Accountingat Columbia College
Graduates earn $46,905/yr in their first year — about 13.0% below the national Accounting average. Base-case 10-year earnings $574K; scenarios range from $524K to $587K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Columbia College
First-year earnings of $46,905 track close to the $53,724 national median for Accounting programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.
A 5.9x earnings multiple over ten years puts this program in solid financial territory. Tuition is well-justified by projected earnings.
The 11% difference between AI scenarios reflects partial automation exposure. Some Accounting career paths face displacement, but others in the field are more insulated.
At $20,812 in median debt against $46,905 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
A #599 ranking among 714 Accounting programs places Columbia College in the lower half. Price, proximity, and personal fit become the stronger arguments.
A 26% earnings increase from $46,905 to $59,113 over five years is solid — not a moonshot, but evidence of normal career advancement.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Columbia College's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Accounting
How Columbia College stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Columbia College
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Columbia College, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Accounting offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Accounting trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Accounting at Columbia College
What does a 60/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Accounting at Columbia College?
At 60/100, the score looks reasonable — but Accounting is a high-scoring field overall. Compared to peers, this program's earnings and ROI fall below the median.
Should I worry about AI if I study Accounting at Columbia College?
The 62% AI task exposure score is above average. Our model shows this affecting job availability more than salaries — graduates may face stiffer competition for fewer positions.