OSU-Cascades launches bachelor's degree in accountancy

The Oregon accounting profession is excited to welcome a new accountancy program as OSU-Cascades launches its new bachelor's degree in accountancy. We asked program lead Logan Steele, Ph.D. about the new program, and the benefits it will bring to the Oregon CPA pipeline as well as to the Central Oregon business community.

The development of the Accountancy B.S. Ecampus degree allowed us to launch the program by delivering key courses in-person at Cascades, while leveraging the availability of Ecampus sections for other courses. As the Cascades program grows, we will be able to offer more and more classes in-person at Cascades. Currently, we are offering four of five Junior level accounting courses in-person at Cascades. Second, we needed a seasoned/tenured faculty member to lead the program that is also willing and able to deliver a wide variety of courses, despite the many preps this requires (and that person is me!). Third, strategic considerations played a role, with OSU's goal of expanding the OSU-Cascades campus over the next several years. Lastly, the shortage of accountants/CPAs is Oregon is rather stark, and hence we determined that additional accounting graduates would find a strong job market to enter, and further these additional graduates would contribute to the prosperity of the Oregon economy. 

What kinds of students do you hope to attract, and how does the Central Oregon location shape the program experience?
This year we are focused on attracting students that just completed their Sophomore coursework at OSU-Cascades or Central Oregon Community College to enroll in our Junior-level courses. This is a smaller population than we aim to attract in the long-run, as the program approval came very late relative to the start of courses this Fall, and we did not have enough time to market the major to other populations. For the 2026 academic year, we will expand our marketing further, targeting both "traditional" college students, and also those who have already earned a bachelor's degree in another field that are hoping to switch to an accounting career. For the "traditional" students, we expect most of them to complete the Accountancy B.S., with a few completing the Accountancy Minor instead. For those that are more seasoned, we will be offering a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accountancy, which includes all of the core accounting courses necessary to sit for the CPA Exam. These students will not have to complete any courses beyond the accounting curriculum and its prerequisites to complete their Certificate. As for Central Oregon, well this is just a fantastic place to live, and I wish I could have gone to college here! The region is growing quickly, and has a strong entrepreneurial culture, making it an exciting region to start your career in. Lastly, is OSU-Cascades itself, which provides a magical and rare combination - a major research university combined with a small liberal arts college feel. The barrier is getting the word out, as OSU-Cascades flies under the radar even within Oregon.

What skills or qualities do you think are most important for students who want to pursue a career as a CPA?
Students will find that their career in accounting pushes them to quickly adapt to new responsibilities. The quantity of work historically completed by new graduates, for instance "staff," at public accounting firms, has been greatly reduced by outsourcing and automation. Thus, students need to be ready to review work, design engagements, and manage teams very early in their career. We aim to graduate mature and professional students by focusing on access to experiential learning, mentoring, and challenging coursework. Our curriculum demands of the student more than regurgitation, by focusing on developing a theoretical understanding of accounting, business, and economics, and requiring students to be assessed in a manner that requires critical/deep thinking.  

How can professional organizations like the Oregon Society of CPAs best support students and faculty in building the pipeline?
The OSCPA already does a wonderful job helping to attract students to the major - in particular the OSCPA scholarship program and the Career Showcase. I think a longer conversation on other ways to enhance the pipeline would be wonderful to have. There is a lot more work that can be done in terms of marketing the major to college students, high school students, and the general population. University budgets are stretched in Oregon right now, and faculty do not have support to engage in these pipeline building activities. Hence, support for marketing efforts and outreach could be a wise investment.

What excites you most about welcoming the first group of accountancy majors to OSU–Cascades this fall?
Our students are wonderful people. I am constantly inspired be their willingness to work hard, take ownership of their success, and give back to the community, even at this early stage in their professional development. They are great people to be around, and with the small class sizes at OSU-Cascades, I look forward to getting to know my students well, and to supporting them in their path to personal and professional success.