Rewarding career and high salary

ACCOUNTING graduates can expect rewarding careers and high salaries.

Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) is a leading provider of accounting degrees.

Accountants work in a variety of industries and in non-traditional accounting roles such as management consultancy, tax planning, and risk and compliance. Accounting offers graduates opportunities for international travel with many employers offering secondments abroad.

Rebecca Barret, first-year CIT accounting student, says “this course provides an in-depth knowledge of accountancy and shows the practical and interesting side to it.”

Third-year accounting student James O’Sullivan says “the best thing I find about accounting in CIT is the support from all our lecturers. Especially coming up to exam time, they always have us well-prepared.”

The accounting honours degree, BBus (honours) in accounting, has 80 graduates each year. These graduates benefit from CIT’s relationship with accounting firms and employers in the region. Graduates from CIT accounting programmes secure employment within accountancy practices and as accountants in industry.

In practices, graduates work in the ‘big 4’ accountancy firms (PWC, KPMG, Ernst & Young and Deloitte), and with medium and small accountancy firms. Industry employers include Apple, EMC, Dairygold, Kerry Group, Quintas, Musgrave, SWS, FCOS, PepsiCo, Bank of New York and State Street Bank. Graduates also pursue postgraduate opportunities and teaching careers.

CIT attains maximum exemptions from Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI), Associations of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and Certified Public Accountants (CPA).

The future is bright for accounting graduates as trainee accountants or business professionals.

A recent survey of 2010 and 2011 CIT accounting graduates has shown that the majority have secured employment or postgraduate options.