ACCT

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

4.5 ACCT 1020 Strategic Cost Analysis 1 4.50 BEPP 2500 Managerial Economics (or Honors) 1

Subject

ACCT

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

1

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

37.00 BEPP 2500 Managerial Economics (or Honors) 1

Subject

ACCT

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

1

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

The academic component of the course will focus on several areas: (1) The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap. Students will read this book throughout the semester to support their understanding of the community that they will be serving. (2) Statutory tax system. Students will learn about the tax system as it relates to individuals and sole proprietors. The VITA training covers general tax preparation, with a specific focus on tax credits available to VITA-eligible taxpayers and the use of VITA software. In addition, one session of the course will include a guest lecture/discussion. It will focus on statutory tax issues related to organizational form choice for self-employed and gig economy workers, which is an important statutory issue in low- income communities. (3) Social policy debate. Tax policy, including deductions, subsidies and credits, are one tool that lawmakers can use to get more cash in the hands of individuals and families, especially for low-income groups. Students will consider the effectiveness and usefulness of tax policies relative to other tools that the government has available. There are three guest lecturers for the sessions on tax policy. (4) Working with people. Volunteering with VITA requires students to work with people from a low-income community on the sensitive issue of personal finances. Students will learn to discuss sensitive financial issues with lower-income adults (including many seniors) through readings and in-class discussions, and by reflecting on their real-life experiences in the local community. This skill is important in a variety of roles such as healthcare (physicians and nurses), business (e.g., the HR function), and education. The community service part of the course is volunteering with VITA, which is the IRS’s “Volunteer Income Tax Assistance” program. Following training, students will perform tax services for the West Philadelphia community during the tax season. The course will meet once a week in three-hour sessions for 8-9 weeks during the Spring semester. Students are expected to be in the field performing service throughout a significant portion of the semester. As described on the IRS website, the VITA program has operated for over 50 years. Volunteers offer free tax help to people who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns, including: • People who generally make $58,000 or less • Persons with disabilities; and • Limited English-speaking taxpayers. This is an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Select three of the following: 3

Subject

ACCT

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

1

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

In the course, students learn how to analyze firms' financial statements and disclosures to determine how a firm's particular accounting choices reflect the underlying economics of the firm. As a result, the course strengthens students' ability to use financial statements as part of an overall assessment of the firm's strategy and valuation. The course is especially useful for anyone interested in working on the buy or sell side. The course provides both a framework for and the tools necessary to analyze financial statements. At the conceptual level, it emphasizes that preparers and users of financial statements have different objectives and incentives. At the same time, the course is applied and stresses the use of actual financial statements. For example, students learn how to detect when firms are managing earnings and/or balance sheets. It draws heavily on real business problems and uses cases to illustrate the application of the techniques and tools. If ACCT 2420 is not offered in a given year, Undergraduate students can take ACCT 7420. Please submit a permission request through Path@Penn.edu.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Climate change might be the defining challenge of our times, with a wide range of effects on financial markets and the broader economy. We examine how climate risks—both physical and regulatory—affect firms, traditional financial markets (including equity, debt, insurance, and real- estate markets), and markets for carbon, energy, and data centers. We also examine the role of firms’ disclosures and third-party information sources, such as carbon disclosures, reporting and rating agencies, and the impact of greenwashing. Investors in financial markets shape the transition to a net-zero economy directly through their influence on corporations and indirectly through their portfolio-allocation choices. Moreover, climate risks shape decisions inside organizations, such as spin-offs, hedging, and the structure of executive-compensation contracts. Finally, we study how governments and private investors finance investments in climate technologies. We discuss various financial instruments that have been developed to spur growth in clean tech investment. Given the enormous importance of electrification as a pathway towards a low-carbon future, there is special emphasis on renewable energy finance and economics, including its role in meeting the surge in power demand from AI and vehicle electrification.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

e

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This course covers the financial, managerial, and tax accounting issues and tools relevant to private, entrepreneurial companies as they progress from the earliest stages of the business through to the company’s exit, typically through a strategic buyer, a private equity firm, or via an IPO. Topics include the choice of organizational form; the development of the initial accounting infrastructure; the accounting issues that are frequently faced by entrepreneurs such as accounting for intangible assets, employee compensation, revenue recognition, and financing; the development of management and internal control systems; the establishment of monthly and yearly budgeting, financial forecasting, and cash management processes; and the accounting information required for fundraising and going public. The class is designed for students who intend to own, work for, or invest in entrepreneurial companies.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

The objective of this course is to develop a framework for understanding how taxes affect business decisions. The key themes of the framework - all parties, all taxes and all costs - are applied to decision contexts such as investments, compensation, organizational form, and mergers and acquisitions. The ultimate goal is to provide a new approach to thinking about taxes that will be valuable even as laws and governments change. ACCT 7970 may be used as an approved substitute for ACCT 2970.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Intensive reading and study with some research under the direction of a faculty member. Approval from one of the departmental advisers must be obtained before registration. Also a 3.4 average in major related subjects required.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This intensive one-semester course focuses on how to extract and interpret information in financial statements. The course adopts a user perspective of accounting by illustrating several specific accounting issues in a decision context.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This course focuses on the analysis of financial communications between corporate managers and outsiders, including the required financial statements, voluntary disclosures, and interactions with investors, analysts, and the media. The course draws on the findings of recent academic research to discuss a number of techniques that outsiders can use to detect potential bias or aggressiveness in financial reporting. FORMAT: Case discussions and lectures. Comprehensive final exam, group project, case write-ups, and class participation.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Climate change might be the defining challenge of our times, with a wide range of effects on financial markets and the broader economy. At the same time, financial markets play an important role in financing the transition to a net-zero economy, and incentivizing firms and investors to adapt their strategies. In this course, we examine how climate risks— both physical and regulatory—affect firms, financial markets (including equity, corporate debt, green bonds, municipal bonds, insurance, and carbon markets), and markets for energy, real estate and mortgages. We also examine the role that firms’ disclosures and third-party information sources play. Because financial markets are shaped by the information that is available to market participants, we investigate the impact of ESG reporting and rating agencies, including the costs and benefits of regulating ESG reporting and the impact of greenwashing. In the second part of the course, we study how governments and private investors finance investments in climate technologies. Here, we discuss various financial instruments that have been developed to address climate- change concerns. Given the enormous importance of electrification as a pathway towards a low-carbon future, there is special emphasis on renewable energy finance and economics. We also discuss the latest evidence of how climate risk has shaped decisions inside organizations, such as spin-offs, hedging, and the structure of executive-compensation contracts.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Recent trends in Big Data and predictive analytics are revolutionizing the way stakeholders analyze financial data. This course teaches students the hands-on skills necessary to manipulate large-scale financial databases and build predictive models useful for strategic and investment decisions. The course will cover three applications of predictive analytics: (i) forecasting future earnings, (ii) predicting accounting fraud, and (iii) detecting insider trading. The course will draw on cutting-edge academic research in each area; introduce students to the basic SQL coding skills necessary to manipulate Big Data and conduct meaningful analyses; and leverage the datasets and computing power of Wharton Research Data Services. The course is organized as a hybrid of a traditional seminar course and a computer science course. The first few classes of each unit will cover the conceptual material and source material related to each topic. The later classes in each unit will cover the technical material and programming skills needed to manipulate the respective datasets, estimate predication models, and back test algorithms.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Course ACCT 6130 Fundamentals of Financial and Managerial Units Accounting

Subject

ACCT

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

1

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This course provides an introduction to both financial and managerial accounting, and emphasizes the analysis and evaluation of accounting information as part of the managerial processes of planning, decision-making, and control. A large aspect of the course covers the fundamentals of financial accounting. The objective is to provide a basic overview of financial accounting, including basic accounting concepts and principles, as well as the structure of the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. The course also introduces elements of managerial accounting and emphasizes the development and use of accounting information for internal decisions. Topics include cost behavior and analysis, product and service costing, and relevant costs for internal decision-making. This course is recommended for students who will be using accounting information for managing manufacturing and service operations, controlling costs, and making strategic decisions, as well as those going into general consulting or thinking of starting their own businesses.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This course focuses on ways to improve cost efficiency without compromising quality or growth. Whether an organization is seeking to make immediate cost cuts, better position the business for future growth, or both, it needs the right mix of intelligent cost optimization measures tailored to its unique business needs. This strategic approach to cost management goes beyond cost cutting and instead emphasizes new value creation and continuous cost improvement. This course covers the key factors and methods involved in choosing and analyzing cost structures, and the cost management practices that can be strategically applied across the various functions of a business organization to analyze and forecast costs and to improve organizational performance. The course emphasizes the methods available to measure and evaluate costs for planning, forecasting, and decision-making. The material is designed for managers and consultants who will be involved in implementing cost management activities, as well as analysts, investors, and strategic planners involved in competitive cost analysis and financial forecasting.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This intensive one-semester course focuses on how to extract and interpret information in financial statements. The course adopts a user perspective of accounting by illustrating several specific accounting issues in a decision context.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This course focuses on the analysis of financial communications between corporate managers and outsiders, including the required financial statements, voluntary disclosures, and interactions with investors, analysts, and the media. The course draws on the findings of recent academic research to discuss a number of techniques that outsiders can use to detect potential bias or aggressiveness in financial reporting. FORMAT: Case discussions and lectures. Comprehensive final exam, group project, case write-ups, and class participation.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This course focuses on the analysis of financial communications between corporate managers and outsiders, including the required financial statements, voluntary disclosures, and interactions with investors, analysts, and the media. The course draws on the findings of recent academic research to discuss a number of techniques that outsiders can use to detect potential bias or aggressiveness in financial reporting. FORMAT: Case discussions and lectures. Comprehensive final exam, group project, case write-ups, and class participation. This course is for Wharton Executive MBA students only.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Climate change might be the defining challenge of our times, with a wide range of effects on financial markets and the broader economy. At the same time, financial markets play an important role in financing the transition to a net-zero economy, and incentivizing firms and investors to adapt their strategies. In this course, we examine how climate risks— both physical and regulatory—affect firms, financial markets (including equity, corporate debt, green bonds, municipal bonds, insurance, and carbon markets), and markets for energy, real estate and mortgages. We also examine the role that firms’ disclosures and third-party information sources play. Because financial markets are shaped by the information that is available to market participants, we investigate the impact of ESG reporting and rating agencies, including the costs and benefits of regulating ESG reporting and the impact of greenwashing. In the second part of the course, we study how governments and private investors finance investments in climate technologies. Here, we discuss various financial instruments that have been developed to address climate- change concerns. Given the enormous importance of electrification as a pathway towards a low-carbon future, there is special emphasis on renewable energy finance and economics. We also discuss the latest evidence of how climate risk has shaped decisions inside organizations, such as spin-offs, hedging, and the structure of executive-compensation contracts.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This course covers the financial, managerial, and tax accounting issues and tools relevant to private, entrepreneurial companies as they progress from the earliest stages of the business through to the company’s exit, typically through a strategic buyer, a private equity firm, or via an IPO. Topics include the choice of organizational form; the development of the initial accounting infrastructure; the accounting issues that are frequently faced by entrepreneurs such as accounting for intangible assets, employee compensation, revenue recognition, and financing; the development of management and internal control systems; the establishment of monthly and yearly budgeting, financial forecasting, and cash management processes; and the accounting information required for fundraising and going public. The class is designed for students who intend to own, work for, or invest in entrepreneurial companies.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

The objective of this course is to develop a framework for understanding how taxes affect business decisions. Traditional finance and strategy courses do not consider the role of taxes. Similarly, traditional tax courses often ignore the richness of the decision context in which tax factors operate. The key themes of the framework - all parties, all taxes and all costs - are applied to decision contexts such as investments, compensation, organizational form, regulated industries, financial instruments, tax-sheltered investments, mergers and acquisitions, multinational, and multistate. The ultimate goal is to provide a new approach to thinking about taxes (and all forms of government intervention) that will be valuable even as laws and governments change. ACCT 7970 may be used as an approved substitute for ACCT 2970.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

(when offered)

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This is Part I of a theoretical and empirical literature survey course covering topics that include corporate disclosure, cost of capital, incentives, compensation, governance, financial intermediation, financial reporting, tax, agency theory, cost accounting, capital structure, international financial reporting, analysts, and market efficiency.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This is Part II of a theoretical and empirical literature survey sequence covering topics that include corporate disclosure, cost of capital, incentives, compensation, governance, financial intermediation, financial reporting, tax, agency theory, cost accounting, capital structure, international financial reporting, analysts, and market efficiency. Please contact the accounting doctoral coordinator for information on the specific upcoming modules/topics that will be taught.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This is Part III of a theoretical and empirical literature survey sequence covering topics that include corporate disclosure, cost of capital, incentives, compensation, governance, financial intermediation, financial reporting, tax, agency theory, cost accounting, capital structure, international financial reporting, analysts, and market efficiency. Please contact the accounting doctoral coordinator for information on the specific upcoming modules/topics that will be taught.

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

This is Part IV of a theoretical and empirical literature survey sequence covering topics that include corporate disclosure, cost of capital, incentives, compensation, governance, financial intermediation, financial reporting, tax, agency theory, cost accounting, capital structure, international financial reporting, analysts, and market efficiency. Please contact the accounting doctoral coordinator for information on the specific upcoming modules/topics that will be taught. 1 Course Unit

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

& ACCT 9820 and Workshop Colloquium II Directed Reading & Research

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Students attend workshops in departments outside of accounting to provide student exposure to theory, research designs and methods that are being explored outside of accounting to provide breadth of exposure to foster innovative research ideas. Students are required to attend 7 non- accounting workshops over the semester and write up a referee report for 4 of those workshop papers. They are also required to write up at least one research proposal that stems from theories or research methods gleaned from one or more of the workshops attended. 0.5-1 Course Unit

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Master's Thesis3 Course Units

Subject

ACCT

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu

Total Course Units 19 Students must pass all required courses with a grade of B- or better. Students may, with prior approval of the Accounting PhD coordinator, satisfy this requirement by taking ECON 7300/706. In extraordinary cases, with approval of the Accounting PhD coordinator, a student may satisfy the Econometrics/Statistics requirement with other course sequences.

Subject

ACCT

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

catalog.upenn.edu