Accounting Associate's Degree Programs
Accounting Degrees
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Purdue University Global - Associate's, Bachelor's & Master's. Building on Purdue's mission to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education, Purdue University Global delivers a fully personalized online experience that's tailored to working adults. By opening the doors to adults who need flexibility to fit learning into their busy lives, they make it possible to achieve a high-quality education from a prestigious university system—completely online.
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Liberty University offers affordable online accounting degrees. They offer a Christian-based collection of programs suitable for accounting students at any stage of their career.
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Post University offers popular online programs for accounting students. In addition to associates and bachelors programs, they also offer certificates for CPA preparation and forensic accounting.
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Are you a recent high school graduate searching for a career or are you looking for a career change? Are you good with numbers and detail oriented? Are you looking for a career with good job prospects and a chance for advancement? You should consider an associate degree in accounting.
An associate degree in accounting is a two-year degree preparing you for an entry level accounting position and the possibility getting a head start on your bachelor’s degree by transferring your associate degree credit hours to a bachelor’s accounting degree program. Most associate degrees require 60 credit hours of course work. The associate’s degree will not qualify you to sit for the CPA exam. Most states require a four year bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree (120 0r 150 credit hours depending on the state) before taking the CPA exam.
The associate’s degree will prepare you for a position as a bookkeeper or an account clerk. The salary for these entry level jobs ranges from $25,000 to $35,000 with the opportunity for upward mobility after a few years of work experience and/or with additional education. The salary range reflects the difference in job responsibilities and the applicant’s education level and experience.
Bookkeepers typically handle a routine financial work, for example payroll, billing and purchasing. Small businesses and not for profits who don’t have a need for a full time accountant hire bookkeeper and contract with an accounting firm when it needs accounting services. In larger companies a bookkeeper may report to an accountant. The best way to improve your competitive advantage if you are applying for bookkeeper positions is to take advantage of technology courses offered by your institution. Employers look for bookkeepers who are skilled in accounting software.
Account clerks usually perform the same type of tasks as bookkeepers but for larger companies who have accounting offices. The account clerks will typically assist accountants with routine tasks.
Associate degrees are offered by traditional community college and vocational schools as well as on line institutions. Associate programs are offered as full time and part-time programs. Typical requirements for an associate accounting degree include such general education courses as business communications, effective writing, critical thinking, humanities, history, literature, sociology and philosophy electives, mathematics, algebra, basic science, and technology in addition to accounting and finance courses. Your job prospects will be improved if you choose a program that offers courses providing a strong background in accounting information systems.
Your first step toward an associate degree in accounting is finding a program that meets your needs, financial constraints and lifestyle. You will find no shortage of institutions offering associate degrees in accounting. Just enter “associate degree in accounting” in your favorite search engine and hundreds of programs will appear. Select a few which seem to offer what you are looking for and begin your research into those programs.
Before you finalize your decision to enroll in any program make sure the institution offering the program is accredited by a reputable accreditation agency. You find a list of reputable accreditation agencies and accredited higher education institutions of the federal Department of Education website www.ed.gov. You can also check with your state’s accountancy licensing board to see if they recognize the institution offering your associate degree. If you are considering continuing your education and getting a bachelor’s degree in accounting in the future make sure the courses you are taking for your associate degree will transfer and count toward the credit hours your bachelor’s degree requires. Check with the program you are considering for you bachelor’s degree to determine the criteria they use to evaluate transfer credit hours. No use doing all the work to complete an associate degree only to take similar classes over again if the associate degree institution’s hours do not transfer.
On line programs offer maximum flexibility allowing you to juggle your other responsibilities with your pursuit of an associate accounting degree. Most on line programs are also less expensive than traditional colleges. However not all students are able to take advantage of on line course study. You must be disciplined and self motivated to do well in an on line course. If you tend to procrastinate or are not very organized a traditional program may be a better choice for your associate degree program.
If you would like to take classes at a traditional college campus but are worried about the cost of the program check out the financial aid options. The college financial aid office should be able to assist you in identifying scholarships, work study programs, and student loans for which you may be eligible. There are federal student loans and most states have state loan programs that are well worth investigating. The financial aid office staff should also be able to help you with the paper work required to apply for financial aid.
If you are serious about a traditional campus visit the campus before you enroll. Most prospective students find a face to face meeting with campus representatives provides the most useful information in determining if a campus will meet your needs and personal and professional goals. While on campus take the time to meet with current students and talk with faculty. Ask about the support the institution can provide in helping you find internships while in school and in placing you in a full time job after graduation. It is helpful to know which businesses and firms recruit on the campus and where recent graduates work. If you are going to invest your time and money in obtaining an associate degree in accounting you want to make sure the degree is respected by the business and accounting communities to ensure you have the maximum employment opportunities when you graduate. One way to determine if a program highly regarded is to find out where recent graduates are working.
An associate degree in accounting is a good investment if you are looking for a career that offers flexibility, job security and a variety of future educational and career paths.
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