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The tables below present the occupations that are most commonly associated with a degree in Accounting. We have separated the tables depending on whether we examine graduates who stop their education with the bachelors degree in Accounting, and those who get either a masters in Accounting, a Ph.D. in Accounting.
While the list above describes the occupations of students with advanced degrees in Accounting some students with a bachelors degree in Accounting will get advanced degrees in other fields. The tables listed below descibe the types of advanced degrees that were chosen by students with a bachelors in Accounting.
Since all of the above tables present information on the average salary, it is possible to lose sight of the fact that some majors place students in jobs with a narrow range of salaries near to the mean while others place students in many different income categories. For this reason, we have drawn two frequency distributions (histograms) of Accounting Salaries.
The diagram below includes all
students with a major in Accounting who received no degree beyond the bachelors.
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The diagram below includes all
students with a major in Accounting while an undergraduate. The data includes students who
subsequently earned degrees beyond the bachelors. 
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The information in the table below is based on data from people of all sexes and ages
whose most recent college degree was a bachelors degree majoring in Accounting.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $47,554 1762 52.58 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists $65,208 591 17.64 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers) $46,885 131 3.91 OTHER management related occupations $26,486 123 3.67 Accounting clerks, bookkeepers $49,126 82 2.45 Computer system analysts $53,283 82 2.45 Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services $31,058 74 2.21 OTHER administrative (e.g., record clerks, telephone operators) $43,931 53 1.58 OTHER OCCUPATIONS (Not Listed) $42,598 52 1.55 Computer programmers (business, scientific, process control) $44,540 36 1.07 OTHER marketing and sales occupations $47,609 34 1.01 OTHER computer, information science Occupations $44,501 29 .87 Sales Occupations - Commodities Except Retail (e.g., industrial machinery/equipment/supplies, medical and dental equiptment/supplies) $36,670 27 .81 Sales Occupations - Retail (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics) $50,663 24 .72 Information systems scientists or analysts $35,307 19 .57 Construction trades, miners and well drillers $36,965 18 .54 OTHER service occupations, except health $63,572 17 .51 Transportation/material moving occupations $42,232 16 .48 Protective services (e.g., fire fighters, police, guards) $23,206 16 .48 Operators and related occupations (e.g., machine set-up, machine operators and tenders, fabricators, assemblers) $48,641 15 .45 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists $25,458 12 .36 Secretaries, receptionists, typists $24,722 8 .24 Precision/production occupations (e.g., workers, woodworkers, butchers, bakers, printing occupations, tailors, shoemakers, photographic process) $33,034 7 .21 Mechanics and repairers $25,635 7 .21 Social Workers $26,024 7 .21 Food Preparation and Service (e.g., cooks, waitresses, bartenders) $55,086 7 .21 Farmers, Foresters and Fishermen $29,032 6 .18 Teachers: Elementary $40,650 6 .18 Engineers: Electrical, electronic $69,000 5 .15 Artists, Broadcasters, Editors, Entertainers, Public Relations Specialists, Writers $36,754 5 .15 Teachers: Secondary - computer, math or sciences $45,520 5 .15 Computer engineer - software $40,360 4 .12 Engineers: Electrical, electronic, industrial, mechanical $27,056 4 .12 Health Technologists and Technicians (e.g., dental hygienists, health record technologists/technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical or laboratory technicians, radiologic technologists/technicians) $46,500 4 .12 Other engineers $34,000 4 .12 Teachers: Secondary - other subjects $27,458 4 .12 OTHER health occupations $44,333 3 .09 OTHER engineering technologists and technicians $40,483 3 .09 Engineers: Industrial $33,837 3 .09 Clergy and Other Religious Workers $56,416 3 .09 Engineers: Sales $31,071 3 .09 Drafting occupations, including computer drafting $25,700 2 .06 Counselors, Educational and Vocational (Also see 236) $26,400 2 .06 Professors: Computer Science $66,500 2 .06 Engineers: Aeronautical, aerospace, astronautical $26,700 2 .06 Teachers: Pre-Kindergarten and kindergarten $35,703 2 .06 Registered nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, therapists, physician assistants $54,200 2 .06 Computer engineer - hardware $24,840 2 .06 Professors: Business Commerce and Marketing $49,400 2 .06 Architects Engineers (Also see 101-103) $76,500 2 .06 Unknown $73,400 2 .06 Lawyers, Judges $53,563 2 .06 Operations research analysts, modelling $62,000 1 .03 OTHER postsecondary $60,000 1 .03 Professors: Medical Science $65,000 1 .03 Political scientists $65,520 1 .03 Engineers: Nuclear $72,000 1 .03 Diagnosing Treating Practitioners (e.g., dentists, optometrists, physicians, psychiatrists, podiatrists, surgeons, veterinarians) $150,000 1 .03 Actuaries $19,200 1 .03 Professors: Physical Education $58,300 1 .03 Technologists and technicians in the physical sciences $52,977 1 .03 Professors: Law $46,800 1 .03 Engineers: Petroleum $41,600 1 .03 Surveying and mapping $40,040 1 .03 Computer scientists, except system analysts $40,000 1 .03 Statisticians $35,620 1 .03 Technologists and technicians in the biological/life sciences $33,000 1 .03 Professors: English $28,080 1 .03 Engineers: Chemical $26,770 1 .03 Librarians, Archivists, Curators Managers, Executives, Administrators (Also see 151-153) $25,272 1 .03 Engineers: Civil, including architectural and sanitary
The information in the table below is based on data from people of all sexes and ages
whose most recent college degree was a masters degree in Accounting.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $51,895 205 54.09 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists $80,977 90 23.75 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers) $39,745 13 3.43 Professors: Business Commerce and Marketing $64,053 8 2.11 Computer programmers (business, scientific, process control) $40,629 7 1.85 Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services $46,927 6 1.58 OTHER management related occupations $60,873 5 1.32 Computer system analysts $49,300 4 1.06 Information systems scientists or analysts $47,609 4 1.06 OTHER OCCUPATIONS (Not Listed) $16,537 3 .79 OTHER administrative (e.g., record clerks, telephone operators) $57,500 2 .53 Engineers: Sales $29,747 2 .53 Registered nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, therapists, physician assistants $53,720 2 .53 Construction trades, miners and well drillers $72,500 2 .53 Engineers: Mechanical $25,914 2 .53 Accounting clerks, bookkeepers $42,600 2 .53 OTHER computer, information science Occupations $47,400 2 .53 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists $55,000 2 .53 Sales Occupations - Commodities Except Retail (e.g., industrial machinery/equipment/supplies, medical and dental equiptment/supplies) $53,000 1 .26 Teachers: Special education - primary and secondary $150,000 1 .26 Lawyers, Judges $50,000 1 .26 Other engineers $50,000 1 .26 Engineers: Electrical, electronic $10,400 1 .26 Farmers, Foresters and Fishermen $48,000 1 .26 Computer engineer - software $42,848 1 .26 Geologists, including earth scientists $42,000 1 .26 Professors: Computer Science $38,000 1 .26 OTHER service occupations, except health $37,080 1 .26 OTHER marketing and sales occupations $36,000 1 .26 OTHER postsecondary $33,600 1 .26 Sales Occupations - Retail (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics) $32,472 1 .26 Health Technologists and Technicians (e.g., dental hygienists, health record technologists/technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical or laboratory technicians, radiologic technologists/technicians) $28,600 1 .26 Social Workers $27,000 1 .26 Counselors, Educational and Vocational (Also see 236) $26,000 1 .26 Professors: Physical Education $24,960 1 .26 Secretaries, receptionists, typists $20,800 1 .26 Food Preparation and Service (e.g., cooks, waitresses, bartenders)
The information in the table below is based on data from people of all sexes and ages
whose most recent college degree was a Ph.D. degree in Accounting.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $62,934 24 63.16 Professors: Business Commerce and Marketing $75,500 4 10.53 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists $78,667 3 7.89 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers) $53,500 2 5.26 OTHER postsecondary $15,000 1 2.63 Farmers, Foresters and Fishermen $26,000 1 2.63 Accounting clerks, bookkeepers $61,000 1 2.63 Professors: Mathematical Sciences $90,000 1 2.63 Information systems scientists or analysts $126,000 1 2.63 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists
Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $56,635 178 26.37 Accounting $59,171 166 24.59 Business administration and management $58,045 139 20.59 Financial management $60,462 33 4.89 OTHER business management/administrative services $58,386 24 3.56 Business, general $71,189 13 1.93 Business marketing/marketing management $70,959 12 1.78 Public administration $58,123 12 1.78 Computer science $54,535 11 1.63 Computer/information sciences, general $87,363 8 1.19 Business/managerial economics $62,464 7 1.04 Information services and systems $47,133 5 .74 Education: OTHER education $63,984 5 .74 Computer systems analysis $35,820 5 .74 OTHER philosophy, religion, theology $63,500 4 .59 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies $49,859 4 .59 Education: Elementary teacher education $45,711 4 .59 Economics $41,820 4 .59 Education: Secondary teacher education $35,107 3 .44 Psychology: Counseling $61,151 3 .44 Operations research $41,444 3 .44 Education: Special education $44,184 3 .44 Library Science $47,640 3 .44 Education: Administration $49,207 3 .44 Health services administration $48,363 3 .44 OTHER FIELDS (Not Listed) $47,000 2 .30 Education: Science teacher education $34,000 2 .30 English Language and Literature/Letters $53,500 2 .30 Psychology: Industrial/Organizational $47,750 1 .15 Engineering: Aerospace, aeronautical, astronautical $24,000 1 .15 Education: Counselor education/guidance services $27,000 1 .15 Education: Mathematics teacher education $33,000 1 .15 Music, all fields $65,000 1 .15 Psychology: Social $33,309 1 .15 Criminal Justice/Protective Services $36,000 1 .15 Anthropology and archeology $61,200 1 .15 OTHER social sciences $60,000 1 .15 Computer programming $38,276 1 .15 OTHER engineering $58,500 1 .15 History, other $43,000 1 .15 Physical therapy and other rehabilitation/therapeutic services $50,000 1 .15 Marketing research $50,000 1 .15 Social Work
Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $63,700 25 48.08 Accounting $67,000 5 9.62 Financial management $90,000 4 7.69 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies $49,620 3 5.77 Economics $51,633 3 5.77 Education: Administration $79,333 3 5.77 Education: OTHER education $150,000 1 1.92 Health services administration $96,600 1 1.92 Education: Counselor education/guidance services $84,600 1 1.92 History, other $37,000 1 1.92 Education: Secondary teacher education $60,000 1 1.92 Business administration and management $55,000 1 1.92 Statistics $53,000 1 1.92 Marketing research $42,000 1 1.92 OTHER communications $38,000 1 1.92 OTHER philosophy, religion, theology
Other advanced degrees include: JD, LLB, ThD, MD, and the DDS.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $82,836 99 93.40 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies $102,000 3 2.83 Medicine (e.g., dentistry, optometry, osteopathic, podiatry, veterinary) $45,533 2 1.89 OTHER business management/administrative services $50,000 1 .94 Accounting $60,000 1 .94 Financial management
Prepared by Prof. Kenneth S. Chapman: kenneth.chapman@csun.edu