Accounting School

The first step for aspiring accountants is earning a bachelor’s degree from a recognized accounting school. They will find even more job opportunities if they take the state exam to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

More and more businesses want to hire accountants with advanced accounting degrees, such as a master’s degree in accounting or in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in accounting. People with graduate degrees generally earn higher salaries and rise more quickly in the corporate world.

Most accounting schools allow students to specialize in a specific area of accounting. For instance, if students want to work for a regulatory agency, they can learn about recent legal rulings and legislative trends. Due to the current recession, accounting schools are working harder than ever to keep up with legislative changes.

Graduating from a top accounting school with either an undergraduate or advanced degree is sure to lead to rewarding work at a public or private firm. Many recent graduates work as an auditor before moving on to more specialized consulting or accounting work.

To be admitted into accounting school, students should have a strong math skills and high scores on qualifying exams. It is also useful to have communications skills, because accountants need to be able to clearly convey information.

Advantages of Accounting School

A degree in accounting is valuable in today’s tight labor market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for accounting professionals will continue to grow over the next decade.

The accounting school should provide a solid academic foundation and a degree that is marketable. In addition, the school should have professional contacts within firms who are willing to help students land that all-important first job.

An accounting school checklist:

Type of degree. It is helpful for a student to know what area of accounting he finds most interesting, and try to match those interests with a degree program. For example, if a student is interested in auditing, enroll in a school that offers an auditing degree program. If there is no specific auditing degree offered by an institution, make sure it offers a concentration in auditing, or at the very minimum, a good selection of auditing electives.

Curriculum. A student with the ultimate goal of becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) should review the school’s various accounting curricula. Many accounting schools offer a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree program in order to satisfy the CPA’s 150-hour requirement. Compare a chosen curriculum to the state-specific CPA requirements and ensure the program meets all CPA requirements.

Accreditation. Students who graduate from accredited school programs fare better in the hiring process. In addition, CPA requirements include an accredited accounting program.

Internship and co-op opportunities. In today’s tight labor market, it is always helpful to have a resume with some work experience listed, in addition to an academic background. A student with internship or co-op program experience has an advantage over his counterparts. In fact, accounting students who have had some related work experience during their college years are paid an estimated 25 percent more for entry-level positions.

Recruiting. A good accounting school is used as recruiting grounds for good accounting firms. Confirm if any of the Big Four accounting firms – Ernst & Young, Deloitte Touche, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and KPMG – participate in the school’s employment fairs. These employers typically use an intensive screening process to determine which schools to use as recruiting sources.

Unlike many other careers, most accounting graduates find work in their field.