The Place of Governmental Accounting in the Syllabus.

Abstract This article focuses on governmental accounting education in the U.S. The position of the 1937 Committee on Education of the American Accounting Association appears to have been so widely misunderstood that a brief statement of clarification seems proper. Particularly, the failure of the committee to include governmental accounting in the syllabus, except under the Maximum Program, has been rather sharply criticized. An elaboration of such additional graduate work was not attempted at that time and no further statement has been made since. It was the opinion of the committee, however, that the place of governmental accounting lies somewhere in the senior elective area or in the graduate years. It is hoped that a further development will come through a study of offerings of universities and colleges whose graduates are presumed to have been prepared for the profession of accountancy. A grading, and classifying of curricula of various educational institutions should be undertaken, and the committee doing such work should be widely representative. It would, however, be futile to attempt such a task until the syllabus has been subjected to the most severe criticism.