Accounting
As an accounting student at KU, you will prepare to work in fields including industry, nonprofit, government, higher education or public accounting. You will receive a well-rounded education in business, as well as specified training in accounting. Supplement your major with a concentration to give you specialized training in an area of interest and to make you more competitive in the job market.
Sample of Related Skills
- Communicate clearly to convey relevant financial and non-financial information so that decisions makers can formulate informed decisions
- Employ national, international, and historical perspectives to analyze accounting and business issues
- Identify ethical issues associated with accounting and business situations and apply appropriate principles of ethics and civic responsibility
- Demonstrate technical competence in financial accounting, taxation, and auditing
- Understand accounting technologies
- Work effectively in a team environment to generate an acceptable solution to an accounting problem
Popular Career Paths
Internal Accounting: Involves tracking all of a company’s activities, including purchases, sales, employee payment, and pension management
Public Accounting: Looks at companies from the outside to ensure that their accounting practices are producing accurate information
Jobs to Consider
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Places to Seek Employment
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Accounting Firms Sole Practitioners Companies (all sizes and injuries) |
Universities & Colleges Government Agencies Not-for-profit Organizations |
Religious Organizations Hospitals
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View specific employers by state.
Employment Strategies
- Get experience through an internship or other relevant part-time or summer work.
- Conduct informational discussions with individuals from industry. The Alumni Directories in the BCSC provide a great place to start.
- Participate in a job shadowing experience through Jayhawks on the Job or a company visit through a Friday Field Trip. Both are programs coordinated through the BCSC.
- Attend the Accounting Reception held every fall and Business Career Fair events each September to talk with hiring organizations and industry representatives from Accounting.
- Join a student organization such as Beta Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Pi, Tax Club, VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Preparation), Alpha Kappa Psi, or ABWA (American Business Women’s Association). These and other organizations will facilitate career exploration.
- Engage in personal networking to enhance employment prospects.
- Develop skills including: customer focus, problem solving, self-direction, team orientation, analysis, communication skills, critical thinking, and high ethical standards.
Job and Internship Search Resources
- Accounting.com/ -- provides users with information on a variety of career options across areas such as forensic accounting, management accounting, public accounting, auditing and more
- American Academy of Certified Public Accountants
- Institute of Internal Auditors
- Account Temps – staffing firm focused on accounting
- Accounting Smart Pros – career Resources for accounting students
- PWC Career Advisor - free, interactive and customizable resource to help you discover your unique interests and professional goals as you prepare to enter the job market
The quick link for this page is career.ku.edu/accounting.
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