Experiential International Accounting:
  A Distance Learning Approach
San Diego State University

go straight to the application -->

Well, even though the current semester is not over, I'm sure some of you are thinking about next semester. I hope some of you will submit an application to  me to take Accounting 596, Experiential International Accounting. As this class is a 500 level class, it should count towards either an undergraduate or undergraduate degree.   US undergraduate students are eligible for this class after or concurrently with Accounting 322; graduate level students are eligible after taking at least one financial accounting class.  

The class is an interactive class with students in other countries.  Switzerland, Spain, and Hong Kong participate. The class is conducted using English in real time over the Internet. We use cameras and microphones in the lab in BA 117.  All assignments are completed by either the national group or the international group.  For those of you who have not heard of the course, please check out the course information.  For those of you that have heard about the course, let me share some of the highlights:

• 20 students from the four countries become great friends. 
• Countries have practicing accountants and standard setters that participate in the class. It's an incredible opportunity to be able to have these people come to class and share their knowledge and experiences.  
• Travel opportunities abound. During the summer of 1998, three SDSU students traveled with me to Switzerland and Spain where we had been invited to present a paper regarding the course. At this point, we were able to meet the students from these countries and see the country and environment in which they live. They were all very hospitable and toured us around their campuses and community. See us eating cheese fondue at a castle with the students in Switzerland, leaving on the train from Zaragoza, and eating tappas in Madrid.  During summer of 1999, four SDSU traveled to Norway to give a paper about the class.  They were met there by some of the Swiss students.  The Japan students from Spring 1998 attended the AAA conference in August 1999 and met the US team.
• We have established an exchange agreement between SDSU and University of Fribourg in Switzerland.  Switzerland has provided internship opportunities with PWC for three U.S. students that went to to Switzerland:
  • Eric Willis (now working with E&Y in San Jose)
  • Marco DeLaTorre (now working with KPMG in San Diego)
  • Elizabeth Mathieu (currently interning with PWC in Switzerland)
• Class meets once a week at 11 p.m., which is 8 a.m. in Spain and Switzerland, and 3 p.m. in Hong Kong.

If the class sounds exciting to you, and you are willing to be one of the five to participate in an adventure, please submit the following form to me.  Also, consider taking the class in Switzerland next semester and being a US member on the Swiss team.  If you have any questions about the course, please email me at sharon.lightner@sdsu.edu .  I check email continuously throughout the day.

Click the arrow to continue to fill out a form indicating your desire to be one of the five selected to represent SDSU in this international accounting class.

Complete Form -->