Accounting and Finance Chair’s Welcome
Welcome to the Department of Accounting and Finance! If you like working with people, problem-solving, and working as a team player, the accounting or finance industry may be a great career path for you.
Accountants generate and evaluate financial information and serve as trusted business advisors to a wide variety of clients. Their financial expertise is sought in many business decisions, including capital or investment decisions, financial information system design and implementation, and tax planning. You may have even heard accounting referenced as “the language of business.” Today’s accountants need to be skilled “translators” relaying accounting information to other professionals they work closely with to solve problems and meet the challenges of the contemporary business world.
Recruiters from "Big 4" accounting firms, Fortune 500 companies, and many other businesses require this expertise. Every fall, over a dozen national and regional recruiters, come to campus seeking accounting majors for internships. Choosing an accounting major along with another business major or minor (such as a MIS major or a Financial Planning minor) is also a great option to expand your level of expertise.
You can find some of the latest news in the Snapshot of the UMD Accounting Program.
Finance is the management of funds. As a finance major, you will learn to plan for the long term. Students who pursue a major in finance can prepare for a number of career opportunities including controllership and treasury areas of corporations. At LSBE, faculty will teach you how to best use tools to analyze financial situations. Finance graduates also find careers in security houses, trust banking, pension, and mutual fund industries, commercial lending, bank management, and the financial services industry.
LSBE's Financial Markets Program will provide you with an educational experience directly applicable to the Financial Services Industry. Students selected to participate in the program are given 24/7 access to the Wells Fargo Financial Markets Lab, a state-of-the-art lab designed to replicate a real-world investment setting, where they make strategic investment decisions to manage a portfolio of more than $1 million. Real knowledge is gained through application. As this is a competitive degree, the program requires an application. For more information, contact Director Joe Artim.
The Financial Planning Program provides you with the knowledge necessary to become a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®). The real-world application and intensive curriculum prepares you for internships and, ultimately, a rewarding career as a Financial Planner. With only 20 students allowed each year into the program, admission is highly competitive. For more information, contact Director Hugo Hietapelto.
If you would like to meet with me, please feel free to stop by my office. My door is always open (at least figuratively). I am also available by telephone at 218-726-8566 or email at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Rodger L. Brannan, Chair