Careers 101: Accounting Jobs in Virginia

Published on 2008-07-02

Schools:

For three consecutive years, the undergraduate business program at McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia has been ranked by BusinessWeek as the second-best in the country. In addition to their undergraduate accounting program, McIntire offers a unique graduate program which allows students to work at accounting jobs for Ernst & Young while earning a master's in accounting. The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary is a top-ranked school for accounting students; Public Accounting Report has ranked both its undergraduate and graduate accounting programs among the top 25 in the country. Students who wish to pursue Virginia jobs in accounting might also consider attending Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, where one can earn a bachelor's or master's degree or a Ph.D. in Business with a major in Accounting and Information Systems.

Employers:

According to an annual report conducted by Virginia Business magazine, the KPMG office in McLean is by far the single largest provider of accounting jobs in Virginia. Professionals seeking accounting jobs in Richmond, Virginia could work for PricewaterhouseCoopers, the second-largest accounting employer statewide. Goodman & Company is the largest non-Big Four accounting firm in the state. Based in Norfolk, Goodman & Co. has been ranked among the top 100 accounting firms nationwide for five consecutive years by Accounting Today. RSM McGladrey; Argy, Wiltse & Robinson; and Grant Thornton are also major providers of Virginia jobs in accounting.