Accounting Major

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About the Major

Accounting can be found in all businesses — corporations, government agencies, nonprofits and small startups — and is often the best gateway for understanding an organization’s operations. Elon’s accounting major integrates cutting-edge data analytics tools as students learn business processes, risk assessment, tax-saving strategies, fraud examination techniques and more.

Jobs in Accounting

• Certified public accountant
• Chief accounting officer
• Chief financial officer
• Director of risk management
• Internal auditor

Past Elon Accounting Internships

• PwC
• EY
• Deloitte
• KPMG
• Goldman Sachs

Related Majors

• Business Analytics
• Economics
• Economic Consulting
• Finance
• Financial Technology
• International Business
• Marketing

With Elon’s accounting major, grad had leg up in the job market

When Alison Upton graduated from Elon in 2006, she was already ahead of her peers who pursued accounting degrees from other universities.

To begin with, she had a head start on jobs in public accounting. While other students still needed to go through a year of a master’s program to be eligible to take the CPA exam, Upton and her classmates had the advantage of Elon’s 150-hour undergrad program, which gave them enough hours to take the exam upon graduation.

“I’m coming out of undergrad essentially a year ahead of most everyone outside of Elon because I didn’t have to go through a master’s program,” Upton said. At that time, Elon did not have its accelerated dual-degree program, which now allows students to graduate in four years with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree.

I was given, very early into my career in the business school, tremendous insight, my first real exposure to what that life looked like outside of Elon, truly immersing myself in that business setting.

And while it’s difficult for most accounting majors to get a formal internship any earlier than the summer before their senior year, Elon provided Upton with the opportunity to do a co-op with IBM’s accounting department before her junior year.

“I was given, very early into my career in the business school, tremendous insight, my first real exposure to what that life looked like outside of Elon, truly immersing myself in that business setting,” said Upton, who received college credit for the work. “So that was great experience to then come in and be very marketable when I was interviewing for those competitive accounting internships the following year.”

Today, Upton is a managing director in KPMG’s Audit practice in Winston-Salem and chair of Elon’s Accounting Advisory Board, as well as a board member for the Love School of Business. She’s been at KPMG since graduating from Elon — and even before then if you count her internship in 2005. After that internship, she was offered a full-time position and walked onto campus for her senior year already knowing what awaited her after graduation.

“If you can get your foot in the door early, a lot of times you will have that full-time position secured before your senior year,” she said of accounting majors.

Elon gave Upton endless opportunities into the accounting profession. Through its chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), a business fraternity for accounting students, she was introduced to a diverse group of alumni and those from local corporations who talked about everything from their experiences in the accounting profession to technical matters — “just to give students different perspectives on what other professionals’ careers have looked like and the things students should be considering as they set their career goals,” Upton said.

It was at one of those presentations at BAP where she met her future employer.

Upton is now among the visitors who make the rounds at Elon, speaking at BAP meetings and recruiting at the business school’s career fairs and meet-the-firms events.

She sings the praises of Elon’s Student Professional Development Center, which helps students connect with prospective employers and guides them with mock interviews and resume assistance. To those students who worry about their competition entering the workforce, she tells them not to underestimate the well-rounded education and experiences they receive at Elon.

“The opportunities at Elon extend so much beyond the classroom,” she said. “It’s not just the core curriculum but the ability to study abroad and the ability to be active in volunteering on and off campus. Elon accounting students interview and stand out really well even though they might be a little younger than their competition.”

She encourages students to embrace the opportunities Elon provides early on to learn about different business school majors — from the Gateway to Business course to simply grabbing coffee with board members, alumni, and local business professionals to explore specific fields and network — so they can get started on a career path right away, as recruiting begins as early as the fall semester of sophomore year in some of the majors.

She also encourages them to think specifically, rather than broadly, when choosing a major.

“Think about the major that sets you up for the most success and opportunities outside of Elon,” she said. “With an accounting major, because it’s more specified than a general business administration major, for example, job opportunities are plentiful whether you choose the public accounting route or the corporate accounting/finance route.”

Elon’s Department of Accounting continues to make it easy for students to find success after graduation. Its accelerated 3+1 dual-degree program gives students the chance to earn a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in accounting in just four years. And for those who don’t hop on the accounting major in enough time to pursue the dual degree — or for those who may not want to make a commitment toward the CPA path — the department exposes its students to the option of corporate accounting.

Whatever their path, Upton encourages students to make use of Elon’s biggest asset — its professors. They were essential to her when she was an undergrad and still are.

“Wanting to see you be successful was definitely the vibe that all of the faculty exhibited in the business school, and that continues to this day,” she said. They are “constantly being proactive and thinking about the best interests of the students and how they can set the students up for success in the current marketplace.”

Curriculum & Degree Requirements

• Accounting B.S. (opens a new window)