Casey Daniel is using his Tippie education to open doors … and crush the CPA.
Mastering the numbers game
Casey Daniel knew he wanted a fulfilling career—and a lucrative one. He figured a business degree would be the best way to get there.
An Iowa City native, Casey decided to stay true to his roots and pursue this path at the University of Iowa.
One day, while working as a student assistant in the Pappajohn Business Building, Casey was chatting with Cristi Gleason, the Carlson-KPMG Research Professor of Accounting. She asked him what he wanted to major in. He said he wasn’t sure.
“Well, do you want to make money?”
The answer? Of course. Cristi encouraged him to give accounting a try.
After his first accounting course the next semester, Casey fell in love. The material simply made sense to him.
Master’s degree? Absolutely!
Casey’s undergraduate experience at Tippie was enjoyable and fulfilling—from being a member of Delta Sigma Pi Epsilon to completing two internships, one with RSM US and another with Deloitte. As he neared graduation, he realized he needed 150 credit hours in order to sit for the CPA exam.
After learning about Tippie’s Master of Accountancy program, Casey decided to leverage those 30 additional hours into a master’s degree.
“I knew I could go somewhere else for the master’s, but Iowa accounting is just so perfect for me. The professors here are passionate and great. To go somewhere else where I didn’t know if they’d have that passion just didn’t make sense. Staying at Iowa did.”
One effort, two rewards
Through the MAc program, Casey has found the right balance of studying for the CPA while deepening his knowledge of the field.
“You don't feel like you're trying to do two things at once. Instead, you're focused on mastering accounting while working toward earning your CPA licensure.”
Casey likens his experience to that old adage, “killing two birds with one stone.”
One thing he’s especially loved about the MAc program is that his classes focus on group work. This has helped him grow his delegation and collaboration skills significantly—skills that will come in handy when he starts full-time in the auditing department of Deloitte in Chicago, a place he feels will provide him with ample opportunities to shift and grow.
“I want to keep as many doors open as possible and always have the option to make horizontal shifts while still utilizing the same skills.”
It’s all about the people
At Tippie, it hasn’t entirely been about the “what” for Casey. It’s also been about the “who.”
“The accounting department has made my journey so much easier because the professors have experience and know what they’re doing, but they also want to help you succeed. They’ve been in the positions you want to be in, and now they’re coming back to teach. They offer the perfect advice for you.”
While Casey’s undergraduate experience laid the foundation for preparing for the CPA exam, the master’s program has been “the icing on the cake.” So, too, was receiving the Outstanding MAc Student recognition, which is awarded to just one graduating student each year.
“The MAc is tailormade for where you’re going. I never felt like I was just getting a degree and rushing through it. It feels like this was meant to help me improve.”