Factors influencing students' choice of an accounting major in Egypt

This paper explores the perception of Egyptian students of the factors influencing students' choice of an accounting major in Egypt. Six factors were used to identify what influences students' choice of degree major: 1) perceptions of the accounting profession; 2) personal skills; 3) important referents; 4) perceptions of accounting education; 5) impression of introductory accounting courses; 6) gender. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 273 students in business schools in Egypt. The results of the discriminant analysis show that the only substantive discriminating variables are perceptions of accounting education, perceptions of the accounting profession, personal skills and important referents, while 'impression of introductory accounting courses' and 'gender' (not loaded on the discriminant function), are the weakest predictors and suggest that they are not associated with the choice of degree major. The paper provides academics with insights into the development of accounting education.