The Perceived Gap between Academics and Professionals about Accounting Education System in Iran

Abstract

The spread and acceptance of globalization and the great improvements in the information technology has caused incredible changes in the state of business. These changes have brought about new challenges not only in accounting as a career but also in its education. Schools educating future accountants are responsible for causing the gaps between adoptive skills in the universities and the perceived skills in the profession and worldwide markets. This research tries to identify the challenges that accounting education brings in educating students in regard to possessing knowledge and skill at a competitive level in response to the market’s needs. These challenges justify why the competitive skills of the accountants must improve. Accounting education in its current situation and the skill level of the graduates of the field is not parallel to what is needed in the dynamic atmosphere of the world’s trade. That is why it is necessary to search for a plan in order to fill the gap between adoptive knowledge and skills and the expected knowledge and skills so that it prepares the students facing the challenges in the new state of the global business. In this paper, accounting education challenges are scientifically investigated and a strategic plan is proposed in order to overcome them. This issue is addressed first by considering the curriculum of prominent universities around the world and then by evaluating the current Iranian curriculum for the accounting major at the master level using questionnaires.