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Administered by the Department of Accounting, Taxation, and Legal Studies in Business

Professor Warner, Chairperson
Assistant Professor Marsicovetere, Department Administrator

Professors Fonfeder, Katz, Lehman, Martin; Associate Professors Bass,
Jones, Maccarrone, Petra, Slavin, Weisel; Assistant Professors Basile,
Burke, Papa, Patton, Venuti.

The Chaykin Distinguished Teaching Professorship in Accounting is held by Professor Katz.

The Chaykin Endowed Chair in Accounting is held by Dr. Polimeni.

The Cypres Family Distinguished Professorship in Legal Studies is held by Professor Susan Martin.

See Academic Chairs and Distinguished Professorships.

Mission Statement

The Department of Accounting, Taxation, and Legal Studies in Business has a strong regional reputation for providing a quality education to aspiring accounting and taxation professionals. The department prepares students for careers in corporate, managerial, small business, governmental, and not-for-profit organization accounting; auditing; taxation; and consulting. It also introduces accounting fundamentals to students preparing for careers in other business areas. The department’s primary focus is, and will continue to be, undergraduate education. The department also offers graduate education to enable its students to accomplish professional goals.

The department’s curriculum is highly structured and fits within Hofstra University’s tradition of viewing the liberal arts as the foundation of education and within the Zarb School’s framework that focuses on decision-making in the contemporary global business environment. The department is organized to provide student’s with easy access to its faculty who are primarily concerned with excellence in teaching, intellectual contributions to the profession, service to the department, school, university, and community, and active participation in professional organizations. Professional interaction among faculty, practitioners, and students is an important feature of the department, and it is facilitated through involvement with local, regional, and national professional organizations and student groups.

In its future activities, the department will maintain its present focus with a commitment to the continuous improvement of its programs to better serve its students, faculty and the business community.

Strategic Plan

Several degree programs are offered through the department: Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting, Master of Business Administration degrees in accounting and taxation, and Master of Science degrees in accounting and taxation. While each program possesses characteristics unique unto itself, the commonality shared by the programs is the commitment which the department holds to outstanding teaching, intellectual contributions appropriate to advancing both instruction and scholarship in the field of accounting, and activities which provide opportunities to both faculty and students for service to the School and the community.

At the undergraduate level, individuals participate in a course of study leading to professional certification eligibility which is inclusive of a strong foundation in the liberal arts, exposure to the functional areas of business and how they relate to each other, and a concentration in accounting courses which emphasizes the integration of accounting across functional lines.

At the graduate level, the M.B.A. programs in accounting and taxation provide strong foundations in business while enabling students to establish a strong base of specialized knowledge. The M.S. programs in accounting and taxation provide a curriculum highly focused on courses for individuals who want to concentrate their efforts more closely on discipline content and/or who require additional course hours to be eligible for the Uniform Certified Public Accounting Examination.

Throughout each level of instruction, the department recognizes the importance of communications skills and high ethical standards in the practice of accounting, as well as the importance of information technology and the increasingly complex and significant role which the profession has acquired in modern global organizations and emerging market economies.

A participative and supportive environment is provided in the department whereby stakeholders (students, faculty, administrators, business principals, and others) are involved in the evolution of the curriculum. Input is sought from constituencies which regularly recruit and hire graduates from the accounting programs, and evaluations are conducted of the teaching efficacy of faculty by both students and peers at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The environment is further enhanced by the support of both students and faculty which is afforded to the student, professional, and social organizations sponsored by the department.

Accounting (ACCT)

Legal Studies in Business (LEGL)

Taxation (TAX)

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