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Katrina Jagroop-Gomez working with peers with text Katrina Jagroop-Gomez '15

Accounting Certificate Online Career Focused Courses

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Register By: May 01 Classes Start: May 03
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Earn an Accounting Certificate Online

  • $320 per credit for 18 credits
  • Develop key accounting industry knowledge and skills
  • Complete in as few as 6 months
  • Program accredited by ACBSP
  • Supplement your bachelor's with a certificate
  • Upskill to help you kick off your career – or take it further
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Accounting Certificate Online Program Overview

Enhance your knowledge of accounting principles and practices with an undergraduate Certificate in Accounting online. Whether the certificate is your first step toward a degree or a means to improve your skills, this customizable program provides the training you'll need to excel in today's competitive workplace. This certificate is a good supplement to an existing bachelor’s degree, or you can use this coursework as part of a bachelor of science degree in accounting.

You'll learn how to interpret and use financial statements and apply financial, managerial and accounting principles. You can also customize your certification with 6 credits of electives. This certificate may help you grow your career and prepare you to complete a bachelor’s degree in accounting and or a bachelor's in finance, or could supplement any bachelor’s degree you have already completed.

Learn how to:

  • Gain fundamental accounting skills
  • Prepare financial statements in accordance with industry standards
  • Explore the financial impact of short-term and long-term business decisions
  • Address intricate accounting scenarios such as recording complex financial statement elements

Career Outlook

The accounting certificate is a strong supplement to a bachelor’s degree, especially for anyone who may already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-business field. Whether you need basic skills for entry-level positions or want to gain knowledge for promotion or job transfer within your current organization, this certificate could help you get closer to your end goal.

Earning an accounting certificate provides a solid foundation in accounting principles and practices. This work can prepare you for entry-level accounting positions in nearly any industry. With a suite of general accounting courses under your belt, you should be ready to start or advance in an exciting career in accounting, auditing or even finance.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for accountants and auditors between 2018 and 2028 is 6%, which is on par with the national average for all professions.1 However, a certificate alone is not enough to qualify you for a career in accounting. A bachelor's degree in a related field, such as business, is generally a necessary accompaniment, at minimum.

If your interest is in applying the knowledge you gain from online accounting courses toward an entry-level job in bookkeeping, accounting and auditing, there are many possible career paths where you could benefit from an accredited accounting certification program online:

  • Bookkeeper: In this role, you may oversee a company’s financial inputs and outputs and their budget. You may be responsible for maintaining the books showing all accounts payable and receivable. You may also be in charge of processing payroll and completing other work such as producing financial reports and making general ledger entries.
  • Accounting technician or assistant: These entry-level roles involve managing day-to-day accounting tasks. You may prepare financial reports, handle petty cash or conduct general office administration such as invoicing and communicating with vendors. General accounting duties are the hallmark of this role, including reconciling bank statements, recording revenue or managing accounts receivable and customer billing.
  • Auditing clerk: Attention to detail is a particular must with this role, as the auditing clerk will combine bookkeeping, accounting and general financial recording for an organization. Ensuring accuracy across all financial documents is key.
  • Financial reporting clerk: Administrative financial work is one part of this role, while the main responsibilities include record keeping and financial reporting.
  • Accounts payable and accounts receivable administrator: Every company has money that goes out and comes in, and needs a professional to manage that flow. Serving as an administrator of accounts payable, accounts receivable or both means you may track that cash flow and ensure that bills are paid on time, on an incoming and outgoing basis.

Whichever the role you take, your expertise in accounting – as well as the communication, analytical and creative thinking skills developed through each of your accounting classes online – can help prepare you to not just succeed, but to excel, in the career path of your dreams.

Start Your Journey Toward an Online Accounting Certificate

Courses & Curriculum

The accounting certificate online program is designed with your career trajectory in mind.

Every student will take 4 courses (12 credits) in general accounting. This suite of major courses is meant to provide the foundation you need to earn a key credential that will help move your career in accounting forward by setting you apart from your peers.

The 4 major courses may include:

  • Financial Accounting: This course details the accounting lifecycle. It includes instruction on preparing financial statements and learning rules and best practices as defined by industry standards. The focus is on both finance and communication skills, as stakeholder communication is a vital part of this coursework and of the profession of accounting.
  • Managerial Accounting: The impact of both short- and long-term business decisions is this focus of this course. Improving the performance of any organization through best practices, as well as using accounting principles to create and advance business value, are also covered.
  • Intermediate Accounting: More advanced instruction on the accounting lifecycle is covered here. Also addressed are more intricate accounting scenarios and how to manage them. Application of theoretical frameworks, standards and regulations of accounting as well as preparation of statements and reports may also be covered.
  • Federal Taxation 1: An understanding of tax laws is a crucial part of professional accountancy. In this course, you may expect to dive in to the Internal Revenue Service tax code and focus on applying laws and standards relating to taxes and how they related to general accountancy. You may also learn to prepare federal tax returns.

While these courses are designed to present the foundation of accountancy as a profession, they each also incorporate transferable skills that can help in any business environment. Any position that involves working with numbers includes the need to communicate findings to stakeholders. A variety of written communication and creative thinking exercises and practice is included across the curriculum along with the best practices of professional accountancy.

Once these 12 credits are successfully completed, you will have the option of choosing 6 credits from the catalog of undergraduate accounting courses. There is a wide variety, so that you may customize your focus for the remaining 2 courses and apply this certificate directly to your career path.

Elective courses may include choices like:

  • Accounting Information Systems: Explore business processes related to accounting systems, including documentation of internal controls. You may learn accounting applications and types of software commonly used in the profession. Data analysis and problem solving are hallmarks of this course.
  • Accounting for Nonprofit Organizations: Specific to nonprofit organizations, this course presents accounting principles geared to the way that nonprofits function. It includes discussion on the unique structure, governance, legal requirements and tax issues surrounding the management of a nonprofit.
  • Cost Accounting: Cost data is the focus in the course, including how you may record, classify and report this data. Planning and control processes are covered, as are budgeting, job order and process. Special topics relating to cost accounting may also be covered.
  • Auditing and Forensic Accounting: If the world of criminal investigation interests you, consider this course. Focusing on the many ways that accounting expertise can be used to solve white-collar crime, you may learn how to recognize and investigate fraud, as well as how to control and prevent it, all from an accounting perspective.

Throughout the coursework, you'll learn accounting principles and practices while reinforcing applicable transferable skills, such as written communication and creative thinking. Each course is taught by instructors with professional credentials and experience in their respective fields.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation.

Online Undergraduate Programs Per Course Per Credit Hour
Degree/Certificates $960 $320
Degree/Certificates
(U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty)*		 $675 $225

Tuition Rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.
*Note: students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.

Additional Costs
No Application Fee, $150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)

Frequently Asked Questions

University Accreditation

Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) as well as several other accrediting bodies.

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References