What is the American Accounting Association?

The American Accounting Association refers to an organization that gives support to worldwide excellence in accounting research, education, and practice. In the United States, AAA is the primary professional association for accounting academics. The organization was formed in 1916, originally known as the American Association of University Instructors in Accounting. Its current name came into existence in 1936.

What does the American Accounting Association Do? 

The AAA is a voluntary organization that consists of individuals with an interest in accounting, research, and education. Its main objective is to advance the profession through the provision of professionals, providing educational resources, and its members intellectual development.

The American Accounting Associations main role is to publish The Accounting Review. This is a journal of articles, abstracts, and book reviews written to promote accounting research, education, and practice. The organization offers services such as accounting education, research publication, instructional resources, commentaries, and book reviews to help the accounting fraternity. The association publishes six issues of The Accounting Review each year, usually in the following months:

• January
• March
• May
• July
• September
• November

Its main focus is on the integration study as well as application. All members of this organization have access to all the publications, opportunities to take part in the regional, and special interest groups plus an additional newsletter. Generally, the organization's membership diversity ensures a conducive environment for innovation and collaboration. Together, the members share the accounting future position through a powerful network, research, and teaching. About 30 percent of AAA members reside and work outside the United States of America. The AAA council has the largest accountants gathering in academia. However, besides working in academia, the association also has extended to other areas such as:

• Artificial expert/intelligence systems
• Information system
• Public interest
• Auditing
• International accounting
• Teaching and curriculum
• Taxation (the American Taxation Association is part of the American Academy Association)

About the Board of Directors

The AAAs board of directors, as from 2019-2020, has 12 members with Terry Shevlin as its current president. Terry is a professor at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California-Irvine. Other AAAs board positions include the following:

• President-elect
• Past president
• Vice president
• Vice president of Finance-Elect
• Vice president of Research and Publications
• Vice president of education
• Director of focusing on membership
• Director of focusing on international
• Director of focusing on segments
• Director of focusing on intellectual property
• Director of focusing on practitioner interaction and academics

Benefits of AAA Membership

When you become a member of AAA, you stand to enjoy the following benefits:

• Members have all-year-round networking opportunities with colleagues through Section and Region Meetings
• They have access to a digital library that has leading research journals like The Accounting Review, Issues in Accounting Education, and Accounting Horizons
• Members have opportunities to publish as well as present their own research studies
• Innovations in methodology teaching as well as an instructional delivery
• Members are up to date with their CPE credits through informative and program participation
• They have access to career opportunities that are posted in the Career Center
• The members have a wide range of resources for research, teaching, and practice

Key Takeaways

• The American Accounting Association refers to an organization that gives support to worldwide excellence in accounting research, education, and practice
• The organization was founded in 1916, originally known as the American Association of University Instructors in Accounting
• AAAs main objective is to advance the profession through the provision of professionals, providing educational resources, and its members intellectual development.
• The organization offers services such as accounting education, research publication, instructional resources, commentaries, and book reviews to help the accounting fraternity.
• About 30 percent of AAA members reside and work outside the United States of America association has the largest accountants gathering in academia.