The Case For Arts Education As A Required Component Of An Accounting Students College Education

Abstract

A recent study has highlighted the importance of student perceptions of the accounting profession and the resultant self-selection process. This self-selection process may result in students self-selecting into the accounting area who are deficient in the essential qualities for success in the modern accounting profession. Warnock (1996) reports that among 1^st year accounting students a still pervasive image of the accountant is that it is not particularly important to have either imagination or verbal qualities or communication or critical thinking skills and thus students who are weak in the above qualities often self-select into accounting as a major. The purpose of this paper is to introduce into the accounting literature the results of an emerging body of research that suggests arts education can enhance or help accounting students overcome these deficiencies.