FAQs

1. What are the employment prospects for accounting graduates?
2. What success have the last two years classes had in securing employment?
3. What are the starting salaries for graduates of the 5-year program?
4. What high school classes are critical to my success in college?
5. Will I need a computer at Husson?
6. Will I be able to use a laptop computer in the classroom?
7. Will there be internship opportunities in the accounting program?
8. What is the average class size?
9. Will I have an academic advisor?
10. On average, how much homework is required?
11. Will I be able to get the classes I need to graduate?
12. What programs are offered in the Accounting Department?
13. May the Accounting Department be contacted by email?
14. Are there any co-curricular activities specifically for accounting majors?
15. As an accounting major, may I minor in any other programs?
16. What aptitudes are most important for success in the accounting program?
17. What kinds of jobs are available to accounting graduates?
18. What job might I have 10 years after I graduate?
19. Will the accounting degree limit or expand my employment future as compared to other business degrees?
    

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1. What are the employment prospects for accounting graduates?
A study that was released recently stated the demand for accounting majors would be at the top of the list for the next 10 years.

2. What success have the last two years classes had in securing employment?
100% of the students who have sought employment through our placement office have had an accounting job by graduation day.

3. What are the starting salaries for graduates of the 5-year program?
The Class of 2011 will have starting salaries in the $44,000 - $52,000 range, depending on location.

4. What high school classes are critical to my success in college?
Studies have shown that the most rigorous high school math and English courses provide the best preparation for college.

5. Will I need a computer at Husson?
It is not necessary for you to own one since there are many computers available in labs or open areas on campus.

6. Will I be able to use a laptop computer in the classroom?
In most circumstances, that would not be a problem. Many students have laptops but they are used in accounting classes on a sporadic basis.

7. Will there be internship opportunities in the accounting program?
All Husson degrees now require experiential learning in order to graduate. Most accounting majors spend a semester or a summer working in an accounting job. These positions are all paid positions and may be in public or management accounting.

8. What is the average class size?
In accounting classes, the class size ranges from 10-40 with the larger classes in Principles of Accounting. Most accounting classes, after the first year, have 20 or fewer students.

9. Will I have an academic advisor?
All accounting majors will have an accounting professor as their academic advisor each semester they are enrolled at Husson. All majors will meet with their advisor a minimum of once per semester and, with office hours for the department, it is frequently much more often than that.

10. On average, how much homework is required?
In accounting classes, it will require 1 to 2 hours per night.

11. Will I be able to get the classes I need to graduate?
It is extremely rare for a student to have difficulty getting into the courses required in their program.

12. What programs are offered in the Accounting Department?
There is a 2-year program that leads to an Associates Degree in Accounting. Graduates with this degree will usually work in a family business or in a bookkeeping position in a business.

There is a 4-year program resulting in the awarding of a Bachelor's degree. The graduates usually go into a management accounting position in a business.

The majority of our students are enrolled in our 5-year program which leads to a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration. Since candidates for the exam for Certified Public Accountants must have 150 credit hours, this program has the most students. Many students intending to work in management accounting positions have also graduated from this program since it gives them a competitive advantage in the job market.

13. May the Accounting Department be contacted by email?
Dewey Martin, Department Chair, has the following email address: martinde@husson.edu and you may contact him for additional information.

14. Are there any co-curricular activities specifically for accounting majors?
The Accounting Society holds regular meetings and sponsors special programs to assist majors in understanding the profession they are planning to join.

15. As an accounting major, may I minor in any other programs?
There are minors in Psychology, English, History, Math and Information Systems available. In addition, accounting is available as a minor in many of the other programs offered at Husson.

16. What aptitudes are most important for success in the accounting program?
The most important skill is the use of analytical thinking to solve problems. Following close behind are mathematical, English and interpersonal skills.

17. What kinds of jobs are available to accounting graduates?
Employment falls into two categories. A graduate who chooses to work in public accounting will strive to become a Certified Public Accountant. The position will be in auditing (attesting to the reasonableness of corporate financial statements), tax research, planning and compliance or consulting.

In management accounting, the available positions include: Cost accounting (how much does it cost to make a product or render a service), financial accounting (maintaining the financial records), budgeting and tax. Professional certification is also available in these positions.

18. What job might I have 10 years after I graduate?
If the CPA designation has been earned, the graduate might be an owner of a public accounting firm or might be in management of virtually any kind of profit or non-profit entity. The training and experience that a CPA receives means that they are employable for the rest of their lives anywhere in the world.

The graduate who chooses management accounting could be in upper management of a large business or might be running his/her own business. The goal is to become the chief financial officer (CFO) and then the chief executive officer (CEO) of a business enterprise.

19. Will the accounting degree limit or expand my employment future as compared to other business degrees?
The accounting program at Husson prepares the student for nearly any job in business. The ability to create, analyze and use financial information is critical to nearly every position in a business enterprise. Husson accounting graduates are now employed in banking, investments, insurance, retail business, service businesses, non-profit entities as well as public accounting. In many cases, this graduate is the owner, CFO or CEO of the entity.