Everything you wanted to know or should know about accounting

<p>Here is a list of business and accounting institutions:
AACSB</a> International</p>

<p>I have heard of a history major pursuing a masters in accountancy. How is this possible?</p>

<p>From what I've read just looking into accounting on the web, you have to take pre-req courses usually and have a very good GPA.</p>

<p>If I understand this right, you have to have 150 hours to get a CPA. Do most people just go to college for 5 years then graduate with an accounting degree? or get their masters.</p>

<p>I want to major in accounting and become a CPA. But, I also want to double major in environmental science. Probably because of accreditation, a lot of schools have so many requirements for the accounting major, plus the business core and perhaps some general liberal arts requirements, that double majoring outside business is discouraged/impossible.
Tax guy, what do you think? Are some schools more flexible? I already got into the business schools at: Villanova, Rutgers, Northeastern, and Pitt. Waiting to hear from Lehigh, TCNJ and Muhlenberg. Thanks!</p>

<p>I forgot to mention: Some schools I've contacted seem to be pushing a Masters of Accountancy to get to the 150. One prof. told me however, that their top students get hired right after college and the employer pays for the add'l school. She said a lot of grads end up choosing an MBA over a Master's of Accountancy once they finish their undergrad degrees. I've certainly not gotten back a consensus of opinion as to what to do.</p>

<p>In my opinion, accounting is a very demanding major and usually requres 150 credits in order to sit for the CPA. Forget the notion of double majoring in environmental science and accounting. It will take too many years and not need.</p>

<p>At my school (an under-the-radar state school in the midwest), most accounting majors have job offers in their Junior year, for when they graduate. Finance and econ majors don't.
In my last semester before my Senior year, I was offered a spring internship at a major corporation out of town during tax season for $4500 per month. Didn't take it, because I didn't want to prolong my graduation. Instead I took an intership at a local CPA firm after school and stayed on track to graduate.</p>

<p>I am a non-traditional student, in that I was a Theatre major for 2 years before switching to accounting. That was about the smartest thing I ever did. I am getting ready to graduate with my bachelor's but because of the two years of acting classes and stuff, I will graduate with 150 credits and the only class I need to take to sit for the CPA exam is one ethics class.</p>

<p>The Deloitte and KPMG recruiters in my city come to my campus regularly, and can't seem to get enough new hires. I don't really want to work in public accounting though, but instead want to get a masters in statistics and then get a phd in accounting so I can be a professor at a research school. The median age of accounting professors is in the upper 50s, and should be a very lucrative career that has a much better work/life balance than public accounting. I have simple tastes, and $120K per year starting pay of an accounting professor in 5-6 years will make me and my family very happy. Not to mention SUMMERS OFF!!!</p>

<p>I am choosing between one of the following accounting programs: Villanova, Lehigh, Rutgers, Pitt, Northeastern and The College of New Jersey. They all have accredited business programs, (Villanova and Lehigh are accounting program accredited too), and I live in NJ. Should the accounting accredited schools be first on my list, or the NJ schools, because I live in the state, or Northeastern, because I got the most merit money from them? I do plan on making a second visit to each school to help me decide. But can you help me order my list?</p>

<p>I would have to go with the accounting accredited schools. Accredited accounting schools will give you a MUCH BETTER job placement.</p>

<p>Oh and Rutgers isn't accounting accredited?</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback. The only accounting accredited school in NJ is Rider University, according to the link posted earlier in the thread. The trouble is that the accredited schools don't look like they're going to give me any merit $. So, we'll have to think long and hard about it. Same old story!</p>

<p>Just thought that I would post some interesting reports given for public accounting:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>PAR</a> Survey Ranking 2008 PAR Survey ranking 2008: This has a number of rankings, including Accounting School Rankings on page 7. </p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://www.eidebailly.com/about/firmranking.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.eidebailly.com/about/firmranking.pdf&lt;/a> PAR Accounting Firm Rankings: Some Interesting Data. They all shuffle around each year quite a bit, but the trends remain the same.</p></li>
<li><p>[url=<a href="http://www.roberthalffinance.com/FreeResources%5DRobert"&gt;http://www.roberthalffinance.com/FreeResources]Robert&lt;/a> Half Finance </p></li>
</ul>

<p>hey all,
i came to found out that Claremont McKenna college offers a mjor Econ-Accounting under economics department. i was wondering if anyone has more idea abt that??</p>

<p>Will i be negatively affected because my school is in the process of being AACSB accredited? I'm a freshman at SUNY New Paltz and they have accounting program and a 5 year CPA. As long as the school becomes accredited before i graduate will my degree be recognized as coming from a AACSB accredited school?</p>

<p>As Taxguy said in post "297":
The final type of accreditation,which is the newest accreditation, is by AACSB as well but for accounting as well as business. This isn't as well known, and you certainly could get a job without a school having this last accreditation. However, it will become the gold standard for accounting firms in the future, in my opinion. Thus, going to a school that has this accreditation in place will be nice but NOT essential at this time.</p>

<p>As for the time frame for accreditation, it could take years. A lot depends on the time frame of the accreditation process by the school. It can be weeks to several years. No one really knows."</p>

<p>When I called the AACSB they said it could take 3-7 years on average. The schools do pay for this and they have to adhere to certain guidelines and even then, nothing is guarenteed. That is why they wouldn't say which colleges were "in process" but individual colleges usually will mention it.</p>

<p>I'm thinking about doing accounting instead of PE, due to the security. I'm a TN resident, and I'm thinking about attending MTSU. A school in Mufreesburo, outside of Nashville. It's AACSB rated. In my opinion it's big 4 or bust. So how difficult would it be getting a B4 internship or job offer coming from an accredited accounting program?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Do NOT be so closeminded about big 4 or bust. There are many good local firms that will probably give you much better experience than that of the big 4.</p>

<p>As for getting a job with them, it is like getting into an ivy school. You will need very good grades in college. I would say that you would need at least an overall 3.3 GPA and even higher in accounting subjects. In addition, you would need to do well on their interview.</p>

<p>I'm just a few hours away from MTSU. I'm sure they have lots of folks hired into the Nashville market being so close in proximity. You should talk to the faculty advisor for Beta Alpha Psi (the accounting honorary society) who will be able to tell you who recruits on their campus and what they do to make special contacts with BAP members. At the regional campus that is the primary school for my students transferring in accounting, recruiters generally do some kind of social activity with the top students in BAP the evening before they are on campus for recruiting.</p>

<p>anyone know which school is the best in accounting and recruited by big4 in san jose?? help!</p>

<p>taxguy - </p>

<p>"4. Should I go to the highest ranked schools for accounting? This question seems to be asked in one way or another many times and is probably the most frequently asked question about accounting.</p>

<p>Answer: As long as a school is accredited ( AACSB accreditation and regional accreditation), it DOESN'T MATTER which school you attend."</p>

<p>Question: Would you agree that even though your university is AACSB accredited but not heavily recruited by the Big 4, it would be beneficial to locate an alternate AACSB accredited university which is recruited by the Big 4 (if ultimately that is your goal)?</p>

<p>and...</p>

<p>If you chose not to select the aforementioned 'recruited university', what would the chances be of being selected by a Big 4 directly out of school (assumed above average grades)?</p>

<p>Thank you taxguy for starting this thread and to you all for the accompanying conversation.</p>