ABSTRACT
Articulation agreements, designed to facilitate transfer of credit between educational institutions, have been a part of the educational landscape for decades. Recent developments have highlighted the value and importance of articulation agreements as they relate to the transfer of accounting course credits, primarily the Principles of Accounting course, from two-year (i.e., community) colleges to four-year universities. Most of these developments are financial in nature, with some directly related to the current economic downturn. For instance, the steady rise in education costs has effectively shuttered access to four-year colleges for millions of students, many of whom will choose the lower-cost alternative of two-year community colleges. Given that approximately 40 percent of accounting students at two-year institutions currently report plans to transfer into four-year programs, effective articulation agreements become vital to the future of accounting education and the accounting profession. This paper discusses the benefits and limitations of articulation agreements as they pertain to a range of constituents, including students, faculty, administrators of two- and four-year colleges, and state policymakers. The paper offers best practices and future research opportunities regarding the most effective facilitation of credit transfer for the Principles course. In addition, a case study is included which illustrates these best practices.
