The Benefits of Pursuing an Accounting Degree:

Accounting is the universal language of business.  Our graduates find job opportunities abundant with over 1.5 million jobs available across the United States (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024).  An accounting graduate may work for any type of organization, including businesses, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations. The field represents approximately 16% of all available professional jobs.  Accounting graduates may opt to work in public accounting where they prepare or audit the financial statements or sustainability reports of businesses, do tax work for companies or individuals, or offer financial consulting services.  In addition to robust job opportunities, strong job growth is projected in the field.  In fact, the number of accounting jobs is expected to grow faster than average at a rate of 4% between the period 2022-2032. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024)

Example Salaries:

The median annual wage for accountants and auditors was $79,880 or $38.41 per hour in 2023 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024) and pay is expected to climb throughout the coming decade.  With that  said, compensation can vary significantly based on such factors as: geographic location, educational specializations, work experience, and the obtainment of a professional certification like the CPA or CMA.  Students earning a professional accounting certification can expect to earn one million dollars more than their non-certified counterparts over the course of their career (AIS-CPA, 2023).

Cal Poly Humboldt offers students a pathway for gaining eligibility to sit for the CPA and CMA exams.  Accounting students earning their bachelor's degree will be automatically eligible to earn the CMA designation.  Additionally, students will have completed the accounting educational requirements to sit for the CPA exam in the State of California.  In order to earn their CPA certification, most students will need to pursue their MBA or Master's degree in Accounting or Taxation or Information Systems to fulfill the 150 semester-unit requirement.

Paid Internships

Students making good progress in the accounting program will be eligible to apply for paid internships in tax, accounting, or auditing while studying at Cal Poly Humboldt.

IMA Program Endorsement:

Humboldt is one of only 30+ accounting programs nationally endorsed by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).  IMA’s Higher Education Endorsement Program recognizes business curricula that meet the quality educational standards required to enable students to prepare for the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) designation.