I'm a senior, doing double major in Business - Finance and Accounting. I will be graduating in May 06 with Finance, but still have 3 classes I'd have to take to finish my Accounting degree.

Since I have no intention of going into accountancy, I'm wondering if I should drop the accounting major and just graduate in May 06...thereby completing my school or if I should finish up my business degree and then complete my accounting degree part time in the semester or two ahead.

I'm at a real trouble point here, because I've already invested time and energy in classes specific to my accounting major...but if I have no intention of going into accounting, I'm not sure how worthwhile it would be to continue in that direction. Can someone lend me some pointers, advice, or anything?

If it helps, I have employment lined up upon graduation but it is not in the field of finance and accounting. After a few years of work, would me having an accounting degree even matter?

Thanks

1/8/2006 8:06:53 PM

if you can do it while working finish it up - if you can't and the job is worth not waiting for - take it and don't worry about the degree - with only 3 classes to go you should be applicable for a minor i'd hope

1/8/2006 8:09:21 PM

having knowledge is what matters most. You have lots of knowledge in accounting that will benefit you in your work in the financial industry. You should have more than enough for a minor if you have all but three classes left between the two. I would suggest moving on. You can always return to take the final three if you think it would be beneficial to the type of work you get.

1/8/2006 8:31:43 PM

if you dont ever plan on having a career in accounting i would just minor. if youve already done acc 310 and 311, from what i hear the rest is pretty easy, so i dont think it would be hard to finish it up later.

and does anyone know how closely companies, if at all, look at the requirements needed to fulfill a double major? any accounting major w/ a financial analysis degree only needs bus 480 and fl 201 if they pick their electives right to also finish all the business requirements.

1/8/2006 11:23:31 PM

A second degree may or may not increase your starting salary ... it really depends on the company. As other have said, its really a matter of what is a priority to you and whether or not the time needed to finish the degree is worth it. If you can look 20 years ahead and ask yourself if you'll regret not completing the degree, that will help.

Quote :

"does anyone know how closely companies, if at all, look at the requirements needed to fulfill a double major? "

Specific requirements from a specific university probably not much. They might ask how much the courses overlap and/or what coursework you had for each major, but thats about it. I did have an interview or two which asked me to list out all of my coursework by degree.

1/9/2006 6:35:13 AM

Companies are usually looking for what you have had as a part of your education. A degree title does not always tell them what was in that degree or what you learned. A minor accounting is not as specific as letting them know you had Int. Financial, Tax.,auditing,etc.. Same is true of any of major or minor. You can put a sampling of your coursework on your resume and that is often an attention-getter.

1/9/2006 6:49:43 AM

Many of the banks just require you have 9-12 hours of accounting courses to qualify for their entry-level development programs.

Here are a couple of requirements for candidates into finance related positions from this fall....

1. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, strong initiative, leadership and sales ability, enthusiasm for a career in financial services and a general knowledge of the financial services industry. Bachelor's or Master's Degree: Business, Economics, Finance or Management majors preferred. Other majors considered with six credit hours of accounting that include three credit hours of financial accounting. GPA of 3.0+ preferred (overall and in business coursework). Most training is located in Winston-Salem, NC. Upon completion of the Management Development Program, you must be able to relocate to locations throughout NC, SC, GA, KY, TN, VA, WV, MD, AL, IN, FL and Washington, DC.

2. Finance Enterprise Program candidates should have an undergraduate degree in accounting, finance, economics or business with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Must be self-motivated with exceptional leadership, communication, analytical and technical skills.

[Edited on January 9, 2006 at 9:06 AM. Reason : grammar]

1/9/2006 9:05:57 AM