Accounting Career Brief
- Overview
- Degree Requirements
- Other Preparation
- Career Opportunities
- Advancement Opportunities
- Certification
- Salaries
- Recruitment Opportunities
- For More Information
Overview
Accounting involves the collection, organization, and presentation of financial information for effective decision-making. Accounting services often include independent auditing, tax advice and tax return preparation, financial and management consulting, and entrepreneurial services.
All accounting is characterized by compiling, analyzing, and reporting on the financial conditions of the many functions for companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and individuals.
For more information, view the Department of Accounting website.
Degree Requirements
Includes foundation courses required for Professional Admission*, general education requirements, professional core courses, free electives, and a set of specific accounting Courses
Sample Accounting Courses:
- Cost and Managerial Accounting
- Intermediate Financial Accounting
- Principles of Profit Planning and Control
- Introduction to Federal Taxation
- Information Quality and Assurance – A Management Perspective
- Accounting for Not-For-Profits Entities
- Analysis of Financial Statements
- Accounting Information Systems
* Students must achieve Professional Admission (a competitive and selective application process) to move from the pre-professional phase to the professional phase.
** Check the Degree/Academic Progress Report (APRR's) for your specific academic program requirements per your catalog at http://catalog.arizona.edu.
Other Preparation
Work Experience and Internships
Part-time and summer jobs and internships can provide valuable work experience and training that employers and graduate schools will value. Academic credit is not required to receive an internship nor do internship credits count toward major electives.
Clubs and Organizations
The college has a wide variety of professional fraternities, honoraries and student clubs. Student organizations offer: career information; networking opportunities; social and professional activities; and provide leadership roles and skills building opportunities.
Student organizations for Accounting majors include:
- Beta Alpha Psi a national honorary society for accounting majors
- Accounting Student Association & IMA Student Chapter
Visit the FESO - Federation of Eller Student Organizations website for more information.
Career Opportunities
Types of Jobs and Employers
Accountant positions generally require a bachelor's degree in accounting or a closely related field. A sample of Accounting occupations include:
- Cost/Budget Analyst
- Controller or Chief Financial Officer
- Auditor
- Tax A ccountant
- IRS Revenue Agent or Invertigator
- Certified Financial Planner
- Financial consultant
Public accounting firms offer accounting services, such as tax consulting and auditing to individual companies. The largest multinational firms have offices across the country (mostly in metropolitan areas) and audit the majority of Fortune 1000 companies. Medium-sized firms operate regionally or nationally, and there are many small accounting firms, partnerships, and self-employed practitioners.
Corporate accounting employs up to 60 percent of all accountants, involves guiding management practices so as to pay short-term debt and maximize long-term profits.
Government offices hire accountants (about 10,000 in local, state, and federal government, according to the American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries) for accounting positions and as auditors.
Not-for-profit organizations - United Way agencies, hospitals, colleges and universities, religious organizations, and others - require accountants to manage revenue and expenditures, maintain records, and prepare financial statements.
Personal financial planning is a specialty area in which CPAs review clients' goals and objectives and counsel them on investments, cash management, insurance, taxes, and estate and retirement planning. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) offers a seven-part educational program on personal financial planning.
Accounting graduates may also choose to work in other corporate or entrepreneurial areas.
Advancement Opportunities
In most large public accounting firms, the typical career path is staff auditor/accountant, 2-3 years; senior auditor/accountant, 2-3 years; manager, 3-4 years; senior manager, 3-6 years; possibly principal/associate partner, usually 10-13 years. For those who leave public accounting there are also management or senior accounting positions in client companies.
Certification
To be designated a certified public accountant (CPA), you must pass the Uniform CPA Examination after graduating with a bachelor's degree and accumulating a specific amount of accounting credit (varies by state). Most states in the U.S. require applicants to have 150 credits of college-level coursework to become certified, which is commonly accomplished by the applicant getting both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in accounting. There are several other requirements a candidate must complete to become a CPA, but the specifics vary state-to-state. Visit www.aicpa.org to find addresses for all State Boards of Accountancy in the U.S. The information for the Arizona State Board of Accountancy is:
Arizona State Board of Accountancy
100 N. 15th Avenue Suite 165
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Telephone: 602-364-0804
FAX: 602-364-0903
http://www.accountancy.state.az.us/
Other certifications available to accountants are certified management accountant, certified internal auditor, and certified fraud examiner.
Salaries
Starting salaries vary by size and type of employer, location, course work, and experience.
- UA graduate high offer: $67,000. (UA Career Services 2008).
- UA graduate average offer $44,773 (UA Career Services 2008).
Recruitment Opportunities
Recruitment opportunities include the annual "Career Days ", sponsored by UA Career Services, and the spring "Career Showcase" coordinated by Eller Student Council and Delta Sigma Pi. "Meet the Firms" night is coordinated by the Accounting Department and is open to all Accounting majors.
Public accounting firms recruit at The University of Arizona, as do consulting companies, retail businesses, manufacturers, and utilities. Government recruiters include defense audit agencies; the state auditor general's office, and other agencies.
Click here to view open accounting-related internships and jobs!
A sample of employers which recruit UA Accounting majors for both internships and/or post graduation profesional positions are:
| Agilent Technologies American Express Technology Group AMS (American Management Systems) Apollo Group Arizona Auditor General Arizona Department of Transportation Bank of America Beach Fleischman BDO Seidman Capital One CED (Consolidated Electrical Distributors) CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) |
Cigna Healthcare Cintas Corporation Clifton Gunderson LLC Defense Contract Audit Agency Deloitte & Touche LLP E & J Gallo Winery Equis Ernst & Young LLP Heinfeld & Meech Hewlett Packard Honeywell Intel Corporation JCPenney Keegan, Linscott and Kenon P.C. Kennecott Energy |
KPMG LLP Mervyn's California National Bank of Arizona North Star Resource Group Onsite Companies Protiviti PricewaterhouseCoopers Raytheon Company R&A, CPAs SEMPRA Energy UA Sponsored Projects |
For More Information
- Undergraduate Programs Office
Eller College of Management
McClelland Hall 204
P. O. Box 210108
Tucson, AZ 85721-0108
520-621-2505
http://ugrad.eller.arizona.edu/
- UA Career Services
Student Union, Suite 411
520-621-2588
www.career.arizona.edu
- Department of Accounting
Eller College of Management
McClelland Hall 301
520-621-2620
http://accounting.eller.arizona.edu
- Major Advisor
Nancy Rochman
nancyr@eller.arizona.edu
Professional Associations
- American Accounting Assoc. (AAA)
http://aaahq.org/
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
www.aicpa.org - American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA)
www.aswa.org - Association of Government Accountants (AGA)
www.agacgfm.org
Journals and Publications
- Journal of Accountancy (http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/joahome.htm)
Resources
- Masters in Accounting : Guide to Master in Accounting (http://www.mastersinaccounting.net/)
For additional information, please contact us.
