Accounting Certificate Programs
Accounting certificate programs are courses designed to educate you in the particulars of accounting and bookkeeping. Many schools have courses lasting an average of six to twelve months that offer basic training in accounting principals. Whether you're looking for certification or an accounting degree, you can find reputable courses available online and locally, allowing you to gain your education at your convenience.
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Function
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Accounting certificate programs offer instruction in the basics of double entry bookkeeping, managing accounts receivable and accounts payable, running payroll, preparing income taxes, reconciling bank statements, and preparing other financial documents. These certificate programs allow graduates to begin a career in accounting and bookkeeping, or they can be a stepping stone to an accounting MBA.
Significance
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Earning a certificate in accounting and bookkeeping will allow you to qualify for an entry level accounting or bookkeeping job. Every type of business, small or large, profit or non profit, requires some type of bookkeeping and accounting. You could also start your own home bookkeeping business with the appropriate certifications.
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Types
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Some schools offer diploma programs in accounting while others offer certificate programs. The difference between an AS, Applied Science, degree and a certificate of accounting lies in the years of school required to complete the degree and in the additional education offered by the degree programs. It takes longer to get an accounting degree as you need to take introductory business courses along with more advanced accounting classes. Both types of courses are available online and from local colleges.
Features
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Accounting certificate programs offer students practical application techniques for profit and loss calculation, payable and receivable record keeping, tax preparation, and budgeting and cash flow analysis. In addition, most courses offer computer software instruction, typically Quickbooks and Microsoft Excel spreadsheet information as these are widely used in corporate accounting.
Considerations
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Before choosing an accounting certificate program, evaluate your goals. If you plan to become an accountant, find a degree program that will transfer your credits earned to an accounting MBA program. If owning your own bookkeeping business is your dream, an accounting certificate program will work for you. There are colleges online which offer free accounting courses so that you can explore the principals and basic of accounting before spending money on a program. The websites for these colleges are mit.edu, open.ac.uk, cmu.edu, scob.alaska.edu, uci.edu and kutztownsbdc.org, to name a few. Most offer courses with no registration required.
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Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.ccny.cuny.edu
