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General Accounting

Types of Degrees General Accounting Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Accounting have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	791
Associate’s Degree	3,917
Bachelor’s Degree	39,207
Master’s Degree	14,951
Doctor’s Degree	43

What General Accounting Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Accounting emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Accounting graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Accounting emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Economics and Accounting — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a General Accounting program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Accounting careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Accounting graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Accounting professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Fund accounting software	Accounting software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Visual Basic	Development environment software	—
Yardi software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Accounting graduates include:

• Tax Professional
• Tax Associate
• Tax Specialist
• Credit Risk Analyst
• Cost Accountant
• Review Appraiser
• Valuation Specialist
• Appraiser Analyst
• Machinery Appraiser
• Valuation Consultant
• Physical Appraiser
• Jewelry Appraiser
• Art Appraiser
• Gemologist
• Estate Appraiser

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Accounting graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	50.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	10.3%
Some college courses	8.5%
Master’s degree	6.9%
Doctoral degree	4.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.0%
First professional degree	2.6%
Postsecondary certificate	1.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Accounting?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.4% women and 46.6% men among General Accounting graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	31,508	53.4%
Men	27,448	46.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Accounting graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	33,732	57.2%
Asian	4,988	8.5%
Hispanic or Latino	9,480	16.1%
Black or African American	4,226	7.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	281	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	127	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,788	3.0%
Race Unknown	2,051	3.5%
International Students	2,283	3.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Accounting Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Accounting graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$57,191
4 years	$61,213
5 years	$69,643

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,643 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Accounting Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for General Accounting. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	117	60
Bachelor’s	138	142
Master’s	134	86
Doctoral (Research)	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Accounting Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Accounting graduates earn a median of $61,213 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Accounting and Related Services	52.03
Accounting and Business/Management	52.0305
Accounting and Finance	52.0304
Accounting and Related Services, Other	52.0399
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping	52.0302
Auditing	52.0303
Finance, General	52.0801
Taxation	52.1601
Financial Risk Management	52.0810
Public Finance	52.0808
Actuarial Science	52.1304
Business/Commerce, General	52.0101

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.