Labor report: Accounting is top major on campuses

Accounting is the new No. 1 major on college campuses, according to a national report.

Accountants, who came under intense scrutiny during the Enron Corp. and WorldCom scandals a few years ago, are in high demand. The profession has become increasingly popular with students, many of whom have

"Accounting has become sexier. With all the shenanigans surrounding the national scandals, all of a sudden the profession is exciting," said Dan Givoly, chairman of the department of accounting with the Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State University, State College.

Accounting? Sexy?

"For all the negative news corporate accountants have gotten, there is a silver lining," said Steve Schappe, associate professor of management at Penn State Harrisburg. "There's an increased interest in what it means from an investigative standpoint. All these students were raised on 'CSI'-type shows. This is the closest thing we have to that in the business world."

According to job Outlook 2005, an annual survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, accounting replaced mechanical engineering as the top indemand degree on college campuses in the United States. Electrical and mechanical engineering placed second and third, respectively, in this year's survey.

Messiah College accounting student Karin Glinton said the recent national accounting scandals did not deter her from entering the field but confirmed her career choice.

"Enron made me realize, 'Oh, they need good accountants with integrity.' If anything, it spurred me on," said Glinton, a sophomore from the Bahamas.

Apparently, there really is no such thing as bad publicity, said Jim Krimmel, associate professor of accounting with Messiah.

Krimmel and other area college representatives have seen increases recently in the number of accounting students. He contends many are attracted to the field because of increased emphasis on fraud prevention and "forensic" accounting - investigative auditing - in the corporate world.

"Forensic accounting is cool because you try to prevent fraud," said 21-year-old Ryan Tate, a Messiah sophomore.

Accounting classes at Messiah averaged about 15 students in recent years. But current freshman and sophomore classes are up to 25 or more, Krimmel said. He started noticing an increase about two years ago.

The number of accounting students also is up at Penn State. Schappe said the school has seen up to 20 percent more accounting students in the last two years. At the school's State College campus, the number of students in the major has doubled - from 200 to 400 - in the last five years, Givoly said.

The increasing number of students entering the field probably will not have a problem finding a job after. graduation.

At Messiah College, 90 percent of the senior accounting students were hired before Thanksgiving, five months before graduation, Krimmel said.

Much of the increased demand for accountants is a result of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley securities- reform act, which has increased government oversight and extended auditors' functions at many companies.

Experienced accountants are in especially short supply, said Greg Crumling, a regional managing partner with Beard Miller Co.'s York office. There are six accounting vacancies in Beard Miller's nine offices. He attributes the shortage to increased emphasis on government regulations and corporate accountability.

"In the past, if you found something wrong, great. But you weren't really looking for it. Now, companies are looking," Crumling said.

Lois Ribner, operations manager with Stambaugh Ness, is in charge of recruiting new accountants to the York firm. Her job became a little more difficult this year. Although there are more accounting students, there also are more job offers from competing firms.

Each year, Ribner visits Shippensburg University and typically chooses one or two students from about 16 applicants. This year, only two students signed up to talk with her and only one showed up for an interview. The rest had other job opportunities, she said.

"All of a sudden, it's cool to be an accountant. It used to be you were a nerd with a pocket protector and glasses. No more," Ribner said.

Givoly believes the intense demand for accountants will subside in two or three years, just as the dot.com hype has receded since 2000.

In the meantime, many accountants are enjoying the newfound popularity of their profession.

"People are seeing we're not just bean counters anymore," said Bruce Brown, president and chief executive officer of Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz in East Pennsboro Township.