Siena's Accounting program is ranked in the top 10% nationwide — combining rigorous academics, guaranteed internship pathways, and a direct route to CPA certification through our unique 3+1 B.S./M.S. program.
Build the skills. gain the experience. launch your career.
Accounting is where business, technology and decision-making come together. Accountants help organizations understand performance, manage risk, solve problems and make informed decisions, and those skills can lead to careers across almost every industry.
At Siena, you'll build a strong accounting foundation while gaining experience beyond the classroom. You'll work through real business problems, use accounting and data-analysis technologies, meet employers and have opportunities to complete internships before you graduate.
With paid internships, close faculty mentorship and Siena's accelerated 3+1 B.S./M.S. accounting pathway, you'll have a clear path from college to career, and a strong foundation for pursuing CPA licensure.
Why siena accounting?
Start Building Your Career Early
At Siena, professional preparation doesn't wait until senior year. Accounting students begin meeting employers, exploring career paths and building professional skills early in the program. Many students pursue internships as early as their first year and complete multiple paid internships before graduation. Those experiences help students discover what areas of accounting interest them, build strong résumés and enter the job market with real professional experience.
Earn Two Degrees in Four Years
Qualified students can complete Siena's accelerated 3+1 B.S./M.S. in Accounting, earning both degrees in four years. The pathway combines undergraduate and graduate study into an efficient four-year plan and provides advanced accounting preparation for students interested in pursuing CPA licensure and professional careers.
Learn the Accounting Profession of Tomorrow
Accounting is changing rapidly. Siena's curriculum develops strong accounting fundamentals while incorporating accounting information systems, data analysis, visualization, research and emerging technologies. You'll learn not only how to work with information, but how to evaluate it, question it and communicate what it means.
Learn by Doing
Accounting is something you learn by applying it. In Siena accounting courses, students work through business problems, research accounting guidance, evaluate internal controls, analyze data, investigate fraud scenarios and communicate recommendations. These experiences help students move beyond learning accounting rules to understanding how accounting professionals approach problems and make decisions.
Prepare for a Profession Shaped by Technology
Technology is changing how accounting work gets done. Siena students develop experience with accounting information systems, spreadsheet analysis, data analytics and visualization while learning how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are affecting audit, tax, reporting and advisory work. Just as important, students learn to evaluate information critically and consider the professional judgment, ethics and responsibility required when using technology.
Build Your Professional Network
Siena's relationships with accounting firms, corporations, alumni and other employers create opportunities to meet professionals throughout your college experience. Employer events, career fairs, internships, Beta Alpha Psi activities, professional meetings and classroom interactions help you build the relationships that can lead to internships and full-time opportunities.
Be Known
A strong professional education should still feel personal. Siena's smaller learning environment means your professors know who you are, understand your goals and can help you think through internships, career choices, graduate study and the CPA pathway. You receive the opportunities of a professionally connected accounting program with the individual attention that defines a Siena education.
Your Siena Accounting Journey
Build your business and accounting foundation while beginning to explore where an accounting degree can take you.
Meet professionals, learn about career paths and begin developing the skills you'll need for internships and future employment.
Move deeper into accounting while strengthening your analytical, technological and communication skills.
Continue developing professionally and begin pursuing internship opportunities that allow you to experience accounting outside the classroom.
Study more advanced areas of accounting, audit, tax, systems and analytics while applying what you've learned to increasingly complex problems.
Many students complete additional internships and begin making decisions about their first full-time professional opportunities.
Complete your accounting education and prepare for the transition from Siena to your career.
Following the 3+1 pathway? After accelerating your undergraduate program through the first three years, Year 4 focuses on completing the M.S. in Accounting.
3+1 Accounting Pathway
Four Years. Two Degrees. One Powerful Start.
Siena's 3+1 Accounting Pathway gives motivated students the opportunity to earn both a B.S. in Accounting and an M.S. in Accounting in just four years. Students accelerate their undergraduate coursework during the first three years and transition into graduate study, completing the M.S. in their fourth year. The result is an efficient pathway to two degrees, advanced accounting preparation and the educational foundation needed to pursue CPA licensure.
Beta Alpha Psi - Where Accounting Students Connect, Lead, and Serve
Siena's Nu Xi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor organization for accounting, finance and information systems students, connects students with employers while building professional, leadership and service experience. A Gold Status Chapter since 2023–24, Nu Xi brings accounting professionals to campus throughout the year for employer presentations, career events and networking opportunities. Members also participate in regional conferences, provide peer tutoring and serve community organizations.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)
A group of Siena business students have earned their IRS tax prep certification and are helping local community members prepare and file their tax returns. The outreach was organized by Elaine Phelan, C.P.A., professor of accounting, through an IRS program called the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). This program helps students develop skills to succeed in all areas of business while giving their time to the local community in a very personal way.
The Advantage of the Siena M.S. in Accounting Program
The M.S. in Accounting education program prepares you for your career, while providing a framework of enhanced complementary skills of technical abilities, global acumen, relationships, and business acuity to develop the ability to make sound judgments and quick decisions to assist in building leaders who will build the future.
TECHNOLOGY, DATA ANALYTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Accounting is changing. Your education should change with it.
Technology can automate routine work. What it cannot replace is the ability to ask the right questions, evaluate evidence, exercise professional judgment and communicate a sound recommendation.
At Siena, technology is integrated into accounting education rather than treated as a separate subject. Depending on their courses and projects, students may work with tools for spreadsheet analysis, accounting information systems, data visualization and business analytics while exploring how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are changing audit, tax, reporting and advisory work. You'll learn how to use technology as a professional tool—and how to evaluate its output with the skepticism, ethics and judgment the accounting profession requires.
The future accountant isn't replaced by technology. The future accountant knows how to use it responsibly.
life after siena as an accounting major
Internships are part of the journey—not an afterthought.
Accounting has one of the most structured recruiting environments in business, and Siena helps students begin navigating it early.
Students connect with employers through campus recruiting, career events, Beta Alpha Psi, classroom interactions, alumni connections and internships. Many Siena accounting students complete two or three paid internships before graduation, giving them opportunities to experience different organizations and areas of practice before choosing their first full-time position.
Where Siena Students and Graduates Connect
Frequently asked questions (faq)
Is accounting a good major for the future?
Yes. An accounting degree can prepare you for careers in accounting, auditing, tax, consulting, finance, and business. As technology changes the profession, employers also need accountants who can analyze information, solve problems, and make informed decisions.
Do you have to be good at math to major in accounting?
You do not need to be a math expert to become an accounting major. Accounting uses basic math, but success depends more on problem-solving, organization, attention to detail, and understanding financial information.
Do you need a master’s degree to become a CPA?
A master’s degree is not always required to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), but CPA licensure has specific education, examination, and experience requirements that vary by state. Siena’s 3+1 accounting program gives qualified students the opportunity to earn a B.S. and M.S. in Accounting in four years while preparing for the CPA pathway.
Will AI replace accountants?
AI is changing accounting, but it is also changing the skills accountants need. Technology can automate routine tasks, while accountants remain important for analysis, professional judgment, strategy, communication, ethics, and complex financial decisions.
What jobs can you get with an accounting degree?
An accounting degree can lead to careers in public accounting, auditing, taxation, corporate accounting, forensic accounting, financial analysis, consulting, risk, compliance, government, and nonprofit organizations.
How do accounting students get experience before graduation?
Internships are one of the best ways for accounting students to build professional experience before graduation. Siena accounting students can pursue paid internships, connect with employers, explore different accounting careers, and strengthen their résumés while earning their degree.
