Use this site to learn about what accounting has to offer. You can explore:
Description of the Major
Skills Needed
Sample Occupations
Companies and Organizations that Hire our Accounting Graduates
Professional Associations
Student Clubs
SOM Career Library Resources

Description of the Major

Career opportunities for accountants are many and varied from public practice to business/industry to government. Accountants perform a variety of services for their employers and clients from internal and external auditing to tax services to consulting. Accountants often lead the way in communicating a company’s financial position and performance to management, shareholders, regulatory agencies and other decision makers.

Today’s demand for accurate and honest financial reporting fosters an unprecedented need for accountants in industry, government, and not-for-profit entities. The degree prepares you for a career in such areas as financial and managerial accounting, auditing and forensic investigation, taxation, and accounting information systems.

Additional information:

• Median salary in 2011: $62,850
• Projected growth: Average (10-19%)
• 79% of polled respondents have an undergraduate degree

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Skills Needed

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Online Resources for Career Research

• What Can I Do With This Major/Degree?
• Read descriptions of careers from the Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*Net.
• Accounting Net
• Accountemps
• American Express Tax & Business Services
• Career Bank
• Careers in Accounting
• Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
• Ernst & Young
• KPMG
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Resnick, Fedders, and Silverman
• Robert Half
• Snyder, Cohn, Collyer, Hamilton & Associates

Sample Occupations

(Connected to the Bureau of Labor and Statistic’s online Occupational Outlook Handbook)

• Accountant (Including Public, Management and Government Accountants)
• Actuaries
• Auditor
• Budget Analyst
• Claims Examiner and Investigator
• Cost Estimator
• Credit Analyst
• Financial Analyst
• Financial Examiner
• Loan Counselor
• Purchasing Agent
• Revenue Agent
• Tax Examiner
• Treasurer/Controller

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Organizations that have employed Mason Accounting Graduates

• The Big Four Public Accounting Firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Other Public Accounting Firms: Baker Tilly, Bond Beebe, Grant Thornton, Reznick Group
• Private: CACI, Computer Sciences Corporation, EDS, SAIC, Stanley Associates, Wealth and Tax Advisory Services, Inc.
• Government: Department of Defense, Department of Treasury, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Government Accountability Office, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Personnel Management, USAID

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Sample Professional Associations

• American Accounting Association
  Promotes excellence in accounting education, research and practice with local and national meetings, journals and networking opportunities.
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
  Provides information, training and education to the global anti-fraud community.
• Association of Government Accountants
  Supports government accountancy professionals with career information, professional development, certifications, research, and a job database.
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  Information on a career as a CPA and certifications. Also includes job announcements. Some information restricted to members.
• Information Systems Audit and Control Association
  Provides IS audit and IS control standards for information governance, control, security and audit professionals, as well as training and certifications.
• Institute of Management Accountants
  Provides networking, research, industry trends, and job search assistance to individuals in managerial and financial accounting. Also provides a section dedicated to students.
• National Association of State Boards of Accountancy
  Provides information on CPA licensure requirements by State
• The Institute of Internal Auditors
  Provides certification, education, research and technical guidance for the profession.
• Virginia Board of Accountancy
  Regulates business and individuals who practice public accountancy or provide assurances about financial statements in the State of Virginia.
• Virginia Society of CPA's
  Provides training, professional development and advocacy to CPA's in the State of Virginia.

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Student Clubs

• Beta Alpha Psi, Accounting Honors Society
• All SOM student organizations

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Sample SOM Career Services Library Resources

• Great Jobs for Accounting Majors
• Resumes for Banking and Finance Majors
• 101 Best Resumes to Sell Yourself
• Internship Bible
• Washington, D.C., Job Bank
• Book of U.S. Government Jobs
• Networking Survival Guide: Get success by tapping into thepeople you know
• Princeton Review Guide to Your Career
• 101 Salary Secrets-How to Negotiate Like a Pro

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