Another list-Top Ten Majors

songman
Thu, 18 Nov 2004 12:53:51 +0000

The Surprising No. 1 College Major
Based on the number of college freshman who are making it their career choice, accounting is the new ‘sexy’ college major. Yes, accounting.

It’s now the most in-demand major on college campuses, according to both AccountingWeb.com and the Job Outlook 2005 survey, conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Why is it so popular? Academics say the numerous corporate accounting scandals over the last few years have piqued the interest of today’s students. Add to that new regulations that are a result of those scandals, and the number of jobs, especially for auditors, has skyrocketed.

AccountingWeb.com cites these statistics from the Wall Street Journal:

The number of accounting degrees awarded nationwide in 2003 jumped 11 percent from 2002.

The largest accounting program in the nation, at Florida International University in Miami, saw a 43 percent increase in student enrollment between 2000 and 2003.

The University of Michigan saw a 76 percent increase in accounting master’s students over the past three years.

The University of Illinois, one of the nation’s biggest producers of accountants, saw a 66 percent increase in undergraduate accounting majors from 2001 to 2004.
“What this tells us is there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” Ira Solomon, head of the department of accountancy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign told AccountingWeb.com. “All the focus on accounting created a perception to students that accounting matters and is perhaps even sexy.”

There’s just one problem on the horizon: Accounting professors are retiring in droves, and there is no one to take their place. According to the American Accounting Association, there are more than twice as many faculty openings as there are applicants.

The top 10 most in-demand college majors:

Accounting

Electrical engineering

Mechanical engineering

Business administration/management

Economics/finance

Computer science

Computer engineering

Marketing/marketing management

Chemical engineering

Information sciences and systems

Source: Job Outlook 2005 survey, conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers

I do not know what to make of this, but to say that if this is true it may point to the fact that not everyone is going to college for the pure joy of learning? That many desire an education, but a skill that will make them employable after college? Any comments?