University of St. Thomas

When asked what one phrase best describes the accounting major at St. Thomas, a faculty member replied, “analytic.”

A real student asks:

 

My dad has a degree in marketing and always calls accountants "bean counters.” What does that mean? And is it true?

The first accountants were responsible for the king’s or lord’s possessions-they literally counted the beans and other things that their king owned.  Today, accountants are the CSI of the business world! They are a member of the management team of the organization, responsible for keeping track of and reporting all of the assets and financial information for the company.

What jobs are possible with an Accounting major?

What are recent graduates doing now?

In addition to being employed in all areas of for-profit and nonprofit businesses, graduates from the last few years are now working for organizations as diverse as Orchestra Hall, the Guthrie Theater, the Minnesota Vikings, the Minnesota Twins, the Mall of America, the United Nations, the FBI, the IRS, the Mayo Clinic, the Chicago Art Institute, the San Diego Zoo and Sun Country Airlines. One graduate is a film accountant who frequently travels internationally to join the film crew wherever they are filming!

What opportunities are there to bolster my resume while I'm in the program?

Internships. Students work with the Career Development Center to identify opportunities that are posted or for assistance with approaching a company for an internship. Many companies come to campus to interview students, or they invite students to apply and interview at their organization.

Accounting majors complete internships in the area of accounting they are planning to pursue.  They intern with public accounting firms, large or small corporations, nonprofit organizations, the State of Minnesota and the IRS. Many of these internships lead to full-time job offers after graduation.

Study abroad. Many accounting students take advantage of the London Business Semester, a program for business majors in their junior year. Each fall, two business faculty members take 50 business majors to London. In this program, students take two required business courses and have the option of choosing two additional courses which meet UST core requirements.

Other accounting students take advantage of over 150 international program affiliations offered by St. Thomas in over 40 countries.  Current popular destinations, in addition to England, are Italy, Spain and Australia.

Faculty at work

Accounting faculty are engaged in a variety of applied research, resulting in practical, useful information for the businesses in the community. They also collaborate with accounting professionals through local and national professional associations.