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Accounting Data Analytics

The field of “Accounting Data Analytics” is a highly topical area within “Accounting & Auditing” and is already addressed much more extensively at U.S. universities than in Germany. This is driven by trends in “Big Data,” which - in addition to making large, potentially analyzable data sets readily available - have led in particular to the development of comprehensive software packages (some based on artificial intelligence, etc.). These approaches are currently having a profound impact on the field of “Accounting & Auditing” (as well as finance): On the one hand, they influence regular (routine) accounting processes through expanded (business) analytical capabilities, thereby leading to further convergence between internal accounting and external, capital-market-oriented disclosure. On the other hand, the algorithms developed - through comprehensive data access and linking as well as associated plausibility assessments - enable reliable digital audits in the first place, which have become (almost) standard during the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore affect both interns and recent graduates today. 

Students should gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges outlined during their studies and develop the necessary analytical skills with a view to entering the corporate world soon. Against this backdrop, the course has the following objectives: (1.) Identifying the challenges of “data analytics,” (2.) Preparing data for analysis, (3.) Applying accounting analytics techniques using software solutions, and (4.) Interpreting and communicating the results. With regard to software packages, students will learn, for example, Advanced Excel, Audicon, Python, Robotic Process Automation, and SQL from the field of business intelligence. 

The ifG Marburg is offering the "Accounting Data Analytics" module - which features a distinctly application-oriented case study approach - during the summer semester as a combination of digital lectures and selected in-person sessions led by Professor Kevin Rich, Ph.D. (CPA, CFE), Charles T. Horngren Chair for Accounting at the College of Business Administration at Marquette University in Milwaukee (Wisconsin, USA). The lectures, which are available in an asynchronous digital format, follow the teaching concept commonly used in the U.S., featuring lecture components, “Assignments & Quizzes” for practical application and practice, as well as Q&A sessions and forums. The module is open to both (advanced) BSc students and MSc students.