Accounting: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Accounting is a rigorous academic discipline focused on the systematic recording, analysis, and reporting of financial transactions to support informed decision-making across organizations. This program equips learners with the technical expertise and ethical foundation necessary to excel in professional accounting roles and related business environments.
- Accounting Principles and Theory: Explores the foundational concepts and frameworks that govern financial reporting and decision support in business.
- Financial Accounting: Focuses on the preparation and interpretation of financial statements for external stakeholders, including investors and regulators.
- Managerial Accounting: Emphasizes cost analysis, performance evaluation, and strategic planning to guide internal management decisions.
- Cost Accounting: Involves tracking, analyzing, and allocating production and operational costs to improve efficiency and profitability.
- Budget Control: Teaches methods for planning, monitoring, and adjusting financial resources to align with organizational goals.
- Tax Accounting: Covers the preparation and compliance of tax returns, with attention to federal, state, and local regulations.
- Legal Aspects of Accounting: Examines laws and regulations that impact financial reporting, disclosure, and professional conduct.
- Auditing: Develops skills in verifying the accuracy and integrity of financial records through systematic examination and evaluation.
- Reporting Procedures: Trains students in standardized formats and protocols for generating reliable financial disclosures.
- Statement Analysis: Focuses on interpreting financial statements to assess organizational performance, liquidity, and long-term sustainability.
- Planning and Consulting: Builds competencies in advising organizations on financial strategy, risk management, and operational improvements.
- Business Information Systems: Integrates accounting data with digital tools and software to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and real-time reporting.
- Accounting Research Methods: Introduces systematic approaches to investigating accounting issues and developing evidence-based solutions.
- Professional Standards and Ethics: Reinforces integrity, objectivity, and accountability in financial practice through adherence to established codes of conduct.
- Applications Across Sectors: Applies accounting principles to real-world contexts in for-profit enterprises, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
Accounting Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Accounting Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Accounting degrees, including Financial Risk Specialists, Business Teachers, Postsecondary and Financial Examiners. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 1,890,860 professionals.
National Average Salaries
Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Financial Risk Specialists 13-2054 | $106,000 | $62,270 - $182,310 | 56,320 | $50.96 |
Business Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1011 | $97,270 | $46,460 - $210,530 | 81,780 | N/A |
Financial Examiners 13-2061 | $90,400 | $53,420 - $171,540 | 62,830 | $43.46 |
Budget Analysts 13-2031 | $87,930 | $60,510 - $134,640 | 47,170 | $42.27 |
Accountants and Auditors 13-2011 | $81,680 | $52,780 - $141,420 | 1,448,290 | $39.27 |
Credit Analysts 13-2041 | $80,970 | $52,930 - $168,840 | 67,370 | $38.93 |
Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents 13-2081 | $59,740 | $40,020 - $110,300 | 53,530 | $28.72 |
Tax Preparers 13-2082 | $50,560 | $30,500 - $96,240 | 73,570 | $24.31 |
Accounting Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $62,303 in Arkansas to $124,787 in District of Columbia—a 100% difference. The highest-paying states include District of Columbia, New York, and California. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 1,890,860 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Accounting by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 99 institutions offering Accounting programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Accounting is found at Western Governors University (WGU) (1,706 graduates), Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) (1,642 graduates), CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (737 graduates), Liberty University (448 graduates), and University of Phoenix (UOPX), Arizona (406 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 26,025 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western Governors University (WGU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
1,706 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Private | wgu.edu |
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) |
Associate's
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Other Award
|
1,642 | Manchester, New Hampshire | Private | snhu.edu |
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
737 | New York, New York | Public | baruch.cuny.edu |
Liberty University |
Associate's
Bachelor's
Master's
Other Award
|
448 | Lynchburg, Virginia | Private | liberty.edu |
University of Phoenix (UOPX) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
406 | Phoenix, Arizona | Private | phoenix.edu |
Purdue University Global |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
385 | West Lafayette, Indiana | Public | purdueglobal.edu |
Pennsylvania State University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
358 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | psu.edu |
Texas A & M University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
353 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
Dallas College |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
351 | Dallas, Texas | Public | dallascollege.edu |
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
349 | Boca Raton, Florida | Public | fau.edu |
Baylor University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
346 | Waco, Texas | Private | baylor.edu |
The University of Alabama (UA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
338 | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Public | ua.edu |
Colorado Technical University (CTU) |
Associate's
Bachelor's
|
336 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Private | coloradotech.edu |
The University of Texas |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
333 | Richardson, Texas | Public | utdallas.edu |
The University of Texas |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
328 | Austin, Texas | Public | utexas.edu |
Ohio State University |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
324 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | osu.edu |
Grand Canyon University (GCU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
320 | Phoenix, Arizona | Private | gcu.edu |
Utah Valley University (UVU) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Bachelor's
Master's
|
308 | Orem, Utah | Public | uvu.edu |
University of Houston (UHD) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
306 | Houston, Texas | Public | uhd.edu |
University of Houston (UH) |
Bachelor's
|
296 | Houston, Texas | Public | uh.edu |
University of Georgia (UGA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
293 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
University of North Texas (UNT) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
290 | Denton, Texas | Public | unt.edu |
University of Massachusetts |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
286 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
University of Oklahoma (OU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
286 | Norman, Oklahoma | Public | ou.edu |
Texas Tech University (TTU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Other Award
|
281 | Lubbock, Texas | Public | ttu.edu |
California State University (CSUN) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
277 | Northridge, California | Public | csun.edu |
University of South Florida (USF) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
275 | Tampa, Florida | Public | usf.edu |
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
275 | University, Mississippi | Public | olemiss.edu |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
272 | Champaign, Illinois | Public | illinois.edu |
CUNY Queens College |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
254 | Queens, New York | Public | qc.cuny.edu |
University of Central Florida (UCF) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
253 | Orlando, Florida | Public | ucf.edu |
University of Nevada (UNLV) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
253 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Public | unlv.edu |
Florida International University (FIU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
251 | Miami, Florida | Public | fiu.edu |
Clemson University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
250 | Clemson, South Carolina | Public | clemson.edu |
Auburn University (AU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
247 | Auburn, Alabama | Public | auburn.edu |
University of Florida (UF) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
242 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
DePaul University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
239 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | depaul.edu |
Colorado State University Global (CSU Global) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
234 | Aurora, Colorado | Public | csuglobal.edu |
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
233 | Chicago, Illinois | Public | uic.edu |
University of Arkansas (U of A) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
229 | Fayetteville, Arkansas | Public | uark.edu |
University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Bachelor's
Master's
Other Award
|
224 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
Rutgers University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
223 | Newark, New Jersey | Public | newark.rutgers.edu |
Kennesaw State University (KSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
217 | Kennesaw, Georgia | Public | kennesaw.edu |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU) |
Bachelor's
|
216 | Tempe, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
University of Kansas (KU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
216 | Lawrence, Kansas | Public | ku.edu |
The University of Tennessee |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
216 | Knoxville, Tennessee | Public | utk.edu |
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
211 | Edinburg, Texas | Public | utrgv.edu |
Oklahoma State University (OSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
209 | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Public | okstate.edu |
University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) |
Bachelor's
|
208 | Adelphi, Maryland | Public | umgc.edu |
University of Utah (U of U) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
208 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Public | utah.edu |
University of Kentucky (UK) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
207 | Lexington, Kentucky | Public | uky.edu |
Washington State University (WSU) |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
205 | Pullman, Washington | Public | wsu.edu |
Lone Star College System (LSC) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
201 | The Woodlands, Texas | Public | lonestar.edu |
Western Michigan University (WMU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
200 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Public | wmich.edu |
Southern Utah University (SUU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
198 | Cedar City, Utah | Public | suu.edu |
University of Connecticut (UConn) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
197 | Storrs, Connecticut | Public | uconn.edu |
The University of Texas (UTSA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
196 | San Antonio, Texas | Public | utsa.edu |
Georgia State University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
195 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gsu.edu |
Grand Valley State University (GVSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
191 | Allendale, Michigan | Public | gvsu.edu |
University of Iowa |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
189 | Iowa City, Iowa | Public | uiowa.edu |
The University of Texas (UTEP) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
189 | El Paso, Texas | Public | utep.edu |
Texas State University (TXST) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
187 | San Marcos, Texas | Public | txst.edu |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
186 | Blacksburg, Virginia | Public | vt.edu |
University of Arizona |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
185 | Tucson, Arizona | Public | arizona.edu |
Binghamton University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
184 | Vestal, New York | Public | binghamton.edu |
CUNY Lehman College |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
181 | Bronx, New York | Public | lehman.edu |
University of South Carolina (USC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
181 | Columbia, South Carolina | Public | sc.edu |
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
179 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Public | mtsu.edu |
CUNY Brooklyn College |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
177 | Brooklyn, New York | Public | brooklyn.cuny.edu |
Franklin University |
Associate's
Bachelor's
Master's
|
177 | Columbus, Ohio | Private | franklin.edu |
Brigham Young University (BYU–I) |
Other Award
|
176 | Rexburg, Idaho | Private | byui.edu |
Iowa State University (ISU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
173 | Ames, Iowa | Public | iastate.edu |
Texas A & M University (TAMU‑CC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
173 | Corpus Christi, Texas | Public | tamucc.edu |
University at Buffalo (UB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
172 | Buffalo, New York | Public | buffalo.edu |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
172 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Public | charlotte.edu |
Georgia Southern University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Other Award
|
171 | Statesboro, Georgia | Public | georgiasouthern.edu |
University of Alabama (UAB) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Bachelor's
Master's
|
166 | Birmingham, Alabama | Public | uab.edu |
Illinois State University (ISU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
166 | Normal, Illinois | Public | illinoisstate.edu |
Purdue University (PU) |
Bachelor's
|
166 | West Lafayette, Indiana | Public | purdue.edu |
Ashford University (UAGC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
165 | San Diego, California | Private | uagc.edu |
Fairfield University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
161 | Fairfield, Connecticut | Private | fairfield.edu |
Michigan State University (MSU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Doctorate (Research)
|
161 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
Eastern Washington University (EWU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
161 | Cheney, Washington | Public | ewu.edu |
University of Cincinnati (UC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
159 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Public | uc.edu |
Texas Christian University (TCU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
159 | Fort Worth, Texas | Private | tcu.edu |
University of Pittsburgh |
Bachelor's
Master's
Post-Master's
Other Award
|
158 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Public | pitt.edu |
Boise State University (BBU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
157 | Boise, Idaho | Public | boisestate.edu |
New York University (NYU) |
Master's
|
156 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
The University of Texas |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
156 | Arlington, Texas | Public | uta.edu |
Portland State University (PSU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
155 | Portland, Oregon | Public | pdx.edu |
Mississippi State University (MSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
154 | Mississippi State, Mississippi | Public | msstate.edu |
Montclair State University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
154 | Montclair, New Jersey | Public | montclair.edu |
University at Albany (UAlbany) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
154 | Albany, New York | Public | albany.edu |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (LSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
153 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Public | lsu.edu |
Miami University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
151 | Oxford, Ohio | Public | miamioh.edu |
DeVry University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Other Award
|
151 | Lisle, Illinois | Private | devry.edu |
Florida State University (FSU) |
Bachelor's
|
148 | Tallahassee, Florida | Public | fsu.edu |
Wayne State University (WSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
147 | Detroit, Michigan | Public | wayne.edu |
Austin Community College District (ACC) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
147 | Austin, Texas | Public | austincc.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Accounting programs
How much can I earn with a Accounting degree?
Salaries for Accounting graduates vary by role and location. Financial Risk Specialists earn a median of $106,000 annually, while Business Teachers, Postsecondary earn around $97,270. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in District of Columbia average $124,787 compared to $62,303 in Arkansas. Approximately 1,890,860 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Accounting programs?
Currently 1,356 accredited institutions offer Accounting degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include Western Governors University (WGU) (1,706 graduates), Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) (1,642 graduates), and CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (737 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Accounting growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have decreased over the past decade, rising from 76,815 in 2010 to a peak of 75,614 in 2020, before declining slightly to 58,956 in 2023-24. This represents a 23% decrease overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with consistent demand, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Accounting degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Financial Risk Specialists, Business Teachers, Postsecondary, and Financial Examiners. Related occupations employ approximately 1,890,860 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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