Accounting

Accounting is the universal language of business, spoken around the world by business and government leaders, investors, analysts, and others seeking to measure, understand, and apply the dynamics of financial success.

Do you see a story where others only see numbers? With a career in accounting, you can serve as a tax advisor for companies or individuals, develop a financial strategy for a firm and turn their vision into a reality, or serve families in your community, guiding them through the tax system.

Imagine yourself choosing from a variety of diverse career opportunities. That’s accounting. The Ivy program will prepare you to analyze, synthesize, and report data so you can pursue diverse careers in business. This could include auditing, consulting, public accounting, budget, forecasting, and more.

As an accountant, you will be solving real business problems. You can use your accounting education to provide accurate data for your company, data that will be used in daily decision-making. You can ensure the integrity of the financial data for your company and work in partnership with others in your company, using your accounting knowledge and skills to help drive your company’s success.

The field of accounting offers a range of interesting career choices.

Certified public accountants, or CPAs, often operate their own businesses and provide financial and tax-related services to organizations and individual clients. Another branch of accounting, auditing, focuses on identifying errors and discrepancies in financial records that indicate mismanagement. These occupations play an important role in the country’s overall economic health. For this reason, experts predict strong demand for jobs in accounting in the years to come.

When you choose accounting, you have the opportunity to volunteer (and earn credit!) by helping others prepare their taxes. Ivy students do this work each spring as part of the  Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.  

When you participate, you help the community by providing a valuable service to those who need assistance in preparing their tax returns. Plus, you gain real-world experience, which is a valuable addition to your resume.  

In this structured program, you become an IRS-certified volunteer and provide free basic income tax return preparation, including electronic filing. Before preparing tax returns, you will pass multiple exams developed by the IRS and log many hours of training. After passing the IRS exams, you are scheduled for approximately eight weeks of tax return preparation at two hours per week. All sessions are held at the Ivy College of Business in the Gerdin Business Building.