The field of accounting comes with a lot of choices. As every business needs some form of accounting personnel, you may qualify for all accounting positions with your online Bachelor of Accounting degree. In addition, accounting degrees are needed in all types of businesses, whether it is a small family-owned business selling cars or a huge conglomerate manufacturing mobile home parts. Do accounting jobs depend on the economy, you ask? Perhaps in some industries it might, but, for the most part, if money is being exchanged, accounting employees are needed to accommodate the size of the company.
Before beginning an online Bachelor’s degree in Accounting program, you should do your own research about the qualifications needed for the type of accounting career you wish to pursue. Do you have an interest in becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)? Will you need additional training? Would a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree be better for your intended career? This is a choice most students will need to make before choosing a program that is right for them.
But, what is the difference in an online B.A. and B.S. degree program in Accounting? Ask yourself if you only want to focus on accounting or perhaps, you would like to broaden your education with additional learning experiences. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program will allow you to do just that. It will require fewer credits in your major of accounting, however, it will require credits in the liberal arts subjects, such as, fine arts, humanities, English, science and maybe a foreign language. In addition to your accounting coursework, you can choose several elective courses.
Through a B.A. program in accounting, you will not earn enough credits to sit for the Certified Public or Certified Management Accountant certification exams. You will need additional coursework hours to fulfill the requirements.
If you would like to focus your attention primarily on accounting and accounting only, an online Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree program will be the most beneficial program for you. Of course, through your associate degree coursework, you will have received the basics of accounting. Through your bachelor’s program you can expect to concentrate on a variety of subjects, however, they should specifically focus on your interest in accounting. A B.S. program will expose you to many types of employment options. As some elective courses may be required, there certainly will not be as many required as with the B.A. program.
Do you have a specific career goal in mind? Perhaps, the B.S. program is best suited for those that do. As previously stated, if your intentions are to become a CPA or CMA, additional credit hours are required to sit for the exams. In some bachelor’s degree programs, your hours are sufficient to sit for the CPA exam, however, in most cases, you will need to complete a certain number of additional credit hours through a master’s program to qualify to take the exam. If time is of importance to you, please research the program before signing on to see which program fits your needs the best, for they all have different requirements and degree outcomes.
If you are interested in this field, please see our list of the Top 20 Online Accounting Degree Programs that we have composed for your review!