Grads better prepared for real world.

• Position: Accounting - Brief article

The academic world is doing its part to groom future professionals for the new business environment, suggests a survey developed by Accountemps, a Menlo Park, Calif., specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance, and bookkeeping professionals. Seventy-one percent of chief financial officers polled maintain that accounting graduates are equally or more prepared for their careers compared to those entering the field 10 years ago.

"Colleges and universities are responding to a changing landscape," confirms Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies. "More courses are being offered in areas such as internal audit, enterprise risk management, forensic accounting, information technology, and business ethics."

The appeal of an accounting career is growing, perhaps as a result of increased...