The formation and beginning of the development of the school of accounting coincides with the first years of the Kyiv Commercial Institute. A certain acceleration of the process of its formation occurred with the establishment of the Department of Accounting in 1944, which for 30 years was headed by an outstanding national scholar, Doctor of Economics, Professor P.P. Nimchynov. It was he who became a mentor to a galaxy of many leading Ukrainian scholars of international renown who have glorified the national economic science: M.H. Chumachenko, H.M. Melnychuk, A.M. Kuzminskyi, V.I. Samborskyi, Ya.Yu. Lytvyn, V.H. Linnyk, V.V. Sopko, etc.

Professor A.M. Kuzminskyi ensured that attention was focused on the further growth of a new galaxy of doctors and PhDs in economics in order to improve the level of professional training of academic personnel in the field of accounting, control, analysis, and audit.

Times changed, the economy of the Soviet Union and then independent Ukraine developed, and at the same time, the directions, content of the department’s activities and its names changed: Department of Accounting (1944v1977), Department of Accounting in Industry (1977–1986), Department of Accounting, Control, and Analysis of Economic Activity in Industry (1986–1992), Department of Accounting and Audit in Industry (1992–2000), Department of Accounting in Industry (2000–2003), Department of Business Accounting (2003–2016), Department of Accounting and Auditing in Industry (1992–2000), Department of Accounting in Industry (2000–2003), Department of Business Accounting (2003–2016), Department of Accounting and Taxation (2016–2020), Department of Accounting and Consulting (since the beginning of 2021); in 1964, the Department of Economic Analysis was established, which in 2002 was renamed the Department of Accounting in Credit and Budgetary Institutions and Economic Analysis, and in 2021 the Department of Tax Management and Financial Monitoring; in 2000, the Department of Audit was established; in 2003, the Department of Accounting was established and functioned until February 2020; in 1977, the Department of Accounting in Agriculture was established, in 1987 it was renamed the Department of Accounting and Analysis of Economic Activity, in 1992 — the Department of Accounting and Audit in Agriculture, in 2003 — Accounting, Analysis, and Audit in the Agricultural Sector, from 2017 to February 2020 — Department of Accounting, Control and Taxation of Agribusiness; in 2000, the Department of Audit was established.

Development of Accounting

The main stages of development of the school of accounting were based on the development of academic and pedagogical activities of the departments, which trace back to a single department of accounting, which was established in 1944.

 Over the years, the Department of Accounting has taught well-known scholars and teachers in the accounting community, who have already passed: Yosyp Luchynskyi, Valentyna Pivtoradnia, Yurii Samus, Nina Hrabova, Oleksandr Shmihel, Liudmyla Zhylkina, Oleksii Borodkin, Viktor Zavhorodnii, Mykola Prudkyi, Volodymyr Linnyk, and Vasyl Sopko. The staff of the department remembers and honors the memory of all the specialists who have worked there over the years.

During the first two years after its foundation, the department was headed by PhD, Associate Professor H. М. Tsiupa, and then, from 1946 to 1975, a well-known scholar and educator who was one of the founders of the modern concept of accounting theory, Doctor of Economics, Professor P.P. Nimchynov.

Since the early 1950s, the main areas of research work of the department’s faculty included developments to improve accounting forms, especially the general-ledger accounting system. P.P. Nimchynov, O.D. Shmihel and other scholars of the department made a significant contribution to the improvement and practical implementation of the Unified General-Ledger Accounting System, its industry-specific features. O.D. Schmihel launched a new area of research and a new academic discipline — “Organization of Accounting.” At the same time, the department’s faculty worked on introducing the tabular and punched card form of accounting into the practice of enterprises and the educational process.

In the 60s and 80s of the twentieth century, the department’s scholars, postgraduate students and doctoral students directed their efforts to improve and implement the scientific principles of accounting and accounting personnel’s work, including the organization of the accountant’s workplace, workflow schedules, job descriptions of accountants, etc. Furthermore, the main areas of academic research of the department in those years covered the improvement of the principles of the standard costing method of accounting for production costs and costing of products in industry, agriculture, construction, and transport (S.O. Borodkin, M.T. Bilukha, A.M. Kuzminskyi, O.D. Schmihel, Yu.Ya. Lytvyn, V.V. Babich, V.M. Dobrovskyi, V.I. Yefimenko, M.V. Kuzhelnyi, Ye.I. Sviderskyi, V.V. Sopko, etc.).

For many years, the department has been working on the implementation of the budget topic “Improvement of Accounting, Analysis, and Control in the National Economy of Ukraine,” which resulted in the preparation of memoranda to the central executive authorities on the development of certain regulations on the methodology and organization of accounting.

In 1975–1977, the department was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor Yurii Lytvyn, followed by Doctor of Economics, Professor A.M. Kuzminskyi (1978–1995). In the early 1980s and thereon, the department’s scholars actively worked on the problems of improving the process of processing accounting and economic information, creating automated control systems (ACS), automated workstations (AWS) for accountants (A.M. Kuzminskyi, V.P. Zavhorodnii, etc.).

In the early 1970s, the Institute began publishing a collection of research papers “Economic Problems of Production Efficiency,” which included a separate series “Problems of Processing and Analysis of Economic Information.” This collection included articles by the department’s faculty members who studied the problems of using computers to process accounting and economic information.

The research on the development of the standard costing method of accounting was implemented through the implementation of self-supporting topics: at the enterprises of instrumentation and automation of the USSR — under the guidance of Doctor of Economics, Professor A.M. Kuzminskyi; at machine-building and instrumentation enterprises of Kyiv — under the guidance of Doctor of Economics, Professor O.S. Borodkin and Doctor of Economics, Professor A.M. Kuzminskyi; at chemical plants — under the guidance of PhD in Economics, Associate Professor O.D. Shmihel; on cost accounting and costing of products using computers — under the guidance of the Head of the Department, Professor A.M. Kuzminskyi and Associate Professor Ye.I. Sviderskyi; in agriculture — under the guidance of Doctor of Economics, Professor Ya.Yu. Lytvyn; in construction — under the guidance of PhD in Economics, Associate Professor V.V. Babich. The topic of improving the process of processing accounting and economic information using computers held a special place in the research work on self-supporting topics.

A significant event in the life of the entire accounting community of Ukraine, including for the staff of the department, was the foundation of the national professional research and practical magazine “Accounting and Audit” on the initiative and with the direct participation of the head of the department, Doctor of Economics, Professor A.M. Kuzminskyi, who became its first editor-in-chief. Under the leadership and initiative of the scholar, work began on the draft laws of Ukraine “On Accounting and Financial Reporting in Ukraine” and “On Auditing.”

Under the leadership of Doctor of Economics, Professor M.V. Kuzhelnyi, who headed the department in 1995–2009, the efforts of the faculty of the Department of Business Accounting, as well as the entire accounting community, were focused on reforming accounting through the introduction of national accounting regulations (standards).

The intensification of research activity at the university, including at the Department of Business Accounting, was facilitated by the establishment in 2003 of the biannual collection of research papers “Finance, Accounting, and Audit,” which has a separate section on “Accounting, Analysis, and Audit.” This publication publishes the scientific achievements of the department’s faculty and graduate students. Members of the department actively participate in international research and training conferences held periodically at the university and for which abstracts are published. In addition, the Faculty of Accounting and Economics annually hosts an interdepartmental research and training conference on accounting, analysis, and audit issues with the participation of most members of the department and publishes abstracts.

Gradually, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the focus of academic research shifted to the introduction of International Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards (IAS, IFRS) into the practical activities of domestic enterprises and the implementation of their principles in the educational process (M.I. Bondar, L.H. Lovinska, R.S. Korshykova, A.V. Ozeran, O.A. Petryk, V.V. Khodzytska, et al.) 

In the period from 2009 to 2016, the department was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor M.I. Bondar, who has been the Dean of the Faculty of Accounting and Economics (now the Faculty of Accounting and Tax Management) since March 2016. As Dean, M.I. Bondar consolidates the faculty’s academic personnel to improve and develop the content of academic and educational activities.

Under the leadership of M.I. Bondar, the university developed new standards for higher education and integrated competencies defined by the standards of international professional organizations into the educational process. Active work was carried out as part of working bodies to improve regulatory documents, the procedure for certification of auditors, and certification of highly qualified personnel.

Under the leadership of M.I. Bondar, the academic personnel of the departments was involved in the projects of the World Bank’s Centre for Financial Reporting Reform “Strengthening Auditing and Reporting in the Countries of the Eastern Partnership” (STAREP), and since 2018, he has been the representative of Ukraine in the PULSAR project “Accounting Education Community of Practice” (EduCoP). Within the framework of international cooperation, under the leadership of representatives of the World Bank’s Centre for Financial Reporting Reform, M.I. Bondar and Professor O.A. Petryk, the content of higher education standards in the specialty 071 “Accounting and Taxation” and educational programmes of leading Ukrainian higher education institutions was benchmarked, which made it possible to improve their content and ensure international recognition.

From October 2016 to September 2022, the Department of Accounting and Consulting was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor M.M. Shyhun.

To expand the academic potential of teachers, considerable attention was paid to the development of international cooperation and the creation of new opportunities for international integration of academic and educational activities. 

In 2022–2023, the department was headed by PhD in Economics, Associate Professor R.S. Korshykova, and in 2023–2024 by PhD in Economics, Associate Professor O.I. Stepanenko. During this period, the first accreditations of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes were completed. 

Since September 2024, the department has been headed by PhD in Economics, Associate Professor O.V. Tsiatkovska. 

Development of Accounting in Budgetary and Credit Institutions, Economic Analysis, Taxation, and Financial Monitoring

In 1964, the history of the school began to develop as a separate subdivision of the faculty, the Department of Economic Analysis. It was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor M.H. Chumachenko. Under his leadership, a school of economic analysis was formed. A significant contribution to the development of the theory and practice of analyzing the economic activity of enterprises was made by the works of the department’s scholars, in particular, I.I. Karakoz, P.M. Kozlov, Ye.V. Dolhopolov, O.H. Lykhvar. Teachers of the department successfully defended their doctoral (I.I. Karakoz, V.I. Samborskyi, S.I. Shkaraban, I.P. Zhytnia, I.D. Farion, etc.) and PhD theses (A.O. Hryshchenko, V.B. Kyrylenko, O.H. Lykhvar, V.M. Matveiev, V.Ye. Trush, V.M. Shevkopias, V.S. Liovochkin, H.M. Melnychuk, V.O. Metz, M.I. Horbatok, L.F. Kyseliuk, I.T. Tkachenko, R.T. Dzhoha). Thus, a powerful faculty team was formed, whose research interests were related to the development of economic analysis.

From 1971 to 1998, the department was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor V.I. Samborskyi. In 1992, due to the development of the domestic banking and budgetary sector and the need to train highly qualified specialists in banking and budgetary accounting, the name of the department was changed to the Department of Accounting and Auditing in Credit and Budgetary Organizations.

In 1998, the department was again headed by its founder, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Full Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine M.H. Chumachenko. Under the direct guidance of Mykola Hryhorovych, L.O. Prymostka, L.M. Kindratska, S.V. Svirko, and I.M. Parasii-Verhunenko defended their doctoral theses.

In 2002, the department was renamed the Department of Accounting in Credit and Budgetary Institutions and Economic Analysis. 

From 2004 to 2021, the department was headed by Liubomyra Maksymivna Kindratska, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Honored Employee of the KNEU, and Distinguished Educator of Ukraine.

The main areas of research in the period covered the modernization of accounting support for banking institutions’ operations and improvement of the methodology and organization of bank analysis, transformation of financial statements of budgetary institutions in accordance with international public sector accounting standards, and improvement of analytical support for the management of business entities. 

On January 25, 2021, the department was renamed the Department of Tax Management and Financial Monitoring, headed by L.H. Lovinska, Doctor of Economics, Professor, winner of the M.I. Tugan-Baranovsky Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for Outstanding Scientific Work in the Field of Economics (2017). 

The innovative academic and educational activities of the renewed department began with the comprehension of modern economic and educational realities in society.

The Department of Tax Management and Financial Monitoring was the first in Ukraine to launch a bachelor’s degree programme in Financial Monitoring and Analysis, which is in line with global trends in economic education, is modern and innovative, and develops professional skills that are highly valued in the modern labor market. After all, financial monitoring specialists must have the cutting-edge knowledge and apply advanced methods of combating illegal cash flows.

The uniqueness of this programme has set the department the task of conducting relevant research, academic substantiation, based on special and in-depth knowledge of accounting courses, and creating a cycle of courses that has no analogues in any higher education institution. 

Taxation and tax management are another strong area of the department’s academic and educational activities. One of the biggest threats to the existence of any state is the shadow economy, as it is a major obstacle to the development of human capital, makes it impossible to fight crime, and significantly reduces defense capabilities. 

Development of Accounting, Audit, and Analysis in Agribusiness

On September 1, 1977, Professor P.P. Nimchynov established the Department of Accounting in Agriculture, which has made a significant contribution to the formation and development of accounting, analysis, and audit of accounting in the agricultural sector. The department functioned until February 15, 2020. The department was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor Yurii Lytvyn (1977–1988), Doctor of Economics, Professor Vasyl Sopko (1988–1993), Doctor of Economics, Professor Volodymyr Linnyk (1993–2006), PhD in Economics, Professor Mykhailo Kotsupatryi (2006–2016, 2018–2020), Doctor of Economics, Professor Valerii Ilin (2016–2018).

During the functioning of the department, 41 PhD and doctoral theses were defended (B.S. Kruhliak, F.F. Butynets, O.M. Lozovskyi, P.I. Haidutskyi, P.T. Sabluk, V.H. Linnyk, L.K. Suk, A.M. Herasymovych, M.I. Bondar).

In 1979–1990, the department carried out self-supporting research topics covering such areas as the development of methodological recommendations for improving planning, accounting and control, taxation, as well as cost accounting and production costing, the standard planning and cost accounting method, operational economic analysis, organization of economic work and lease relations in Ukrainian agriculture. The research work was supervised by Doctor of Economics, Professor Yu.Ya. Lytvyn, Doctor of Economics, Professor V.H. Linnyk, Doctor of Economics, Professor A.M. Herasymovych, Doctor of Economics, Professor Yu.S. Kovalenko, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor V.B. Mosakovskyi, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor I.M. Tretiakov, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor M.I. Kovalchuk, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor O.O. Medvetskyi.

In 2011–2020, state budget topics were implemented, including “Taxation of Private Peasant Farms in Ukraine” (2011) and “Accounting, Reporting, and Taxation of Individual Entrepreneurs in Ukraine” (2012) under the guidance of PhD in Economics, Professor M.M. Kotsupatryi.

Throughout its operation, the department’s teachers have been implementing five-year state budget topics, in particular, in 2011–2015, research work on “Improving Accounting and Control at Agricultural Enterprises” (state registration number 0111U007427), in 2016-2020. “Improvement of Accounting and Control at Agricultural Enterprises” (state registration number 0116U001663) under the academic supervision of PhD in Economics, Professor M.M. Kotsupatryi.

Development of Audit and Digitalization of Accounting, Auditing, and Taxation

The development of audit as a new academic area of the school justified the need to establish the department (June 27, 2000). The first head and founder was Doctor of Economics, Professor V.P. Zavhorodnii. He headed the department from 2000 to 2001. The main focus of V.P. Zavhorodnii’s research was the improvement of accounting, control, and audit using computer technology. 

From 2001 to 2011, the department was headed by a leading expert in the field of audit, Professor V.Ya. Savchenko. He had extensive practical experience: he worked as the chairman of the audit committee of the regional consumer union, head of the control and audit department, and a member of the audit committee of the Union of Cooperative Unions in Lviv. V.Ya. Savchenko headed the Department of Audit during its formation from 2001 to 2011, laying the foundation for its further development. He was awarded many state awards of the USSR and Ukraine.

Since 2012, the Head of the Audit Department is Doctor of Economics, Professor, Certified Auditor O.A. Petryk — a well-known expert in the field of audit in Ukraine. 

The Department of Audit is an integral part of the KNEU School of Accounting and makes a worthy contribution to its development and preservation of traditions. In particular, it initiated the development of research on audit and financial control; developed the theoretical basis and methodological tools for audit in Ukraine; developed organizational provisions for accounting, control, and analysis of economic activity, taking into account the information and communication environment and digitalization; scientifically substantiated and developed provisions for budget control as a component of the information and analytical system of public finance management in Ukraine; developed theoretical, methodological and applied aspects of control and analysis of the activities of economic entities in terms of the development of innovation and investment mechanisms of the economy and the digitalization of its processes.

Accounting for Non-Accounting Specialties

In 2003, the Department of Accounting was established and operated until the beginning of 2020. All the time it was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor Yu.A. Kuzminskyi. The main task of this department was to provide teaching of the course “Accounting” for non-accounting specialties of the University, which made it possible to integrate unified approaches to the study of accounting by other specialties.

The main academic achievement of Yu.A. Kuzminskyi is the practical application in Ukraine of the methods and procedures for operational accounting and control of exports and foreign exchange earnings developed in his thesis.

The faculty of the department was represented by experienced professionals who had doctoral and PhD degrees in economics and extensive experience in teaching at the university. 

The department provided theoretical and applied knowledge of accounting for bachelors of non-accounting specialties, as well as masters of the Faculty of Accounting and Tax Management of all forms of studying. The training was carried out for specialists of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting and Auditing and Accounting and Taxation in full-time and part-time programmes. For two years, the Master’s programme in Management Control existed.

An important component of the department’s activities was research work aimed at researching theoretical, methodological and methodical, organizational and applied issues of improving the system of accounting, analysis, and audit in Ukraine in terms of the development of the theory of modern economic science, as well as creative generalization of existing trends in the development of accounting and analytical support for strategic and tactical management of business entities. Most of the teachers with the academic titles of associate professor and professor supervised (advised) research in the form of PhD and doctoral theses.

The department carried out fruitful scientific and practical cooperation with the All-Ukrainian Public Organization “All-Ukrainian Accounting Club” (Deputy Chairman for Science and Education Yu.A. Kuzminskyi) and the editorial board of the magazine “Balance,” participated in annual roundtable meetings, annual national accounting congresses, annual contest “Best Accountant of Ukraine,” in organizing and conducting national contests of research works of students and young scholars — accounting specialists.

The School Today

Currently, the school of the Faculty of Accounting and Tax Management continues to conduct academic research in various areas, namely: implementation of budget and self-supporting topics; research commissioned by enterprises and government agencies; preparation of theses by graduate and doctoral students of the faculty departments; publication of research papers and monographs on the issues of accounting, analysis, control, audit, and taxation; organization and holding of university, national, and international academic conferences, seminars, and roundtables; academic cooperation with other departments of the university, with domestic and many foreign higher education institutions; academic cooperation with enterprises and government agencies; implementation of academic research works on the topics of the KNEU Institute of Accounting; academic support for the activities of international organizations at the global level; internships of department teachers in educational institutions of foreign countries; involvement of gifted students in research work through academic circles, research paper contests, academic contests, etc.

For many years, the Faculty of Accounting and Tax Management has been adhering to the principle of closely combining the educational process with research work, both for teachers and students. The organization and implementation of student research is an integral and most complex part of the activities of all departments and is realized through student research clubs, student conferences, student academic contests, and competitions, both university and national. One of the ways to involve students in research is to include them in the team of executors of self-supporting topics developed by the departments.

Furthermore, the academic research of the faculty’s academic personnel is considered as a tool for improving educational and professional programmes (hereinafter — EPP) for training specialists in accounting and taxation. Throughout all the years of its activity, the school’s department has been focusing on improving the quality of student training through the use of the latest teaching technologies and 100% methodological support of academic disciplines. Constantly studying the needs of employers, the departments update the curricula of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees and include modern courses in accounting, auditing, and taxation, which significantly improve the quality of training and allow us to prepare specialists capable of performing complex practical tasks from the first days of employment. To improve the qualifications of teachers, the departments hold departmental and interdepartmental trainings with the involvement of successful practitioners.