Teaching Accounting at College Level (CPA, PhD, degrees, high school)

[Imakehats13]

Good Morning,

I want to get some advice about becoming a accounting professor. First some background on me: I graduated with a B.S. in Accounting and a B.A. in philosophy a year ago. I have been working an entry-level accounting job for the past 6 months but I have been feeling strongly that I rather teach accounting someday. I was an University-level Accounting Tutor and I did a volunteer program where I helped run retreats with High school students (I have to give 30 min of speeches at each retreat). So, I know that teaching would be a good fit for me.

I am thinking of even teaching at a community college or maybe high school. From the research I have done led me to think that I need to get a Master's degree or become a CPA to teach. I am open to doing either but I wonder if a Masters in Education or teaching would be an option. Since, I have already done 5.5 years of college I am not excited to go the PHD route and keeping time in school to the minimum. I really don't know much about this and any advice would be a huge help. Thanks for your time.

[joe from dayton]

There isn't much need for accounting teachers in high school. I don't know what your state would require for you to be certified as a HS math teacher.

I looked up my Alma mater's accounting instructors and found that they have a few adjuncts who have graduate degrees in accounting -- and most of those have CPAs -- while the full time professors all have terminal degrees and, in some cases, CPAs as well.

I wouldn't expect a Master's in Education to get you anywhere if your goal is to teach accounting in higher ed.

What degrees do the accounting instructors at your Alma mater hold?

Look at the CV's of the accounting instructors at some institutions you would like to teach at.

Trying to get any teaching position in higher ed is pretty brutal.

[Zeppelin0129]

If you want to teach accounting, a MAcc is going to more beneficial than a Master of Education degree. If you decide later on you don't want to be a teacher, the degree will be more versatile. Also, if you are going to be teaching the subject, a deeper understanding of the conceptual framework will serve you better than a generic Master of Education.

[fishbrains]

An M.Ed won't be of any use in teaching at the community college level. You need a masters in your subject matter area. A CPA might suffice instead.

Accounting faculty are generally in high demand. At the CC level it is unlikely that you will need a PhD.

[TaxPhd]

Accounting professor is a pretty good gig. If you really want to do it, get a PhD and teach at a regular university, not a community college. A newly minted accounting PhD in an assistant professor spot at a university will make more than twice what a community college accounting instructor will make.

[fishbrains]

Originally Posted by TaxPhd

Accounting professor is a pretty good gig. If you really want to do it, get a PhD and teach at a regular university, not a community college. A newly minted accounting PhD in an assistant professor spot at a university will make more than twice what a community college accounting instructor will make.

Absolutely true.

In most fields there is an over abundance of PhDs looking for jobs, and many people never land a tenured academic position. Accounting is the opposite, where there are relatively few who are qualified for the positions and applicants often have to choose between multiple offers.