The Language of Business is Accounting
Today, a career in accounting is much more than just balancing ledgers. An undergraduate degree in accounting makes possible careers in commercial or corporate business, private accounting firms, tax law, auditing, and fraud investigation. Each area demands the skills of analytical thought and problem solving. A degree in accounting gives you the academic credentials for employment and the CPA is the professional credential for more earning power.
Accounting is highly competitive. Employers are looking for a GPA in your upper level accounting coursework of 3.0 and better. Internships in the field are important to show proof of knowledge learned. The College of Business and Economics strongly recommends an internship in an accounting office. To help students with this activity the College hosts a Meet the Firms night in the fall (see events listed in “Speculative Trends” of BizBuzz). This event hosts 25-30 various accounting firms from the region, including the Big Four (Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers) and gives the accounting students a chance to meet “face to face” with firm representatives. Students attending are required to wear professional business dress and have copies of their resumes “in hand” to give to the firms. Many business students acquire interviews with the firms from this event and are subsequently hired for summer internships.
An undergraduate degree in accounting can be your entrée to other avenues of study. Many students consider a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA), Master in Industrial Relations (MSIR), MBA, or Law School. Most states have adopted the requirement of acquiring 150 credit hours of college credit to sit for the CPA. There are a variety of ways to obtain these hours including the advanced degrees listed above. You may also want to consider a minor during your undergraduate work. Minors which would compliment an accounting degree are criminology, economics, foreign language, philosophy, or political science. Another option would be to double major in the College of Business and Economics in the areas of finance or management information systems (MIS).
The College of Business and Economics now offers a graduate certificate in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation. WVU offers a unique program that combines theory and practice. Advanced coursework in auditing is offered along with field experience working with law enforcement agencies, solving case studies, working with the IRS, and working in a crime lab work. Many of the top accounting firms are giving special consideration to individuals that have this training and experience.
