Assistant Teaching Professor Ted (Fikret) Polat teaches ACC 361, Accounting Information Systems. He earned his PhD in Accounting and Information Assurance at the University of Maryland in 2020. He taught at George Mason University before making his way to Miami this Fall.
Polat started his early career as a computer engineer, developing software for the financial and accounting industry. That’s where he realized his love for numbers and business, and decided to pivot and build onto his technological skills in the accounting and economics space. “That experience continues to shape how I approach both teaching and research, especially in areas where accounting meets technology,” he said.
In ACC 361, students build on foundational skills and use tools such as Tableau, UiPath, Microsoft Access, and SQL. Teaching against the backdrop of AI, Polat’s goal is to equip students not just with specific software skills, but with the mindset to “learn how to learn new tools—quickly, confidently, and critically—because that’s how they will stay ahead in a world where AI and automation are the new baseline.”
Polat admits to being quite passionate about financial accounting as well, which he hopes to teach in the future—helping students see the whole of the accounting cycle, from order to fulfillment to payment and beyond, and how those processes ultimately tie back to the financial statements. “Seeing students gain confidence in both their accounting knowledge and their ability to use technology is very rewarding.”
Polat spent part of the past summer travelling the national parks across the United States and enjoying various cultural destinations. He lives in Oxford with his wife. “Oxford has struck me as a welcoming and vibrant college town. I’ve been impressed by the friendliness of the community and the natural beauty of the area. Miami’s culture of collegiality, academic excellence, and strong student engagement has already made me feel at home.”