Western Carolina University

Susan Swanger

The 30-hour graduate program offers evening courses in Asheville designed to serve full- and part-time students interested in specializing in accounting or preparing for certification. The program also serves students who do not have a business undergraduate degree but, after completing prerequisites, want to retool their skills and earn accounting credentials, such as the certified public accounting designation which continues to be the most widely recognized credential in the profession.

“We want to maintain a top-notch graduate program with a regional focus that prepares students specifically for the practice of public accountancy, as well as for positions in industry and government,” said Swanger, a resident of Haywood County.  “Our graduates hold positions in all of the big four and regional accounting firms, as well as Bank of America, BB&T, Wachovia, Mission Hospitals and Volvo International, just to name a few. Some have continued into doctoral programs.” 

Swanger’s professional experience includes working as audit manager for Grant Thornton in Florida; enforcement division staff member for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C.; and audit supervisor for Ernst & Young in Ohio.

A certified public accountant, Swanger earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kent State University, a master’s of business administration from WCU, and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina.