The training in Accounting in Higher school of Commerce – Varna started with the establishment of the institution. The first teacher of Accounting was prof. Feodor Belmer, recommended by world-renowned economist Peter Struve. Prof. Belmer provided professional scientific knowledge to 12 classes of accountants.
The first subject on which he lectured and led exercises in the autumn of 1921 was Theory of Simple and Double Accounting. During the second academic year, prof. Belmer launched 7 accounting disciplines that led with the help of three part-time assistants: Marin Katarov, Ivan Ekimov, PhD and Svetoslav Grekov.
During the third academic year (1923-1924) was formed the archetype of the departments in the university, called back then divisions. Prof. Belmer headed the first division "Commercial and Technical Sciences", in which were included the following disciplines: Commercial Calculus; General Theory of Accounting; Exercises in Accounting; Teaching and Criticism of Balance Sheet; Bank Accounting; Factory Accounting; Accounting of Agriculture; Commercial Correspondence and Office Documentation; Commercial knowledge and Private Economic Doctrines; Banks, Stock Exchange Transactions and Techniques; Seminar of Commercial Sciences; Politic Arithmetic; and Commodity Science. Therefore, the academic 1923/1924 year is considered the beginning of the Accounting Department.
During the period 1933 – 1945 Head of Accounting Department was prof. Vulchin Gerilovski. His scientific works are dedicated to the problems of evaluation, balance, balance articles, and etc. During that period part of the department was assoc. prof. Ivan Pandov.
Prof. Boycho Boychev was Head of Accounting Department from 1945 until 1964. His publications were indisputable contributions to Bulgarian economic literature and in particular in the field of accounting. Firstly, he worked on issues in the field of industrial accounting and started setting the scientific fundaments of double accounting in the Bulgarian municipalities. His developments and ideas in the field of balance, calculus, accounting technique, double accounting, accounting of agriculture, and etc. are still relevant today. During that period members of the department increased and worth-noting lecturers and researches are: assoc. prof. Gancho Radev, assoc. prof. Georgi Naumov, assoc. prof. Georgi Dimov, assoc. prof. Ivan Videv, Boris Karageorgiev, PhD. On later stage are attracted also assoc. prof. Nikola Nikolov, assoc. prof. Petko Petkov, assoc. prof. Nikolay Gradev, assoc. prof. Georgi Slavov, assoc. prof. Bogomil Tonchev.
Following prof. Boychev as Head of Accounting Department until 1966 was assoc. prof. Gancho Radev, author of a lot of publications in the field of commercial accounting.
From 1967 until 1970 Head of the department was assoc. prof. Ivan Videv. He was one of initiators of introducing the disciplines related to mechanization of auditing and an author of one of the first monographs in Bulgaria in this scientific field. After assoc. prof. Videv transfering to the Department "Organization of machining information" (which is mainly formed by lecturers from Accounting Department), Head of the department became prof. Marko Bazlyankov. His scientific production is mainly in accounting and analysis of construction activities of firms. He is an author of the first textbook in the country Analysis of Economic Activity and Accounting of Capital Construction.
During the period 1981-1987, Head of the department was assoc. prof. Nikolay Gradev. His publications were in the field of accounting theory and industrial accounting and they have not only scientific value, but important significance for business practices. Assoc. prof. Gradev is considered founder of school in cost accounting and cost calculation in Varna.
During the period 1988-2005 (with one year interruption) Head of the department is prof. Geno Genov. His scientific production is related to development of accounting theory in contemporary conditions and mainly to application of contemporary technologies for automatization of accounting information.
During 1993-1994 Head of Accounting Department is prof. Kalyo Donev, who continues his leadership from 2005 – until today. He is one of the leading figures in financial control theory in Bulgaria, with significant contributions for its development. Prof. Donev has research interest also in accounting of the financial system.
Today, Accounting Department is composed by 44 science lecturers, including 4 professors, 6 associate professors, 17 chief assistants and 23 assistants. Two of them are doctors of science, 20 are PhDs, and most of the staff are certified expert accountants. In the department 8 PhD students are training.
In relation to the trend of continuous harmonization of accounting theory and practice in our country with the EU, in Accounting Department was prepared new learning plan and new learning programs. In the learning plan were included new learning disciplines as Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Economic Control, Harmonization of Accounting, Accounting of Capital Companies. That allowed the upgrading of educational and teaching activities and the development of new research guidelines.
Following a decision of the Academic Council of UE-Varna in 2014, traditionally studied in the Accounting Department program "Accounting and Control" has acquired a new look, content and name, emerged by two programs: "Accounting and Finance" and "Accounting and Auditing".
"Accounting" (in English) is specialty approved by the academic council of the University of Economics - Varna in 2017. The program is accredited by CIMA (The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) and ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), which gives an extra value to it. The main objective of the training in specialty "Accounting" (in English) is to prepare university graduates in accounting, analysis, auditing and connected areas.
Education in "Accounting" (in English) starts in September 2019.
Students, who are taught in Accounting Department, achieve high professional level and are successful in their realization in all spheres of social and economic life in Bulgaria and abroad.
Accounting Department has accreditation for training doctoral students in professional direction 3.8 Economics, scientific program "Accounting, Control and Analysis of Economic Activities".