Accounting for a Lifetime

As students focus on their coursework, faculty members help them to understand the high professional standards and expectations they will face. Students are exposed to problem-based learning, case study analysis, guest speakers’ personal experiences, and real-life examples from the news. These diverse sources help students explore course content with great intensity. Doing this provides a strong foundation for when they take the certified public accountant (CPA) exam. 

Although the CPA exam serves as a daunting professional hurdle, the need to learn does not end there. “The CPA is just like a driver’s license,” said Dr. James Flagg, Mays Professor Emeritus of Accounting. “Just because you have a license doesn’t mean you’re a good accountant; you have to continue to learn and to improve.”

Throughout their careers, accountants and auditors must complete 40 hours of continuing professional education annually. They also must remain current on changes in accounting and auditing rules as well as ethics requirements. “There’s a need to stay up-to-date, like any other profession,” Flagg said. “Accountants have to constantly update their knowledge to serve their constituents or clients. This requires a strong foundation of how to learn. In my 32 years of teaching at Texas A&M, I have witnessed Mays faculty, time and time again, foster in their students an unwavering approach to lifelong learning to attain success and rise to the top as leaders in industry.”