13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
11-13-13
MINOR Curriculum Modification Proposal (11-13-13)
Substitution of Required Course for Accounting Majors
Submitted on behalf of the Department of Business
Anne Zissu, Chairperson
Lucas Bernard, Assistant Professor
FALL 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Curriculum Modification Proposal Form
Curriculum Modification Questions
Minutes of Department Meeting
Student Survey & Results
Appendix 1: Chancellor’s Report Form
Appendix 2: Mathematics Department Email Exchange
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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New York City College of Technology, CUNY
CURRICULUM MODIFICATION PROPOSAL
 Please refer to the Curriculum Modification Guide before submitting a proposal.
Title of Proposal
Date
Substitution of Required Course for Accounting
Majors
November 13th, 2013
Department Chairperson / Coordinator
Department/Program
Anne Zissu
Business/Accounting
Brief Description
Replace MAT 1272 with BUS 2341 for Accounting majors. In 2008, as a temporary stop-gap measure, while the
Business Department developed a suitable course, MAT 1272 was listed as a required course for Accounting
majors. The permanent solution, BUS 2341, has now been developed and approved; it retains much of the
statistical content of MAT 1272, but with a more applied focus and centers around business issues which will
make our students more employable.
Indicate the specific change or changes desired.
MAJOR:
MINOR:
__new course(s)
__change in course number and/or title
__experimental courses
__change in course description
__Continuing Education courses for credit
__change in sequence of courses
__addition or elimination of programs or
certificates
__change in prerequisites or corequisites for
individual course
__changes in entrance requirements for
matriculation or admission to a specific
degree program
__substitution of one course for another of similar
hours and credits
X substitution of required course(s) for the degree
__a change which would affect the
educational objective of a department and/or
of the college
__course(s) withdrawn or reinstated
Supporting Documents Checklist:
MAJOR:
MINOR:
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Complete description of MAJOR
modifications and rationale
All course proposals (see Course Proposal
Document Checklist)
Catalog course description specifying
hours and credits for lecture and labs,
prerequisites and/or corequisites
Relevant minutes from department
meetings


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Description of MINOR modifications and rationale
Department minutes with record of the approval
Memo or email from the Dean approving the
change
Evidence of consultation with all affected
departments
Completed Curriculum Modification Questions
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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11-13-13
Completed Curriculum Modification
Questions
Documentation of needs assessment
Documentation of student views
Documentation of Advisory Commission
views (if applicable).
Evidence of consultation with all affected
departments
Projected headcounts (fall/spring and
day/evening) for each new or modified
course.
Memo or email from the academic dean to
the Curriculum Committee chairperson
with a recommendation for or against
adopting the proposed change(s) and
reasons for the recommendation.
Completed Library Resources and
Information Literacy Form
A memorandum from the VP for Finance
and Administration with written comments
regarding additional and/or new facilities,
renovations or construction (if applicable).
Comparative charts, specifying differences
in class hours, lab hours and credits,
including course titles and codes.
Documentation indicating core curriculum
requirements have been met for New
Programs/Options or Program Changes. (if
applicable)
Plan and process for evaluation of
Curricular Experiments (if applicable)
Established time limit for Curricular
Experiments (if applicable)
Submitted by
Lucas Bernard & Anne Zissu
Email this form along with all supporting documents to
the co-Chairs of the College Council Curriculum
Committee.
 Viviana Vladutescu and David Smith
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
11-13-13
CURRICULUM MODIFICATION QUESTIONS:
For all Curriculum Modifications

Has the department approved the modification and recorded the approval in the
minutes? Yes.

Has the department consulted with the academic dean? Yes

Has documentation of consultation with affected areas been received? The
Mathematics Department was presented with the full proposal and voiced no
objections (see attached email correspondence).

Have potential staff space and budget impacts been addressed? Yes.

Have all legal issues and/or restrictions been addressed? Yes.

Is renovation or new construction required? No.

Does new space need to be made available? No.

If applicable, has the VP for Finance and Administration submitted written
comments regarding additional and/or new facilities, renovations or construction?
N/A

Have you surveyed students to determine their interest in the course and learn
why they would be interested in taking the course? Are these results included?
Yes. Yes.
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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DEPARMENT MEETING MINUTES
September 25th, 2013 (1:00 PM) Business
Department Meeting
1) For only the next Gen-Ed meeting tomorrow (Friday, September 26th at 9:30 AM),
Lucas will attend for Melissa and pass the information on to her (Just for the one
meeting).
2) Pathways Advisor
 We need a Departmental Pathways advisor.
 Pathways Advisor will get a 3 hour release time (Equivalent to 1 course).
 They will have to attend meetings and report back to the department
(during a department meeting).
 Alison might have volunteered, Anne will check to see and if not Melissa
will be the pathways advisor.
 Probably just for one semester (Spring 2014).
3) Pathways Curriculum
 Gen Ed. must have a minimum of 20 credits.
 Marketing & Accounting have over 20 credits of Gen. Ed courses.
 Statistics (MAT 1272) could be replaced by the Finance course
(BUS 2341)
 Statistics was added to the curriculum along with raising the
general math level up to MAT 1375 (Pre-Calculus). This was done
to strengthen the program and the math skills of the students
within all 3 departments. Core requires 3 credits in Math so the
statistics course is not necessary.
 The new Finance course (BUS 2341) covers statistics but it is an
applied learning course.
 The suggestion was made to combine ACC 2311 & ACC 2411 (Cost
Accounting 1 & 2) and make one 3 credit course to replace the 2
courses (3 credits for ACC 2311 & 2 credits for ACC 2411). For now
we are just going to look into the matter and see if it might be
worth it for the future, but not right now.
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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VOTE:
*Replace MAT 1272 (Statistics) with BUS 2341 (Finance) for the Marketing Management &
Accounting curriculums.
All in Favor, none opposed: 11-0


Fashion Marketing students should be taking chemistry as it is more
related to the field but one of the issues is that the course must be 3
credits to count for the core requirement. Another issue is that many of
the students will take Biology simply because it is easier and requires less
math knowledge.
We will decide this at a later meeting, for now we are putting this on
hold.
4) Peer Observation Forms
 New forms are now available online and hard copies can be found in the
main office as well, please be sure to only use the new forms as the old
forms are no longer acceptable.
 After 10 semesters (5 years) adjunct staff are not required to be observed
but all & all staff can be observed at any time at the discretion of the
chair.
5) Department Evaluation by Non-Cuny Personnel
 For the department Self Evaluation, we will need someone who works
outside CUNY to evaluate the department. They will be compensated and
they must be a teacher.
 Alison has mentioned that she has a person that could do this, she will
pass the CV on to Anne.
 If anyone else knows anyone that can do that as well we will need their
CV as soon as possible so that it can be passed on to the Provost for
approval.
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
11-13-13
STUDENT SURVEY
Below is the student survey each member of the Department of Business
distributed to one of his/her classes. We have three majors in the Department
of Business: Marketing; Accounting; Fashion Marketing. The survey was
distributed randomly across the three majors, at the lower and upper level
and it was anonymous, students did not include theirs names. An analysis
follows.
Many students are concerned that when they graduate, they will not possess enough
employable skills to have a competitive edge in job market or to run their own
businesses. To address this, a new course has been proposed:
New course: “Financial Forecasting for Small Businesses” (BUS 2341)
Many students do not know how to use MS-Excel at the level required by
employers. This course would correct that. During the class, students will use MSExcel to work on projects for small business. This course would grant 4 credits and
would be transferable to the other CUNY colleges. In addition, this class would be
of particular interest to those students who would like to own their own business,
are interested in investing and/or retirement planning, and those who envision
careers in Finance or Accounting.
This course would not be in addition to required classes, but would, instead, replace
others already in the college catalog.
Please answer “YES” or “NO” to each of the following questions:
1. Would you be interested in taking a class that, in addition to meeting
requirements for your degree, also gave you employable skills, such as MSExcel?
2. Are you interested in learning how to start your own business?
3. Do you want to be able to plan for unforeseen events either in business or in
your private investments?
4. Are you interested in a class that would be transferable to other CUNY
campuses, e.g., Baruch?
5. Would you like to learn more about the financial world beyond basics, e.g.,
investing in options and other derivatives, financing real estate purchases,
expanding your own business?
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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Survey Results
During spring 2011, students in Marketing, Accounting, and Finance classes were surveyed. 268
completed surveys were collected. In a study of population proportions, in which no assumptions
are made, a sample of 268 yields a margin of error of approximately 10%. Thus, in the figures and
tables below, each estimate should be considered within a +/- 10% range.
Question 1
Would you be interested in taking a class that, in addition to meeting requirements
for your degree, also gave you employable skills, such as MS-Excel?
2.24%
2.24%
No Response No
Yes
95.52%
Question 2
Are you interested in learning how to start your own business?
1.87%
17.91%
No Response No
Yes
80.22%
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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Question 3
Do you want to be able to plan for unforeseen events either in business or in your
private investments?
1.12%
6.34%
No Response No
Yes
92.54%
Question 4
Are you interested in a class that would be transferable to other CUNY campuses,
e.g., Baruch?
1.12%
5.22%
No Response No
Yes
93.66%
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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Question 5
Would you like to learn more about the financial world beyond basics, e.g., investing
in options and other derivatives, financing real estate purchases, expanding your
own business?
1.12%
1.87%
No Response No
Yes
97.01%
Totals
1.49%
6.72%
No Response No
Yes
91.79%
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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Table of Responses by Number
Question #
1
2
3
4
5
All
No Response
6
5
3
3
3
20
No
6
48
17
14
5
90
Yes
256
215
248
251
260
1230
Total
268
268
268
268
268
1340
Yes
95.52%
80.22%
92.54%
93.66%
97.01%
91.79%
Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
Table of Responses by Percentage
Question #
1
2
3
4
5
All
No Response
2.24%
1.87%
1.12%
1.12%
1.12%
1.49%
No
2.24%
17.91%
6.34%
5.22%
1.87%
6.72%
Conclusion: An overwhelming number of students are in favor of this course.
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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The following revisions are proposed for the Business Department
Program: Associate Degree of Applied Science in Accounting
Program Code:
Effective: Fall 2014
A change of required courses
FROM:
TO:
Program Specific Degree Requirements (11 courses, 35 Credits)
Course #
ACC 1101
ACC 1201
ACC 2301
ACC 2311
ACC 2322
ACC 2401
ACC 2411
BUS 1122
BUS 2339
BUS 2425
CST 2206
4
Course Name
Credits
Principles of Accounting I
4
Principles of Accounting II
4
Intermediate Accounting I
3
Cost Accounting I
3
Taxes
3
Intermediate Accounting II
3
Cost Accounting II
2
Business Law
3
Financial Management
3
Business Management
3
Introduction to Information Systems and Technologies
Program Specific Degree Requirements (12 courses, 38 Credits)**
Course #
ACC 1101
ACC 1201
ACC 2301
ACC 2311
ACC 2322
ACC 2401
ACC 2411
BUS 1122
BUS 2339
BUS 2425
CST 2206
4
BUS 2341
Course Name
Credits
Principles of Accounting I
4
Principles of Accounting II
4
Intermediate Accounting I
3
Cost Accounting I
3
Taxes
3
Intermediate Accounting II
3
Cost Accounting II
2
Business Law
3
Financial Management
3
Business Management
3
Introduction to Information Systems and Technologies
Financial Forecasting
3
Required Core Classes (3 courses, 10 Credits)
Required Core Classes (3 courses, 10 Credits)**
ENG 1101
MAT 1375
SCI
English Composition 1
Precalculus* or Higher
Life/Physical Science
3
4
3
ENG 1101
MAT 1375
SCI
English Composition 1
Precalculus* or Higher
Life/Physical Science
3
4
3
Flexible Core Classes (5 Courses, 15 Credits)
Flexible Core Classes (4 Courses, 12 Credits)**
COM 1330
ECON 1401
MAT 1272
Public Speaking or Higher
Microeconomics
Statistics
3
3
3
In addition to the 3 Required courses above, Select one course from any
two of the three groups listed below (2 courses Total)
Category 1
World Cultures & Global Issues
Category 2
US Experience in its Diversity
6 Credits Total
Category 3
Creative Expression
COM 1330
ECON 1401
Public Speaking or Higher
Microeconomics
3
3
In addition to the 2 Required courses above, Select one course from any
two of the three groups listed below (2 courses Total)**
Category 1
World Cultures & Global Issues
Category 2
US Experience in its Diversity
6 Credits Total
Category 3
Creative Expression
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13 D-1 Substitution of Required Course for Accounting - Minor Proposal
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Rationale: BUS 2341 retains some statistical content from MAT 1272, but with a more applied focus and centered around business issues, which
will make our students more employable.
* Students without the requisite math background to enter MAT 1375 MUST take MAT 1275 and/or MAT 1175 in preparation, depending on initial placement. This
will increase the number of required credits for the degree by 4-8.
** The sum of all credits for the degree must add up to at least 60.
Page 13 of 15
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Anne Zissu
Henry Africk
Jonathan Natov; Lucas Bernard
Re: Minor Curriculum Proposal
Tuesday, October 01, 2013 3:04:26 PM
Ok that's fine.
Thank you for going over it.
Anne
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
From: Henry Africk
Sent: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 14:55 PM
To: Anne Zissu
Cc: Jonathan Natov
Subject: Re: Minor Curriculum Proposal
Thank you.
There does seem to be some overlap with our financial mathematics courses, but the
mathematics requirements appear to be minimal, so I don't think cross listing would be useful.
Prof. Henry Africk, Chair
Mathematics Department, Room N711
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718)260-5380
>>> Anne Zissu 10/1/2013 12:38 PM >>>
enry, per your request, please find attached a description of BUS 2341, course approved in the
Spring.
Best,
Anne
Dr. Anne Zissu
Chair, Department of Business
NYC College of Technology, CUNY
>>> Henry Africk 10/01/13 10:12 AM >>>
Could you send me the course description of BUS 2341?
Page 14 of 15
Prof. Henry Africk, Chair
Mathematics Department, Room N711
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201 (718)2605380
>>> Anne Zissu 10/1/2013 8:09 AM >>>
We actually could even cross list BUS 2341 with your minor in Finance.
Anne
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
From: Anne Zissu
Sent: Monday, September 30, 2013 22:05 PM
To: Henry Africk
Cc: David Smith; Lucas Bernard
Subject: Fwd: Minor Curriculum Proposal
Hi Henry,
We are in the process of making a minor change to our curriculum. We had created a new
course last year that was finally approved in May. The course is BUS 2341, and will now
replace MAT1272. This will probably happen in the Fall 2014. I have forwarded the
description of the minor change.
Please reply to ALL if there is any issue.
Best,
Anne
Dr. Anne Zissu
Chair, Department of Business
NYC College of Technology, CUNY
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