2008-09 Undergraduate Catalog
The information provided in this catalog is necessarily brief. In addition to the
information described herein, students are responsible for compliance with the policies
and procedures described in the
Fisher School of Accounting Student Handbook (refer to bottom of page).
Admission Requirements
Submitting an Undergraduate Application
The Fisher School of Accounting applies the same admission standards to students currently enrolled at the university (natives) and those seeking entry to the Fisher School from another academic institution (transfers).
Native students who have selected accounting as their major upon entering the university will automatically be classified as accounting students. This classification will remain as long as the student meets the continuation requirements described below.
All other natives who want to change their major to accounting should apply at the Fisher School office. Transfer students apply through the university’s Office of Admissions.
Continuation Policies for Native Students
Students majoring in accounting must comply with the following requirements to remain in the program:
- Within two attempts, including drops and withdrawals, students must achieve a grade of B in ACG 2021C.
- Comply with all universal-tracking provisions.
- Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in all attempts of preprofessional course work.
- Maintain a minimum 3.0 overall GPA.
- Upon satisfactory completion of all freshman and sophomore year requirements, including General Education, preprofessional, critical tracking, CLAST, an A.A. degree and a 3.0 minimum GPA, the student will shift from continuation status to retention status (2.0 GPA required).
Undergraduate Transfer Applicant Pool
The Fisher School of Accounting uses an applicant pool for undergraduate admission. All applicants who meet minimum standards are placed into a pool from which the most qualified are selected for admission each term. Because of this process, most admission decisions are not made until well after the application deadline.
It is unlikely that all students who meet the minimum standards will be admitted. Admission is selective and subject to enrollment capacity. A Fisher School of Accounting faculty committee is responsible for admission decisions, which are not based solely on GPA. Other factors, such as performance in any accounting courses completed before application and the overall quality of the academic record, are considered for admission.
Minimum Standards for the Transfer Applicant Pool
A student will be considered for admission to the Fisher School of Accounting if the following standards are met:
- Completion of, or in the process of completing, at least 60 semester hours of course work at an accredited institution. Students transferring from a Florida community college must have their Associate of Arts degree before enrollment in the Fisher School.
- A 3.0 cumulative GPA calculated on all attempts of all college-level course work. If a student has attended the University of Florida and another institution, the GPA calculation will be based only on the UF course work.
- A 3.0 cumulative GPA calculated on all attempts of preprofessional course work.
- Completion of 19 semester hours of preprofessional course work. CLEP credit is not acceptable to replace preprofessional course work. Although a student will be considered for admission upon completion of the 12 preprofessional credit hours described below, all preprofessional courses are prerequisites for the 3000-/4000-level courses. Students who have not completed all 19 hours upon admission will delay progress toward graduation.
Preprofessional Course Requirements
The following two preprofessional courses must be completed at the time of application:
- ACG 2021C, Introduction to Financial Accounting, or equivalent, with a minimum grade of B. If a series of courses is completed as equivalent to ACG 2021C, then a B must be achieved in each course. Students are allowed a maximum of two attempts, including drops, to achieve a grade of B in ACG 2021C.
- MAC 2233, Survey of Calculus 1, or equivalent.
Two of the following four preprofessional courses may be in process at the time of application, but two courses must have been completed successfully before enrollment:
- ECO 2013, Principles of Macroeconomics, or equivalent.
- ECO 2023, Principles of Microeconomics, or equivalent.
- CGS 2531, Problem Solving Using Computer Software, or equivalent.
- STA 2023, Introduction to Statistics 1, or equivalent.
- Please note: MAC 2234, Survey of Calculus 2, is a critical-tracking course for students with a catalog year after 2003 and is a mandatory prerequisite course for all students.
Admission Policies
Admission requirements for the Fisher School are subject to change. Please check the Fisher School office (Gerson Hall, Room 210) for the current standards.
Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the Fisher School. Admission to the Fisher School does not constitute admission to the 3/2 program. This requires a separate application to the graduate school.
The Office of the University Registrar determines if credit earned at other institutions can be transferred. Credit for vocational or technical courses, repeats of previous courses taken or credits from non-accredited institutions will not transfer to UF for degree credit.
Community college transfers are cautioned that ACG 2071 or its equivalent will count toward the B.S.Ac. degree only as elective credit.
Courses Taken at Other Institutions Before Admission to the University
Professional course work that is required as part of the third, fourth or fifth year should be taken only at the University of Florida.
Students transferring from four-year colleges and universities that have previously completed professional course work must submit substitution forms to establish equivalency. A maximum of one 3000-4000 level approved business core course may count toward the student’s undergraduate degree. Accounting course work taken elsewhere cannot be substituted for the accounting courses required for the B.S.Ac. degree.
If a student wishes to waive a core course and substitute a course completed before admission to the University of Florida, waivers may be granted on an individual basis. The student will be required to take another course in the area waived. The department will identify the substitute course.
Courses Taken at Other Institutions After Admission to the University
Once admitted to the Fisher School of Accounting, a student may not take any preprofessional, accounting or business core course work required as part of the Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree at any other institution.
Performance Policies
Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory Grade Option
An undergraduate student may only request the S-U option for elective courses. Courses taken to satisfy preparatory course, General Education, or degree requirements for the M.Acc. program may not be taken S-U.
Unsatisfactory Performance
Students who do not make satisfactory academic progress will be dropped from the accounting program. In addition to university regulations concerning unsatisfactory performance, the school will exclude students from further registration for the following reasons:
- Freshmen and Sophomores: The student does not comply with the minimum universal-tracking requirements.
- Has not earned a B grade in ACG 2021C after two attempts (including drop or withdrawal)
- Cumulative GPA fell below 3.0 and remained there after one subsequent term of enrollment
- Cumulative GPA on all attempts of preprofessional course work fell below the minimum 3.0 required and remained there after one subsequent term of enrollment
- Withdrawn from the university three times while classified as an AC student
- Juniors and Seniors: The student earns two grades below C in accounting courses numbered above 3000 regardless of whether the student was in the Fisher School at the time they earned those grades. Junior and senior accounting students, as well as students not in the Fisher School who register for 3000-/4000- level accounting courses, must comply with the following items, or they will be denied further registration in accounting courses:
- Accounting GPA, calculated on all attempts of all required accounting courses numbered 3000 and above, fell below 2.0 and remained there after one term of enrollment
- Cumulative GPA fell below 2.0 and remained there after one subsequent term of enrollment
- Withdrawn from the university three times after admission to the Fisher School of Accounting
- Failed to complete a required 3000-4000 level accounting course for two consecutive semesters of enrollment
For purposes of the above policies, the following rules apply to the definition of a term:
- Any term for which a student registers for courses at the university counts as a term of enrollment, even if the student subsequently withdraws from the term (after drop/add).
- Summer registration is viewed as registration for one term (e.g., whether a student registers for Summer A alone or a combination of Summer A, B or C, the student is considered registered for one term).
Undergraduate Drop Policies
During a student’s first 60 credit hours completed at UF, a total of two drops are permitted. Two additional drops are provided for the student’s second 60 credit hours. Unused drops from the student’s first 60 credit hours are not available to use during the second 60 credit hours. Withdrawal in any term (fall, spring or summer) is counted as one drop for the purpose of applying the two-drop policy.
The associate director, as advised by the Professional Program Committee, must act upon all other drop requests. The committee is very strict when considering such requests and will not approve drops for reasons that are not clearly beyond the student’s control.
This policy applies to drop requests made after drop/add and before the period governed by the Faculty Senate Committee on Student Petitions.
Correspondence Courses and Registration at Other Institutions
Courses may not be taken by correspondence. Required courses (in preprofessional, critical tracking, accounting and supporting fields) may not be taken outside the university. No exceptions are permitted.
Elective and general Eeucation courses may be taken outside the university only if:
- The student will have more than 30 hours left to graduate from the Fisher School upon completion of such courses.
- The student obtains the advance approval of the associate director.