The CPA profession's unified push for a STEM designation for accounting just got a bit stronger.

On Aug. 1, the AICPA and all 54 state CPA societies, including the Maryland Association of CPAs, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security requesting that DHS recognize accounting under the “T” for technology in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (or STEM) education. The letter specifically requested that an “Accounting” Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code be added to the DHS’s STEM Designated Degree Program List.

Included with the letter was an extensive whitepaper laying out the case in detail as to why accounting has always been and should be formally designated as a STEM profession by the federal government. The whitepaper leans heavily into the new skills accounting students are acquiring to both use existing tools and to develop new technology tools that drive change and advancement in the accounting profession.

The DHS is expected release an updated STEM CIP code list next summer.