Accounting school earns STEM status

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Mizzou Magazine.

From stone tablets in ancient Mesopotamia to sophisticated software and cloud computing, accounting practices continue to expand and evolve. The School of Accountancy is at the forefront of that evolution. Recently, the school applied for and received STEM designation approval for its bachelor’s and master’s programs from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. The school has been working toward this approval for the past few years. As with other data-driven fields, accounting practices rely on a thorough familiarity with specialized software and the ability to navigate technology-enabled business organizations. “There have been fundamental shifts in the emphases of accounting curriculum toward cutting-edge technology and analytics-based solutions for clients in delivering their audit, tax and advisory services,” says Vairam Arunachalam, director of the School of Accountancy. The new STEM designation is a recognition of the role technology plays in the school’s curriculum and the contemporary practice of accounting.