What Can I Do with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting

What can you do with a bachelor's degree in accounting? 
With a bachelor's degree in accounting, you can start working right away in roles like staff accountant, audit associate, tax associate, cost accountant, or financial analyst. Many graduates then add a credential such as the CPA license or CMA certification, or an advanced degree like an MBA, to move into leadership, specialized, or higher-paying roles.

To many, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accounting sounds like a one-way street to doing other people’s taxes or auditing financial statements. Though these are common jobs for accounting majors, those are just a few of the accounting career paths available.

The reality is your career options are more diverse than you think, especially if you decide to get an advanced degree, license or certification. Let’s look at a few of those options and how they can make for an interesting and fulfilling career.

Before you dive in, listen to Becker National Instructor Michelle Moshe answer the question, "What can you do with an accounting degree?" for some added inspiration. 

 

Jobs With a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting

A bachelor's degree in accounting qualifies you for a wide range of entry-level roles in public accounting firms, corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits. Most graduates begin in one of a handful of core functions, and the experience you build in that first role often shapes which credential makes sense next.

According to Becker's Salary Guide, the median annual wage for accountants and auditors was $80,135 in 2026, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment is projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations.  

Common roles for accounting graduates include:

• Staff accountant: Records transactions, reconciles accounts, and helps prepare financial statements. Learn more in our staff accountant guide.
• Audit associate: Tests a client's financial records and internal controls as part of an external audit team, usually at a public accounting firm.
• Tax associate: Prepares individual, business, or nonprofit tax returns and helps clients plan for tax obligations.
• Cost accountant: Analyzes production, labor, and overhead costs to help a company price products and control spending.
• Financial analyst: Builds budgets, forecasts, and financial models to support business decisions.
• Internal auditor: Evaluates an organization's risk management, controls, and compliance from the inside.
• Government accountant: Manages and audits public funds for federal, state, or local agencies.

The right starting point depends on what kind of work energizes you. Public accounting offers broad exposure and structured training, while industry roles let you go deep on one company's operations. If you're weighing that decision, our guide to public vs. private accounting walks through the tradeoffs. For a broader list, see our roundups of entry-level accounting jobs and the highest-paying accounting jobs. And if you're curious about roles outside traditional accounting, explore jobs for accountants who don't want to be accountants.
 

CPA Licensure Opens the Door to Public Accounting

Becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) makes it possible to work in both public and private sectors, take on greater roles in leadership, and earn a higher income. Having your CPA license also shows that you have more specialized knowledge and expertise than other accounting professionals.

To become a CPA, you must meet your state's education and experience requirements and pass the four-part CPA Exam. The exam includes three Core sections (AUD, FAR, and REG) plus one Discipline section you choose (BAR, ISC, or TCP).

Your bachelor's degree may take you further toward licensure than you think. Traditionally, CPA candidates needed 150 credit hours of education, about 30 more than a typical bachelor's degree. Many states now also offer an alternative pathway that pairs a 120-credit-hour bachelor's degree with two years of qualifying professional experience instead of one. Rules vary by state, so learn more in our guide to the 120 vs. 150 credit hour CPA pathways and check your state's specific requirements.

It's not an easy path. Opting in means studying 300 to 400 hours, often over nine to 18 months. It demands grit, but the hard work is worth it because you'll have greater professional opportunities for your future.

CPA Career Options

Doing taxes isn’t always what comes next after your accounting degree. Depending on the role, your career as a CPA may include:

• Business valuation 
• Financial forensics 
• Filing reports with the SEC 
• Preparing financial statements and signing tax returns 
• Representing your firm before the IRS to defend a return 
• Conducting external company audits

And rather than private accounting, a CPA license may lead you to a variety of settings, including:

• Public auditing and attestation 
• Overseeing clients at a public accounting firm (partner) 
• Government accounting 
• Management accounting (cost/industrial accounting) 
• Forensic accounting (financial crimes)

Like most roles that require advanced education, CPAs are involved in more publicly facing, higher-stakes work as a result of their credentials.

Do You Have What It Takes to be a CPA?

Becoming a CPA also means you’re more likely to enjoy greater career mobility and flexibility, like consideration for leadership roles and the ability to work in a broader spectrum of companies, industries and functions. The cache, credibility and distinction earned from passing the CPA Exam also command a 10 to 15 percent higher annual salary than non-CPAs.

Money aside, you might be well-suited for the CPA life if you also have a good mix of hard and soft skills, for example:

• Continual learning mindset (new clients, challenges, trends) 
• Emotional intelligence (managing relationships with clients and leadership) 
• Technical skills (e.g. data analytics, business intelligence systems) 
• Problem-solving (finding solutions to complex financial situations)

CMA Certification: A Path to Corporate Finance Leadership 

Becoming a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) may be a good fit if you love turning numbers into strategies and financial plans or you imagine yourself leading teams or a company one day. This is a designation from the Institute of Management Accountants that is globally recognized in over 150 countries. A CMA certification is a “gold standard” that shows mastery of management accounting and business concepts.

To become a CMA, you'll need to pass the two-part CMA Exam and meet the IMA's education and experience requirements. Each part is a four-hour exam with 100 multiple-choice questions followed by two case-based questions:

• Part 1: Financial Planning, Performance and Analytics 
• Part 2: Strategic Financial Management

Case-based questions replaced the exam's essay section beginning with the September/October 2026 testing window. Learn more about what's changing on the 2026 CMA Exam.

CMA Career Opportunities

Earning your CMA certification prepares you for planning, leadership, and management positions in corporate finance, which regularly include the following responsibilities:

• Risk management 
• Business strategy 
• Financial analysis, planning and analytics 
• Cost management 
• Planning, budgeting, forecasting 
• Decision analysis 
• Financial reporting

More specifically, this certification prepares you for roles, such as:

• CFO 
• Controller 
• Financial analyst 
• Director-level and above in the finance department 

Benefits

For many, the benefits of earning the CMA are worth the rigorous studying. Along with international credibility in the corporate finance world, CMAs report higher compensation than their non-certified peers as the average salary of a CMA is $105,943. 

Getting your CMA certification makes you uniquely qualified to take on the critical work that directly impacts strategic financial decisions. That’s a huge confidence-builder for your ability to counsel and lead others at scale.

Who Should Get a CMA Certification?

You might be a good match for CMA certification if you’re interested in the future-focused side of accounting, working alongside finance executives, and have solid quantitative skills. That’s why you need at least two years of work experience to sit for the CMA Exam. Fortunately, this time means you can look further into the horizon when you think about what’s next after your accounting degree; your next professional milestone doesn’t have to come right after your bachelor’s degree.

You don't need management experience to take the CMA Exam, but experience with managerial responsibilities and big-picture thinking can save you the effort of learning this material from scratch. Similarly, if you're a leadership-minded CPA considering CMA certification, your accounting knowledge is likely to overlap with the CMA Exam material and may make studying easier. Compare the two in our guide to the CMA vs. CPA.

Other credentials to consider

The CPA and CMA are the most common next steps, but they aren't the only ones. Depending on where your interests lead, these credentials may be a better fit:

• Enrolled Agent (EA): A credential issued by the IRS for tax professionals who want unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS. Compare it in our guide to the enrolled agent vs. CPA.
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA): A certification from The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) for professionals focused on internal audit, risk, and controls.

Explore more options in our overview of accounting certifications.

What Is the MBA?

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an optional advanced degree that teaches you executive-level communication, business, management, leadership and strategy skills across all concentrations. To be eligible to apply for an MBA program, candidates must have an undergraduate degree and take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). They must then be accepted into a graduate program at an accredited college or university.

This program gives you a wider range of business expertise that’s likely to increase your earning potential and employability. You may also find greater networking opportunities in an MBA program as it’s a formative experience shared with like-minded people in a smaller class setting. The same people who sit next to you in class may end up as a colleague later on.

Should I Get an MBA After My Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting?

If CPA licensure and CMA certification don’t align with your goals for what’s next after your accounting degree, and you want a master’s degree rather than a license or certification, an MBA may be a better option. These programs are a great fit for mid-career professionals who are interested in accelerating their path to management in their field. It’s also a common way to use your degree to pivot careers³ altogether, giving you plenty of career options. Some popular, post-MBA jobs⁴ include:

• Financial manager 
• Management consultant 
• IT manager 
• Healthcare administration

Graduating from an MBA program shows commitment to developing your business acumen and leadership skills, which are sought after by all companies.

How to Choose Your Next Step

There's no single right answer for what comes after your accounting degree. The best choice depends on the kind of work you want to do and where you want your career to be in five to 10 years.

Many professionals combine these paths over time. For example, you might start as a staff accountant, earn your CPA license, and add the CMA later as you move into a finance leadership role.

Download Becker's Salary Guide

If you'd like to better understand what lies ahead after your bachelor's degree in accounting, download our free salary guide. You'll learn more about your earning potential, work-life balance, and where your peers think the profession is headed!