Although emerging technologies have disrupted the entire accounting ecosystem in recent years, the education realm has been one of the areas hardest hit. Declining enrollments and decreased numbers of CPA candidates have presented formidable challenges for institutions of higher learning. The authors give their perspective on the root causes underlying today’s negative trends and their recommendations on how the profession and its institutions can transform, adapt, and survive.
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Disruption and transformation continue throughout the accounting profession. Such disruptions impact the entire accounting ecosystem in one way or another. According to Aldredge et al. (2021), “Technology and businesses are changing and evolving rapidly, as are the expectations for accountants. Advances in automation and machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and blockchain are examples of current technology disruptions in the accounting industry” (M. Aldredge, C. Rogers, and J. Smith, “The Strategic Transformation of Accounting into a Learned Profession,” Industry and Higher Education, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 83–88, 2021,
