9 Career Options for Accounting Majors to Explore

Earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting is the starting place for a variety of job titles — and there are many options out there! As you contemplate where your career could take you, try taking a look at these nine accounting-related job options:

1. Certified public accountant: A CPA is an advisor who helps clients meet their financial goals and assists with other financial matters such as audits, taxes, accounting records, forensic accounting consulting, and litigation. CPAs must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited accounting program, 150 credit hours of education (can be both bachelor’s- and master’s-level) and pass the CPA examination.
2. Auditor: Organizations and businesses must conduct annual audits to ensure their records are accurate. An auditor performs this service for them by examining financial statements, accounting books and systems, and financial operations and making suggestions for improvement. Auditors can be generalists or specialize in a particular area.
3. Controller: This is a senior position including a range of responsibilities from bookkeeping to internal auditing in addition to strategic planning. The information supplied by a controller provides executives with what they need to make decisions.
4. Accounting manager: An accounting manager is an expert with a combination of detailed information and the big picture of an organization’s health, both of which aid the company in decision-making for future direction.
5. Cost accountant: A cost accountant is responsible for tracking every expense of an organization related to areas such as labor, materials, shipping, production, and administration. Cost accountants set the price for the company’s product or service.
6. Financial advisor: A financial advisor works for a brokerage or asset management firm buying and selling investments while keeping an eye on the financial market trends, including stocks, bonds, currency, precious metals, and other investments.
7. Staff accountant: As an entry-level employee, a staff accountant typically has some bookkeeping duties such as ledger entries, account reconciliation, and financial statement generation, but is not a bookkeeper. A staff accountant aids senior accountants by suggesting ways to reduce costs, process accounts/receivable, and help with audits.
8. Government accountant: Federal, state, and local governments need to keep track of money, and a government accountant helps with that endeavor. Taxpayers want to know that their hard-earned money is spent wisely, so this position reflects a great civic responsibility.
9. Forensic accountant: This detective of the accounting world provides accounting analysis that will be used for legal purposes. A forensic accountant is tasked with compliance with the law, uncovering fraud, and providing expert testimony.

Interested in accounting? Check out the Huntington University accounting major in the Department of Business and Finance.