During high school, Anna Siesel attended a career fair where Kent State students spoke about the need for accountants in the job market and how they already had employment lined up before graduation.
Fast forward four years and Siesel, who will graduate in May from the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, plans to step right into a job with a major consulting firm thanks to the skills and networking opportunities gained in Kent State’s Department of Accounting.
“I love Kent State,” Siesel said. “Our accounting professors are so wonderful. I feel supported by the accounting staff. Kent State’s accounting department gives out a ton of scholarships. They support you academically and financially. And I love Crawford Hall.”
Siesel got involved with Beta Alpha Psi right away and is now president of the organization. She has worked on two internships, one of which was with an accounting firm. After graduation Siesel has a job lined up as a staff accountant with a major global accounting firm in Cleveland.
Recently Siesel spoke with Kent State Today about the demand for accountants and what she learned about the field during her internships.
Accounting Department has Distinguished Credentials
Kent State students in the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship are earning the gold standard in education because the college is among less than 1% of business schools worldwide to receive dual AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation in both business and accounting. Only 180 institutions worldwide hold an additional specialized AACSB Accreditation. “We have a high-quality faculty,” said Wei Li, Ph.D., chair of Kent State’s Accounting Department and associate professor. “We also have a Ph.D. program in accounting that distinguishes us from surrounding universities.”
Skilled Accounting Majors are in High Demand
Siesel and other Kent State accounting majors have excellent employment prospects.
These accounting graduates will help stem a shortage of accountants in the U.S. in recent years. Li said there are several reasons for the shortages.
“The first reason for the shortages is retirement of accountants,” Li said. “The second reason is because student enrollment in accounting programs is down nationally.” One of the reasons enrollments in accounting programs is down is because of the myth that accounting majors need to take difficult math courses. There is also a requirement that accounting majors in Ohio need 150 hours of college-level education to qualify for a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license.
The good news is beginning Jan. 1, 2026, in Ohio, candidates for jobs will only need a bachelor’s degree and two years of working experience or a master’s degree with one year to get the CPA license, Li said. “This is something the whole accounting industry has been working on in recent years to address the shortage of accounting students.
Li also stresses that there are myriad opportunities in the field. Accountants can work at banks, businesses and accounting firms. Graduates can find an accounting position in an office as an internal auditor if that is what they prefer, or they can become external auditors and travel internationally. And the earning potential is excellent.
“There were some myths that accounting is very limited, or accountants just stay at a desk," Li said. “But it is not limited, it opens the door for lots of opportunities. Our students go to work at companies such as Smucker’s, Goodyear, NASA, the FBI and Disney.”
Kent State Alum Goes from Internship to Fulltime Position
Kent State alum Mark Lloyd stumbled upon accounting as a career in high school and fell in love with it after taking an introductory accounting elective. In 2018, Lloyd earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a double major in accounting and finance from Kent State and in 2019 he earned a master’s degree in accounting with a concentration in taxation from Kent State.
Now he works as a tax manager at RSM US LLP tax, advisory and consulting firm, where he has been for six years, including an internship.
Lloyd applauds Kent State’s faculty for caring about students and getting to know them as individuals. He credits the instructors for providing instruction and opportunities that paved the way for success in his accounting career.
“They were invested in making sure that you were set up for success and finding a job/career after graduation,” Lloyd said. “There were a lot of events and meet and greets that showed the career options out there and the university did a tremendous job connecting students with recruiters and firms in the area. The graduate assistant position offered by Kent State for the master’s program also made obtaining higher education much more affordable and allowed me to pursue the higher degree I had always wanted.”
For more information about Kent State’s Department of Accounting go to /business/accounting.
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