Accountants help individuals and businesses manage their money by setting up and maintaining accounting systems, preparing budgets, studying company operations, performing audits, and preparing government forms. They help management to plan and control company activities.

Job responsibilities depend on the area of specialization: public accounting, managerial accounting, corporate accounting, or governmental and nonprofit accounting.

LSC-University Park’s Accounting Department offers two programs.

Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Accounting

The AAS Accounting degree is a two-part program, with the AAS awarded upon completion of both parts.

Accounting Level 1 Certificate: Students desiring a less comprehensive program should consider the Accounting Level 1 Certificate program. The accounting certificate program is designed to provide workforce training in a time period shorter than two years.

REGISTER for Accounting Level 1 Certificate classes.

AAS Accounting: Upon completion of the Accounting Level 1 Certificate, a student may continue their studies to complete the Associate of Applied Science Accounting degree.

Note that the Accounting Electives are available in two different tracks: Accounting Track and Tax Preparation Track. The electives are slightly different in each track and should be chosen with care.

REGISTER for Associate of Applied Science Accounting classes.

Advanced Technical Certificate (ATC) in Professional Accounting

Admission to our CPA/ATC program is required to enroll in our CPA courses, and it is a separate process from general admission. The main requirement for admission into the CPA/ATC program is a bachelor's degree, and the admission process is the same whether you are taking one class or several. Please contact Lindsey.McGriff@LoneStar.edu for questions regarding the admissions process.

Once admitted, the following courses will count towards the Advanced Technical Certificate in Professional Accounting. Note that LSC-University Park offers courses required for eligible CPA licensure in the state of Texas.

REGISTER for Advanced Technical Certificate or CPA classes.

Department Contacts

Courses at Lone Star College-University Park Accounting Department are taught by diverse, highly qualified faculty members and offered in face-to-face and fully online formats. For those who need additional flexibility, LSC-University Park also offers some Accounting courses in the evenings.

Lindsey McGriff, CPA
Associate Professor of Accounting
Lead Accounting Faculty
CPA/ATC Faculty Advisor
281.290.3718
Office: B12.734

Professor McGriff graduated from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin in 2013 with a Bachelor in Accounting and Master in Professional Accounting. She began her career in public accounting with PwC in the assurance practice serving primarily private companies. The industries she served included retail, oilfield services, not-for-profit, healthcare and insurance. She left public accounting to serve in a financial reporting role for Indigo Natural Resources, a natural gas company in Houston that was subsequently acquired by Southwestern Energy.

Professor McGriff began teaching courses for the ATC program as an adjunct instructor at LSC-Montgomery in 2019. In 2021, she accepted a full-time opportunity with LSC-University Park where she teaches ACCT 2301 and ACCT 2302 in addition to the ATC program courses. She currently serves as Lead Accounting faculty and faculty advisor for the ATC program at LSC-University Park. She is a practicing Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas. 

Helen Bassett, MBA, EA
Associate Professor of Accounting
Accounting Club Advisor & TXCPA Houston Faculty Ambassador
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Coordinator
281.290.1817
Office: B13.823

Professor Bassett has a master’s degree with 18 graduate hours in accounting from University of St. Thomas. She has four years of professional accounting experience working for manufacturing companies and nine years working as a volunteer income tax preparer. She has more than seven years of teaching experience, during which she was recognized for her academic excellence in the classroom. She is helping our students find their path in the professional world of accounting by serving as LSC-University Park’s Accounting Club advisor, an accounting tutor, and as VITA site coordinator. In addition, she is an IRS Enrolled Agent.

Professor Bassett fosters learner-centered communities where student and teacher peer groups are encouraged to freely exchange their ideas in an atmosphere of trust and respect towards each other. This results in collaborative learning and critical thinking in a cross-cultural exchange. Students learn to utilize not only scholarly tools conveyed by their teachers, but also intellectual techniques learned from their peers. Teachers learn how to better present learning material in a passionate, authentic, and entertaining way to heighten students’ and teachers’ level of thinking. In other words: Only through sharing knowledge can one’s mind and soul evolve.

Maurica Vickerson, MBA
Department Chair
281.290.5080
Office: B13.864

Dave Gaer
Dean of Instruction
281.290.2663
Office: B12.603C