Offering a major, minor and dual degree, SJC Long Island’s Department of Accounting provides students with the knowledge and skills required of today’s business and accounting professionals.
With more than 300 undergraduate and graduate students, SJC understands the program’s popularity comes from a strong demand for accountants. Numerous reports show that the career prospects for accountants are very promising. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of accountants and auditors will grow 11 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations, and U.S. News & World Report Money in 2016 ranked accounting as the third best business job and the 24th best overall job.
Employment of accountants and auditors will grow 11 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations.
“What makes our program different from others are the small class sizes and the fact that our faculty is comprised of professionals with substantial experience,” said Mary Chance, M.S.T., C.P.A., chair of SJC’s accounting program and assistant professor of graduate management studies. “In addition, faculty members take active roles in advising students about their schedules, graduate school, professional exams and professional associations.”
While preparing students for careers in forensic and public accounting, auditing, taxation, managerial and corporate accounting, financial planning and more, the Department of Accounting maintains a robust internship program that often leads to employment for students – before and after graduation.
Mary Chance advises an SJC student
“Internships are valuable because they give students an opportunity to experience working in a professional organizational setting, where they can apply what they are learning in classrooms,” Chance said. “They learn the importance of teamwork and interpersonal and communication skills while they work on projects with other professional members and, in some cases, clients.”
SJC students have completed internships at national and regional CPA firms, such as Deloitte LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Sheehan and Company; such corporations as Arrow Electronics, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. and The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.; and the New York State Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
“All of my professors are very receptive and have helped me become much better at voicing my questions and receiving feedback,” said Christina Paliugli ’18, intern at Nawrocki Smith LLP in Melville. “The guidance and career advice I have received from my professors is invaluable and has helped to shape my internship experience and will most definitely aid me in the future.”
SJC students have completed internships at national and regional CPA firms, such as Deloitte LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Sheehan and Company; such corporations as Arrow Electronics, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. and The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.; and the New York State Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
In addition, SJC Long Island has an active student-led accounting society. Throughout the year, the society brings in representatives to discuss the CPA exam, holds résumé writing and interviewing skills workshops, and raises funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Its latest project was to train students to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, whereby qualified students prepare tax returns for elderly and low-income taxpayers. The president of the society, Steven Kucharczyk ’18, is an SJC scholarship recipient and intern at Andersen Tax LLC in Melville.
“I chose to attend SJC because it was one of the fastest-growing accounting programs in the area,” Kucharczyk said. “My decision to study at SJC turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of my life. Many of my professors have more than 20 years of experience in the field and their expertise is top-notch. Thanks to the material I learned at SJC, I landed an internship with a company where I know I can grow and prosper after I graduate.”
The projected growth for this in-demand major shows no signs of slowing down. To keep up with the industry’s need for professional accountants, SJC created an articulation agreement with Suffolk County Community College in 2015 for its A.S. and A.A.S. in Accounting and SJC’s B.S. in Business Administration with a major in accounting.
