Bachelor of Science
Accounting B.S.
The benefits of Oakland University’s accounting degree add up quickly in your career ledger.
Eighty percent of Oakland University’s accounting majors have accounting jobs waiting for them when they graduate, and 95 percent have accounting jobs or graduate-school placements within a year. Those figures sum up the return on your investment in an Oakland University accounting degree. You’ll develop outstanding skills, real-world experience and the professional refinement to get your accounting career off to a fast start. And our accounting degree provides you with a holistic business perspective that equips you to provide strategic input and advance into leadership roles. That’s another reason so many of our graduates go directly into accounting jobs: Employers know you’ll be prepared to contribute on day one, and for years to come.
Eighty percent of Oakland University’s accounting majors have accounting jobs waiting for them when they graduate, and 95 percent have accounting jobs or graduate-school placements within a year. Those figures sum up the return on your investment in an Oakland University accounting degree. You’ll develop outstanding skills, real-world experience and the professional refinement to get your accounting career off to a fast start. And our accounting degree provides you with a holistic business perspective that equips you to provide strategic input and advance into leadership roles. That’s another reason so many of our graduates go directly into accounting jobs: Employers know you’ll be prepared to contribute on day one, and for years to come.
Accounting Degree: The Oakland University Advantage
Our accounting degree pairs advanced academic preparation with hands-on experience, empowering you to rise quickly in your accounting career. You’ll develop a comprehensive skill set that lays the foundation for future managerial and executive roles.
By choosing to earn your accounting degree at Oakland University, you’ll benefit from:
- Exceptional faculty. Our accounting major is led by expert faculty who’ve achieved renown in global business and academia. Our small classes ensure plenty of face-to-face interaction with instructors—and you’ll take nearly every course from experienced faculty, not adjuncts or graduate students.
- Real-world experience. We’re located in a prosperous, diverse economic region that affords an almost infinite variety of internship opportunities. More than half of our accounting majors supplement their classroom get part of their education with professional workplace experience—and those experiences routinely lead to full-time employment after graduation.
- Extensive professional connections. The “Big 4” accounting firms (Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers) list Oakland University as a “preferred” school for new hires. Executives from three of these firms sit on our advisory board, ensuring that our accounting degree aligns closely with employer needs. The top 14 accounting firms in Southeast Michigan have all hired at least one of our accounting degree alumni. And corporate recruiters for in-house accounting departments aggressively court our accounting majors.
- Academic excellence. Oakland University’s School of Business Administration holds elite dual accreditation in accounting and business from the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This is a rare distinction that’s shared by only 1 percent of business schools worldwide.
- An interdisciplinary business education. You’ll gain a holistic understanding of business that places accounting within a broader context. This perspective helps you work well on teams, contribute to strategic decision-making, and ultimately advance beyond the accounting department into organizational leadership.
What can you do with an accounting degree?
Accounting Careers
Our accounting majors stand out in the job market for more than their spreadsheet skills. At Oakland University you’ll also learn to exhibit professional qualities that impress potential employers. You’ll have dozens of opportunities to meet employers on campus. In addition, the accounting degree includes dedicated coursework focused on resume writing, interview techniques, business etiquette, job search skills, money management and many other aspects of career goal-setting and development.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects above-average growth for accounting jobs over the next decade. An accounting degree can put you on a long-term career trajectory that leads to upper management positions. You may start your accounting career in areas such as:
- Public accounting
- Auditing
- Financial analysis
- Management
- Budget analysis
- Tax analysis
- Portfolio management
- Governmental policy
Accounting Degree: What You’ll Study
The accounting major centers on required coursework in cost accounting, financial accounting, managerial accounting and information systems. You can personalize the accounting degree with electives such as:
- Federal taxation
- Auditing
- Government accounting
- Nonprofit accounting
- Business law
- Accounting information systems