Accounting and Law

Doug Cerf, Area Chair
Norinne Cruzat, Administrative Coordinator
Phone: (805) 756-1543
Fax: (805) 756-6347
Orfalea College of Business (Bld 03 – Rm 403)
1 Grand Ave – Cal Poly State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
For faculty information, go to the Accounting Faculty Directory

The Accounting and Law Area in the Orfalea College of Business is a premier accounting program in California. The area is recognized as a significant source of accounting graduates in California at both the undergraduate and the graduate level. The accounting program prepares students for careers in professional services firms, industry and government. It is recognized as a “preferred” school for recruiting by the big four public accounting firms.

The area offers an undergraduate concentration in accounting as well as a Master of Science in accounting; students have the option of emphasizing in taxation or financial accounting. The Master of Science with an emphasis in financial accounting will allow graduates to meet the licensure requirements that become effective January 2014.

Professional guidance to the area based on current practice is provided by the accounting area advisory board, which meets twice each year. Other outside assistance is provided by donors, who support student scholarships and faculty fellowships.

Services are furnished by the accounting area to low income taxpayers through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program which operates in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria. The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) provides representation of low income taxpayers for tax disputes. The clinic also operates an educational outreach program for taxpayers for whom English is their second language.

Each year the Cal Poly Accounting Club puts on three professional recruiting events, Fall Symposium (held annually in early October for students recruiting for full-time jobs), Careers in Accounting Day (held annually in early December for students recruiting for internships) and the Spring Awards Banquet (held annually in mid-May).