Accounting major
Accounting: courses, careers, and where to study
Accounting prepares graduates for the CPA exam and careers in public accounting, corporate finance, audit, tax, and forensic accounting, a major with high job placement.
Accounting is one of the most career-direct business majors. The standard 4-year BS in Accounting covers financial accounting, managerial accounting, intermediate and advanced accounting, audit, taxation, and accounting information systems. To sit for the CPA exam, most states now require 150 credit hours, students typically complete the BS plus an MS in Accounting (or MBA) for that fifth-year requirement. Average starting salaries at Big Four firms are competitive, and the profession has predictable career advancement (Senior → Manager → Senior Manager → Partner).
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Accounting maps to CIP 52.0301, Accounting, within the BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to practice the profession of accounting and to perform related business functions. Includes instruction in accounting principles and theory, financial accounting, managerial accounting, cost accounting, budget control, tax accounting, legal aspects of accounting, auditing, reporting procedures, statement analysis, planning and consulting, business information systems, accounting research methods, professional standards and ethics, and applications to specific for-profit, public, and non-profit organizations.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Accounting is awarded as
Of the 57,584 Accounting credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate5%2,796
- Associate6%3,555
- Bachelor's67%38,447
- Graduate22%12,786
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 51 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 11 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Financial accounting (GAAP, IFRS basics)
- Managerial / cost accounting
- Intermediate and advanced accounting
- Audit principles and procedures
- Federal and state taxation
- Accounting information systems and ERP
- Forensic accounting and fraud examination
- Business law and ethics
Typical careers
- CPA / Public Accountant
- Auditor
- Tax Accountant
- Corporate Accountant
- Forensic Accountant
- Controller
Typical salary range: $56,000–$78,000 early-career (BLS accountant median $79,880)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Accounting, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accountants and Auditors | $81,680 | 124,200 | +4.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Tax Preparers | $50,560 | 10,400 | +4.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $97,270 | 8,100 | +5.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Financial Examiners | $90,400 | 5,700 | +18.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Financial Risk Specialists | $106,000 | 4,800 | +6.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents | $59,740 | 4,300 | -1.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Credit Analysts | $80,970 | 3,700 | -4.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Budget Analysts | $87,930 | 3,100 | +1% | Bachelor's degree |
| Appraisers of Personal and Business Property | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 8 of these 9 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Accounting does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Accounting major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Accounting program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Accounting department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Accounting program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Accounting credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Western Governors UniversityUT · 1,706
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityNH · 1,642
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNY · 737
- Liberty UniversityVA · 448
- University of Phoenix-ArizonaAZ · 406
- Purdue University GlobalIN · 385
- Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusPA · 358
- Texas A & M University-College StationTX · 353
- Dallas CollegeTX · 351
- Florida Atlantic UniversityFL · 349
- Baylor UniversityTX · 346
- The University of AlabamaAL · 338
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Accounting credentials were awarded
17 states have a distinct enough set of Accounting colleges to be worth its own page.
Related majors
Business Administration
Business Administration is the most popular U.S. major, a broad foundation in accounting, finance, marketing, management, and economics that prepares graduates for nearly any industry.
Finance
Finance majors learn how money moves, corporate finance, investments, financial markets, and risk management, preparing for roles in banking, investments, and corporate analysis.
Economics
Economics studies how individuals, firms, and governments allocate resources, combining theory with empirical analysis and a strong mathematical foundation.
Still deciding between Accounting and something else?
These guides put Accountingside by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Accounting degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Business & Finance careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Accounting degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Accounting path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.