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Career Opportunities in Accounting
The accounting profession offers a wide variety of employment opportunities. Because of this great diversity, accounting graduates are able to select interesting, challenging and socially satisfying careers. An accountant can work as a generalist or can specialize in one of the many fields encompassed by accounting. Students majoring or co majoring in Accounting have several professional careers options. The General Accounting program prepares students for a variety of careers in investment banking, securities markets, corporate financial management, tax management, personal financial planning. Students are encouraged, depending on their professional career focus, to co major in one of these related disciples. Counseling is provided by the department, and by the Office of Undergraduate Advising, to assist students in selecting suitable co majors. The Certified Public Accounting (CPA) program is designed for students wishing to pursue careers in professional accounting. The program currently fulfils all the requirements needed for a student to sit for the CPA exam and be licensed as a CPA in New York State (beginning 2008, New York State will institute a 150 hour program that will require students to have an additional 22 credits before they can qualify to sit for the CPA exam.)
The accountant can work for companies that range in size from a sole practitioner to small partnerships to international firms. Opportunities for employment exist within both the private and public sectors. An accountant can work for many clients or for only one firm. Accounting careers include jobs involving extensive interpersonal contact and those involving very little. Some jobs require extensive amounts of overtime, and others require none.
The following Big 4 firms hire NYU Stern students with Accounting majors:
Careers in Accounting
Professional Certification in Accounting
Career Opportunities in Finance and Related Fields
For students anticipating careers in Financial Markets, Investment Banking, Corporate Finance and related areas, a Finance-Accounting co major offers the most effective preparation. Finance deals mainly with assessing financial viability of businesses, valuation and management of financial resources. All these functions rely on financial statements and other financial information about businesses. This information is gathered, analyzed and prepared by accountants. Success as Finance professionals thus requires the ability to read and analyze financial information, particularly financial statements. Extensive feedback from independently conducted focus group surveys (ref to full report), conversations with recently graduated Stern undergraduates suggest that a key element for success in finance is a strong accounting background. Evidence from focus group surveys show that recruiters from major financial institutions who recruit Finance majors at Stern consider Accounting electives such as financial statement analysis essential. This explains why over 90% of Stern MBA Finance majors take Accounting electives. For those Finance majors hoping career in securities brokerage field, a Finance-Accounting co major will help prepare you for the CFA (Certified Financial Analyst) examinations.
Click here for a list of some of the firms that hire NYU Stern students with an Accounting - Finance Co major.
Professional Certification in Finance