the community as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
Accounting major Darya Philips ’24 counts her semester abroad as one of the greatest experiences of her life.
For Ross Draber ’10, people come first
The United Bank senior executive engages with the W&L community through student recruitment and event participation.
W&L Professor Receives Award from the American Accounting Association
Megan Hess collected the award at the AAA Annual Meeting in August.
Josh Caraballo ’25 Receives National Accounting Scholarship
Caraballo is one of 369 students from across the U.S. to receive the merit scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Afshad Irani
Professor of Accounting and Head of the Department
- P: 540-458-8628
- E: irania@wlu.edu
Irani teaches courses in financial accounting. His research focuses on issues related to voluntary disclosure, earnings management, financial restatements, executive compensation, insider trading and standard setting.
Aliaa Bassiouny
Lawrence Term Associate Professor of Finance
Bassiouny’s teaching portfolio includes courses in managerial finance, investments, portfolio management, international finance, valuation and financial modeling. Her research interests include investments and empirical market microstructure with a focus on emerging markets.
Scott J. Boylan
Professor of Accounting
- P: 540-458-8585
- E: boylans@wlu.edu
Boylan teaches financial accounting and casino accounting. He has researched taxpayer compliance, tax complexity, investment decisions, and is now examining the casino industry’s historical influence on accounting practice.
Stephan Fafatas
Associate Professor of Accounting
- P: 540-458-8222
- E: sfafatas@wlu.edu
Fafatas teaches courses in financial accounting and financial statement analysis. His research focuses primarily on issues in earnings quality and auditor reputation. He has also extensively researched W&L’s financial history.
Megan F. Hess
Associate Professor of Accounting
- P: 540-458-8370
- E: hessm@wlu.edu
Hess is a 1997 alumna who teaches courses in auditing, accounting ethics and corporate sustainability. Before becoming a professor, she spent 12 years working in the industry with a focus on investigating financial statement fraud.
Scott Hoover
A. Stevens Miles Professor of Banking and Finance
- P: 540-458-8178
- E: hoovers@wlu.edu
Hoover teaches courses in corporate finance and real estate, and his research relates to corporate social responsibility. He previously founded and managed a software company devoted to customized database software.
Elizabeth Oliver
Associate Dean of the Williams School and Whitaker Adams Professor in Commerce
- P: 540-458-8637
- E: olivere@wlu.edu
Oliver has been at W&L since 1991. She teaches courses in accounting research and corporate responsibility. She also runs the W&L London Internship Program, which combines classroom study with internship opportunities in London.
Colin Reid
Associate Professor of Accounting
- P: 540-458-8624
- E: reidc@wlu.edu
Prof. Reid teaches courses in financial accounting and corporate governance to help students understand how companies communicate and the framework in which business operates. He researches audit and corporate sustainability.
Lloyd Tanlu
Associate Professor of Accounting
- P: 540-458-8174
- E: ltanlu@wlu.edu
Lloyd teaches intermediate financial and cost accounting classes. He does research on performance evaluation, corporate governance, and management control systems.
Brandi Jane Wedgeworth-Graham
Visiting Assistant Professor of Accounting
