A Guide to Earning an Associate Degree in Accounting (2024)

FAQs

Is an associates degree enough for accounting? ›

If your goal is to become a full-fledged accountant, you'll need to earn a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree is required for staff accountant roles. For senior, management and leadership roles, a bachelor's degree is a must and a master's degree may be beneficial to set yourself apart.

Earning a degree in accounting can be challenging due to the complex nature of the subject matter, however it is not necessarily categorized as math-heavy. Students who are dedicated, diligent, and hard-working can successfully earn an accounting degree.

The classes and techniques you learn during a nursing program are less likely to be familiar. This may present a challenge for some students, but others can take to the new field naturally and may find it to be easier than the advanced mathematics of an accounting degree.

With an associate degree in accounting, you'll take core accounting, business, and communications courses. In the bachelor's degree program, you'll expand that knowledge with courses in auditing, finance, and advanced accounting theory.

An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Accounting: An associate of applied science (AAS) in accounting will cover basic accounting principles, as well as analytic skills and problem-solving.

Getting your degree in accounting really isn't any more difficult than any other potential field of study. Just like any other program, you'll run into some elements of accounting that are complex, but you may also find some of it to be relatively intuitive, or even easy.

Basic arithmetic—addition, subtraction, multiplication and division—is at the core of the accounting math skills that accountants need. Companies rely on accountants to square their balance sheets, ensuring that the organization stays in the black.

Financial Statement Analysis

It is typically considered one of the most challenging courses in Accounting. Complexity: Requires a solid understanding of accounting principles and financial statement components. Analytical Skills: Develops the ability to analyze financial data and draw meaningful conclusions.

You don't need to be a math whiz to be an accountant. Your not going to use Algebra or Calculus to do the job. Attention to detail and being meticulous are more important. Software these days takes care of a lot of the mistakes done years ago on paper.

Both CPAs and nurse practitioners can earn respectable salaries, but on average, CPAs tend to earn higher incomes over their careers. The average salary for a CPA in the United States is around $120,000 per year, while the average salary for a nurse practitioner is roughly $110,000 annually.

Is accounting easy to pass? ›

The overall CPA Exam pass rates hover slightly below 50%. This makes passing the CPA Exam a difficult, but achievable, goal. You'll need to study wisely, set a strategy for managing your time, and call on your support network, but with the right plan and good study materials, you will conquer it.

If you are looking strictly at money then an accountant can and often does make more than the typical nurse.

Job Opportunities

Many associate degree programs will prepare you for the workforce instead of focusing exclusively on academic courses. You'll gain valuable real-world experience that can benefit you in various types of jobs while developing specific skills relevant to your field of study.

There are four types of degrees. In order of level of education, they rank as associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's or graduate degrees, and doctorate or professional degrees.

An associate degree is not a prerequisite to earn a bachelor's degree, you can skip an associate degree and go straight to a bachelor's degree. However, one option you may want to consider is earning your associate degree at a community college prior to transferring to a four-year university.

Depending on your field, an associate degree may help you meet the minimum requirement for many jobs, but actually landing a job takes more than that. With an associate degree in hand, you may also want to consider advancing to the next college degree level.

Aspiring accountants need a bachelor's degree in accounting or business to begin work in the field. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years and 120 credits to complete. Those with an associate degree might enter the field as bookkeepers or accounting clerks.

How to List an Associate Degree on Your Resume. As previously suggested, write out the full name of your associate degree followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis. If you have limited years of experience, you'll likely include your GPA and academic awards in this section.

An economics double major will complement an accounting degree smoothly because you will learn how to use reason and logic to identify and resolve complex issues. This can be found in any business as they all rely on financial data to create a plan for the future.