At Home Accounting Courses
Distance education is growing in popularity as a result of convenience and availability. Distance education courses provide students with opportunities to obtain increased control over their learning pace and environment. Students are able to earn college credit toward a career that is rewarding, flexible and well-respected. Programs in accounting are particularly popular, and readily available online from accredited educational institutions. Students can earn college credit in accounting that will count toward a diploma or degree; many prepare students to become a CPA (certified public accountant).
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Institutions
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Institutions offering associate and bachelor's degree programs in accounting include Kaplan University, DeVry University and University of Phoenix. Other institutions that offer an online bachelor's degree program include Everest University, Walden University and Colorado Technical University.
Courses
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Accounting courses vary based on the program. Accounting courses included as part of the associate program at Kaplan University include financial accounting, managerial accounting and federal taxation. A bachelor's degree program includes additional courses such as managerial, forensic, tax and public accounting. The University of California at Berkeley offers a seven-course certificate program in accounting. Professional bookkeeping courses are also offered by various online institutions.
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Costs
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The costs of accounting courses vary by institution and program. The tuition per credit hour at Kaplan University is $371 per credit hour, while the cost is $350 per credit hour at DeVry University. Courses can range between three and five credit hours, which can result in an average cost per course of $1,100 to $1,800 in addition to other fees. The certificate in accounting offered by the University of California at Berkeley has an average cost of $5,000. (All figures as of 2011.)
Benefit
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The benefit of online accounting courses is convenience. Students at online-focused schools such as University of Phoenix are able to take classes without having to give up their full-time jobs. This can be extremely beneficial financially, even potentially reducing the amount of debt a student incurs.
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