Lakeland College

About Accounting

If business were a country, then accounting would be its language. Accounting is the way in which businesses communicate, keep score, and share the most valuable commodity of all — information. For this reason, accountancy has become one of the most popular professional majors at colleges and universities.

The accounting major does not simply teach one to balance books; it trains students to be economic problem-solvers and analysts, professionals who are able to identify, measure, and make judgments about all types of economic information. These accounting skills lead to rewarding positions in financial and tax planning, business consulting, bookkeeping, auditing, and many other fields in the global marketplace. In addition, with a few additional courses, the Lakeland accounting major qualifies its students to sit for the CPA and CMA examinations.

Students who major in Accounting will be able to:

• understand and use the central principles, theories, and rules of accounting as both a field of study and a practical skill;
• appreciate and abide by the ethical and legal rules that govern business relations and specifically govern the accounting profession;
• comprehend the ways in which economic institutions and behavior at various levels - personal, business, and social - influence the practice of accountancy;
• communicate business and economic information to stakeholders in a clear and professional manner; and
• sit for and pass their chosen professional certifying examinations (CPA, CMA, etc.).

The Lakeland College accounting major is distinctive in that it offers Cognate Emphasis tracts in Tax, Forensics, and Controllership which enables its graduates to find immediate employment in these fields upon graduation.

Useful Links

For some useful sources of information on careers for Accounting graduates see:

www.nacpa.com - National Association of CPAs site
www.startheregoplaces.com - AICPA site for careers as a CPA
www.monster.com - General job site, look under 'Accountants'
www.taxsites.com - A professional site, including job info.
www.nasba.org - CPA exam information
www.aicpa.org - American Institute of CPAs

Accounting Faculty

To learn more about Lakeland's Accounting faculty, follow the link associated with their name.