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Auditing

Types of Degrees Auditing Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Auditing may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	19
Master’s Degree	159

What Auditing Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Auditing build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Auditing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Auditing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Economics and Accounting — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Auditing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Auditing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Auditing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Auditing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Sage 50 Accounting	Accounting software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Auditing graduates include:

• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Coordinator
• Internal Auditor
• Railroad Auditor
• Medical Auditor
• Property Accountant
• Accounting Associate
• Forensic Accountant
• Fund Accountant
• Tax Specialist
• Traveling Accountant
• Revenue Accountant
• Account Auditor
• Staff Auditor
• Quality Control Auditor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Auditing graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	41.9%
Bachelor’s degree	40.0%
Master’s degree	13.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.0%
First professional degree	0.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Auditing?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62.9% of Auditing degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	112	62.9%
Men	66	37.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Auditing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	75	42.1%
Asian	26	14.6%
Hispanic or Latino	35	19.7%
Black or African American	14	7.9%
Two or More Races	7	3.9%
Race Unknown	4	2.2%
International Students	17	9.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Auditing Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Auditing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$57,191
4 years	$61,213
5 years	$69,643

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,643 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Auditing Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Auditing. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Auditing Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Auditing graduates earn a median of $61,213 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Business Administration and Management, General	336,590
Accounting and Related Services	81,835
Accounting	58,956
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping	17,375
Business Statistics	5,396
Accounting and Finance	3,502
Actuarial Science	1,363
Accounting and Business/Management	1,270
Taxation	1,238
Business/Corporate Communications, General	801
Accounting and Related Services, Other	554

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.