What do accounting majors learn

Available concentrations may include auditing, financial accounting, forensic accounting, and taxation. MBA programs often appeal to prospective students who already hold expertise in finance and accounting. This program helps learners move from mid-level management positions to leadership roles in management accounting, cost accounting, or budget analysis. A typical MBA requires at least two years of study, but many schools now offer accelerated programs that last just months. These degrees usually require credits, and courses often last weeks each.

Courses can draw from diverse areas such as marketing, leadership, public policy, and operations management. After graduation, MBA alumni can compete for jobs as public accountants, auditors, cost accountants, or budget analysts.

Students who pursue a Ph. Usually, they possess an extensive academic background in accounting and finance before they apply for a terminal degree in the field. Prospective doctoral students also typically need three or more years of experience in the field, strong letters of recommendation, and qualifying scores on the GMAT or GRE.

The road to a Ph. Doctoral students take classes such as accounting theory research, empirical research design in accounting, financial accounting theory, and tax research and jurisprudence.

Upon completing their coursework, doctoral students often must pass a comprehensive exam and either write a dissertation or complete a doctoral project. Learn More About Ph. Top Online Programs Explore programs of your interests with the high-quality standards and flexibility you need to take your career to the next level.

Prospective students can choose a general accounting degree or pursue a concentration for a specialized degree. Accounting offers many popular specializations, including auditing, financial accounting, forensic accounting, management accounting, and taxation.

Other options include internal auditing and international accounting. The diversity of available options depends on the school. Large institutions typically offer more diverse specialization options than small schools.

Students who choose a specialization usually do so in order to get a jump start on a specific career. Accounting majors with an undefined career path may want to stick to a general degree. Not every school offers concentrations. Community colleges and small liberal arts colleges often provide fewer majors than large universities. At some institutions, enrollees simply choose to major in accounting, or perhaps major in business and minor in accounting.

All models present benefits, and students should carefully weigh each option before making a decision. Online education has continued to grow rapidly since the first internet-based distance learning courses emerged in Why has online learning shown such significant growth? On the demand side, professionals want to stay abreast of the latest knowledge in their field, and online programs offer convenience and flexibility.

Accounting lends itself particularly well to an online learning environment, since the coursework is largely fact-based rather than theory-centric.

Furthermore, accounting does not require the lab-heavy courses of hard science majors. But do those reasons justify choosing an online accounting degree over a traditional campus-based program? Each prospective student must answer that question according to their own situation.

However, it helps to root this decision in research and quantitative data applied to a number of different factors, such as cost, location, prestige, length, and resources. Students should also consider whether a hybrid program that draws benefits from both online and in-person models might work best for them.

Students who attend a traditional on-campus college receive the classic higher education experience — in-person classes, social events, access to athletic facilities, personal counseling, and hands-on help with studying. Many recent high school graduates choose on-campus programs because they look forward to the personal and social aspects of life at a traditional college. While all students need to develop disciplined study habits, on-campus learners can benefit from face-to-face interaction and regularly scheduled classes in traditional classrooms.

These students also get to ask spur-of-the-moment questions and engage in lively discussions with peers. Many older students enroll in online or hybrid programs, since these degrees often take less time, cost less money, and provide a more flexible schedule than their on-campus counterparts. That said, some adult learners relish the robust nature of in-person learning and sign up for night classes, summer school, or J-terms to complement their distance education.

Prospective students look at several factors when sorting through their options for online degrees in accounting. They should also take economics, finance, math, and computer science. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. This helps inform business decisions, increase profit and decrease risk. A keen understanding of financial statements is key. Analysts typically work either on the buy-side or the sell-side of investments, though their duties are similar either way.

After several years of accounting experience, you may want to consider the role of an accounting manager. This position is a good mix of big picture issues and up-close details. As a manager, you'll be in charge of hiring, training, directing, and motivating a team of junior accountants. As a senior accountant yourself, you'll also deal with high-level tasks such as preparing annual budgets, tracking long-term financial data, and developing policies and procedures. You will also likely communicate with other department managers, so this role is ideal for those with a developed blend of soft and hard skills.

Like an accounting manager, tax managers are responsible for overseeing a team of other accountants. This often requires very specific research so you can stay up-to-date on any changes in the law. Depending on the company, a tax manager will develop different strategies for saving the most money during tax season.

This position is one of the most senior financial roles in a company. You will likely oversee everything from bookkeeping to internal auditing. This role involves high-level duties such as strategic planning and risk management. A background in accounting is crucial to translate financial jargon into actionable information for other business executives. So, what can you do with an Accounting degree? As you can see, there are more jobs for Accounting majors than simply becoming an accountant.

Even within the field, there are many directions to go. No matter your preferred career path, pursuing an Accounting degree is a smart option for anyone seeking a time-tested career option. Visit the Rasmussen College Accounting degrees program page to learn more about this popular career path. Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience.

This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary. It has since been updated to include information relevant to Career outcomes, class sizes, specialization options, and accreditation all factor into the quality of an accounting degree. Students should consider the following post-grad possibilities as they clarify their goals and research their education options:. Is an accounting certificate equivalent to a bachelor's? Accounting certificates lead to accounting positions that require no college degree.

Is a degree in accounting a BA or BS? Institutions offer both options, but BS in accounting degrees are the most common. Bachelor of business administration in accounting programs are common degrees, as well. How long does a bachelor's in accounting take? How much does a bachelor's in accounting cost? Tuition costs vary between institutions. In-state students at public universities typically pay the lowest tuition rates. However, many programs allow all online students to pay in-state tuition rates regardless of where they live.

How can I pay for my bachelor's in accounting? What can you do with a bachelor's degree in accounting? Can I become a CPA after earning a bachelor's in accounting? What salary can you get with a bachelor's degree in accounting? Salaries depend on career path. Can I get a job with a bachelor's in accounting but no experience? Yes, though employers may ask graduates to qualify for and earn a CPA license within years. This license requires years of professional experience.

Networking plays a vital role in the job search, and accounting organizations provide students, graduates, and working accountants with job prospects, educational resources, and networking opportunities. See below for examples of accounting organizations:. Our program databases allow graduates to filter search results based on their goals and interests, including program and institution type, online or on-campus delivery, location, school size, tuition, and accreditation.

Kick off your finance career with one of these affordable online accounting degrees. Compare the top programs, crunch the numbers, and get the best value. A master's in accounting opens the door to in-demand, lucrative careers. Explore our list of the best accounting master's degree programs for