ACCT 623: Project Accounting and Cost Management Master Syllabus
Course Instructor:
Office Number:
Office Hours:
Email:
Course Meeting Times:
Course Website: Canvas
Course Description
This course will provide students with an understanding of the rules for government-wide procurement that have been designed to achieve uniformity and consistency in the cost accounting practices governing measurement, assignment, and allocation of costs to government contracts. Students will learn project management techniques including budgeting, revenue recognition and cost allocations.
Course Objectives
- To provide students a framework to understand financial and project accounting in the government contracting industry
- To enable students to assess government contractor indirect rate fundamentals, government reporting submissions, cost accounting standards and changes, as well as budgeting and planning in the government contractor environment
Course Materials
- Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
- Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)
- Select readings and cases
Curriculum/Topics
Topics include:
- An overview of government contracts project accounting and cost management
- Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) introductions, history, and purpose
- Detailed concept of indirect vs. direct costs
- Theory of indirect rates and advanced indirect rate concepts
- Project costing and controls, including concepts of labor distribution, project accounting and WBS concepts
- Incurred Cost Proposal and the application of theory learned in prior classes
- Cost accounting practice changes and calculation of cost accounting impacts
- Budgeting and planning in a project accounting and government contracts environment
Technology Requirements
Laptop access with internet connection, MS Word, MS Excel, & MS PowerPoint
Course Policies
This course will be completed over 8 classes. Some course instruction will be delivered online using Canvas. Please refer to the most recent course schedule posted on Canvas and any additional announcements for detailed information.
Virtual Classroom Etiquitte
Video: Students are required to have their camera on during class.
Background: Please make sure you do not have anything distracting or inappropriate.
Mute: Please keep yourself on mute except when you are speaking.
Chat: Please use this feature to ask questions. We will monitor the chat periodically during class. If I miss something, please let me know before class ends.
Grading
Grades will be determined by exams, in-class quizzes, case study exercises, and homework assignments.
- A 90-100% (900 - 1,000 points)
- B 80-89% (800 – 899 points)
- C 70-79% (700 – 799 points)
- F Below 70% (below 700 points)
| Assessment Description | Due Dates | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Six Quizzes | January 19, 26 February 2, 16, 23 March 2 |
180 |
| Mid-Term Exam | Between Feb 9-13, TBD | 250 |
| Incurred Cost Proposal Case Study | 100 | |
| Cost Accounting Practice Change Case Study | 100 | |
| Final Exam | 250 | |
| Participation/Message Board | 120 | |
| TOTAL | 1000 |
Quizzes: Six, 10-question quizzes. Each question worth 3 points.
Exams: Mid-Term & Final Exams. For each exam: a mix of 25 Multiple-choice questions and 1 simulation for a total of 250 points each exam.
Quiz and Exam Make-Up Policy: One make-up allowed with request approved by instructor
Assignments: Due the Sunday before class by midnight
Assignment Make-Up Policy: Extraordinary Circumstances
Class Engagement/Participation: Ongoing
Student Responsibilities
You are expected to have read the assigned readings before responding to any posted discussion questions and attempting the related assignments. The amount of effort you put into studying the assigned materials before attempting classwork would determine the quality of your responses to questions, as well as how much you learn about the course topics. We encourage you to not only read the assigned materials but to analyze them carefully. Think about each reading from both a conceptual and a practical perspective.
George Mason Email Communication: Students must use their George Mason email accounts to receive important University information, including messages related to this class and correspondence with the faculty. See Mason Email to obtain your personal George Mason e-mail account. George Mason policy requires faculty to communicate exclusively through the Mason email system. This means I can respond to email from your George Mason account only and cannot respond to emails you send from your personal or work email.
To print: Right-click and choose “Print,” then follow your browser’s print settings.
To download: Right-click and choose “Print,” then select “Save as PDF.”