Learn Accounting with Online Courses and Programs

By just earning 18 total credits, you can earn a credential that comes with academic and career advising as well as faculty who work in the field. Perhaps one of the ways that online learning is particularly strong is because every interaction and every course can reinforce your written communication skills and creative thinking. You’ll learn how to collaborate in a new way while using the latest technology. And each course is taught by instructors with professional credentials and experience in the field of accounting. “My boss was the one that recommended I consider taking some accounting courses to add another tool in my toolbox,” he said.

SNHU’s online undergraduate certificate in accounting was designed with your career trajectory in mind. Interested in continuing your education after earning this certificate? It shares foundational requirements and six major program credits with SNHU’s MS in Accounting, so you can earn your degree faster and for less money. As part of our mission to make higher education more accessible, we’re committed to keeping our tuition rates low.

You may, for example, have a degree outside of accounting, but want to get a formalized education to show employers your accounting skills. Maybe you’re working in the field and want to upskill, or hope to eventually earn an MS in Accounting. You’ll learn how to do everything from prepare financial statements in accordance with industry standards to address intricate accounting scenarios.

Environmental Accounting

Some institutions also offer this specialization at the graduate level. A degree with this concentration can prepare graduates to work as sports accountants, merchandise accountants, financial controllers, and payroll accountants. With a management accounting specialization, graduates can qualify for management accountant, cost accountant, and accounting manager careers. The concentration can also help learners prepare for credentials like certified management accountant. Adding economics coursework to an accounting degree can improve skills like logical reasoning, statistical modeling, and cost-benefit analysis. An economics concentration also helps graduates pursue careers in corporate finance, international business, and accounting.

You can expect quick turnaround on grading and feedback from your instructors. Throughout the coursework, you’ll learn accounting principles and practices while reinforcing applicable transferable skills, such as written communication and creative thinking. The program also allows you to progress through Wiley Excel for Accounting certificates, helping you learn the most popular business tools in accounting. You could also earn college credit for previous work experience or professional credentials — saving you time and money. Learning online has become much more common for working adults in recent years.

Popular Career Certificates

Whether you wish to get a sense of your own finances or are dreaming of a career as a budget analyst of a Fortune 500 company, you will find a suitable course from this list. It’s time to master balance sheets, cash flows, CPA exams, and more with the best accounting courses available online. “I really appreciated the flexibility,” said Andrew Cyr ’21, who earned a graduate certificate. “Also, not having set class times was very appealing. With young children and a full-time job, I needed the flexibility to complete my work on my schedule.” You can talk with your admission counselor to make sure that the accounting certificate program you’re interested in is right for you and that it can help you fill your skills gap.

They help provide accounting firms, law offices and government agencies the evidence they need to uncover, assess and prosecute theft in both criminal and civil offenses. Aligned with the 2024 CPA exam changes, the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Accounting general program features embedded certificates to help you gain skills and credentials that can set you apart in your field. And with no set class times, 24/7 access to the online classroom, and helpful learning resources along the way, you’ll have everything you need to reach your goals.

Completion of the BS in Accounting degree alone does not adequately prepare learners to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam or to become licensed certified public accountants. A bachelor’s degree in accounting meets the educational requirement for careers like accountant and auditor. Earning a bachelor’s degree takes four years of full-time study, though some institutions offer accelerated programs.

Forensic Accountant

Especially if it is from one of the top business schools in the USA. As far as accounting courses go, “Introduction to Financial Accounting” by Coursera is as good as it gets. Certainly, but this beginner-friendly accounting class quickly demonstrates why I hold it in such high regard. With Southern New Hampshire University, you can not only earn an accounting certificate online, you can do so at your own pace, on a schedule that works for you. As an accounting professional, you can record and interpret financial records, ensure compliance, evaluate fiscal standing, offer guidance and prepare tax documents – for individuals, companies and government entities.

• Designed for those interested in learning business fundamentals more broadly, CORe program participants progress through the three courses in tandem, and the program concludes with a final exam.
• Completion of the BS in Accounting degree alone does not adequately prepare learners to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam or to become licensed certified public accountants.
• As a cherry on top, the course comes with a shareable certificate.
• The revised CPA will require candidates to be skilled in accounting, auditing and tax principles.
• With a bachelor’s degree in accounting, you can get started in an entry-level accounting job and work your way up to more senior roles as you gain experience.

Participants learn how to prepare and interpret financial statements—the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement—and calculate and interpret critical ratios. The course concludes with an introduction to forecasting and valuation. Financial Accounting was developed by leading Harvard Business School faculty and is delivered in an active learning the difference between gross and net revenue environment based on the HBS signature case-based learning method. This specialized path of study trains graduates to evaluate corporate merger plans, recommend acquisition strategies, and shepherd organizations through an acquisition. These skills help prepare professionals for careers in mergers and acquisitions, financial management, and risk analysis.

Earn an Accounting Certificate Online

In addition to a general accounting degree, students can pursue a concentration to specialize their education toward niche areas of the field — an especially beneficial option for learners with specific career goals. Accounting programs may include concentrations like auditing, financial accounting, forensic accounting, management accounting, and taxation. This usually involves taking up “articles” or work experience positions at an accredited accounting firm, working in one of the specialist roles within accounting. Many accounting graduates seek positions at the ‘Big Four’ audit firms, Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young and KPMG, which comprise huge international networks of professional service providers. Accounting students who specialize in public accounting often pursue CPA careers. In addition to an undergraduate accounting degree, CPAs typically need 30 additional credits to satisfy their state’s educational requirements for licensure.

Let’s move forward with one of the best-selling online accounting courses of Udemy. Throughout the years, Udemy has delivered some of the best beginner-friendly online courses on various topics. So, the “Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis” three-hour accounting class certainly deserves further inspection. The lessons never feel rushed, yet you never feel left behind either. So, who knows, maybe this accounting class is the start of something big for you.

Financial Statements

Even previously completely number-illiterate reviewers have noted that Bushee’s teachings have been key to them finally understanding accounting basics. So, if reading the balance sheet has previously got you covered cold sweat, this course will finally change all that. If you work in accounting or are interested in pursuing accounting as a career, a certificate can help. At SNHU, we’re committed to making education more accessible, by making it more affordable. Like many professions, accounting has evolved with growing advances in technology.

Your coursework will prepare you to work in accounting-related fields such as finance, tax planning, auditing, insurance and banking. In this course, you’ll learn the basic fundamentals of corporate finance. You’ll identify foundational concepts in corporate finance, such as NPV, Compound and Simple Interest, and Annuities versus Perpetuities. You’ll also learn how to apply the NPV framework to calculating fixed-income valuation and Equity, using hypothetical examples of corporate projects. By the end of this course, you’ll have honed your skills in calculating risk and returns to optimize investments, and be able to assess the right set of financial information to achieve better returns for your firm. The specialization then moves to financial accounting, enabling learners to read financial statements and to understand the language and grammar of accounting.

Learning accounting is not nearly as glamorous as learning to speed read, or as instantly useful as mastering Excel. First off, allow me to raise my hat to the instructor, Brian Bushee. Bushee knows that keeping the students engaged is as important as the lessons themselves. So, he has put in the effort to make learning about finance feel as captivating as possible.

• If you’re detail orientated, this degree program could lead to a successful accounting career.
• The online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Accounting is aligned to the 2024 CPA exam change, ensuring you build the skills you need to help prepare you to become a U.S.
• Some accountants even help track down financial criminals, while others take part in high-stakes investments.

The universal language of business, commerce and finance, accounting is perfect for students with a good head for numbers and analysis, a driving interest in business and a keen eye for detail. If you’re detail orientated, this degree program could lead to a successful accounting career. Learn how to maintain records of accounts and handle business transactions for sales, expenses, payments, purchases and inventories. You’ll learn to prepare, review and interpret financial reports, which is critical information that helps management make business decisions. You’ll also gain skills in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, computerized accounting software, payroll, cost accounting and tax preparation.