The AICPA and all 54 state CPA societies sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, Aug. 1, requesting the department to recognize accounting under the “T” for "technology" of STEM education.
STEM is an approach to learning and development that integrates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Specifically, the letter requests the addition of six accountancy programs to the Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code list maintained by the department’s STEM Designated Degree Program List.
If the DHS adds these codes to the list, colleges and universities across the U.S. could tap into a deeper pool of STEM-designated grant money to enhance their accounting programs and grow their student bodies.
The letter leans heavily into the new skills accounting students acquire to both use existing tools and develop new technology tools that drive change and advancement in the accounting profession. Read the letter.
The AICPA anticipates the DHS will release the updated STEM CIP code list next summer.