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Online Education Blog
accounting
Earning an Accounting Degree in an Online Classroom
Online college education continues to grow in popularity for the flexibility and accessibility the format offers. Students value being able to complete their online degrees while continuing to work or seek employment, and maintain their at-home life. A concern that some students have before enrolling into online courses is how specific classes or courses will work in an online format.
For accounting courses, the transition to online is easy.
“Accounting is particularly well-suited for the online environment,” said Jeff Edwards, Accounting Instructor, Linfield Adult Degree Program. “The technology and the learning tools in accounting are probably more advanced compared to other subjects. For example, a pre-formatted Excel template used for homework helps save students time, so they can concentrate their focus on accounting concepts, rather than Excel set-up.”
Online accounting degree programs utilize a number of tools that help students during their studies so while they study and learn, they are also able to receive immediate feedback. The Homework Manager System is one such tool. This program allows students to work through practice problems while receiving immediate feedback to help students learn and understand the concepts before they attempt the graded problems. Instructors can also provide students with audio and visual resources, such as narrated PowerPoint lectures that are incorporated into the online classes to enhance learning.
Though a class may be online, the instructor-student interaction is still crucial to learning. In addition to the various tools that can be used to help students earn their online accounting degrees, instructors are available to answer questions, participate in online discussions and provide feedback on course work.
Returning to college as an adult is a big decision. In addition to some of the normal factors one must consider, including degree and institution, prospective students must also decide between a more traditional, campus-based college or earning their college degree online. Some students may prefer the structure and tradition of earning a degree in-person and on-campus. Others may prefer or need the convenience and flexibility that online classes offer. Online classes allow individuals to advance their education while still maintaining other commitments they have in their lives.
For individuals considering going back to college to earn an accounting degree, online education options are available. For more information on Linfield’s Adult Degree Program online accounting degree, please contact us.
Jeff Edwards, CPA, Accounting Instructor at Linfield College and Portland Community College, contributed to this article.
4 Ways to Use your Experience to Earn an Accounting Degree
If you’re considering pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting here’s a useful tip: brainstorm all the different ways your life experience – professional, academic, and personal – has prepared you for this degree. There are lots of ways to leverage your past experience to help you earn an accounting degree. Here’s how:
- CLEP Exam: The College Level Examination Program, or CLEP for short, allows students to earn credit for knowledge they’ve already acquired through independent study, prior course work, on-the-job training, or professional development, by taking an exam. You can challenge several business courses required in Linfield’s Accounting Degree Program through CLEP exams. Linfield also recognizes the DANTES exams that are comparable to CLEP exams. DANTES is for military personnel and stands for Defense Activity for Non-traditional Educational Support.
- Prior Course Work: If you’ve ever completed an associate or bachelor’s degree or taken courses at an accredited community college or four-year college, that coursework will likely count toward your accounting degree. Your assigned advisor after you Request Information about the Linfield accounting degree can help give you an idea which courses will count toward your degree.
- Prior Learning Assessment: One way to earn college credit toward your accounting degree for life experience involves taking a special Linfield course, the Prior Learning Portfolio course, which is designed to teach you to prepare a portfolio that carefully analyzes and documents your prior learning. For example, a small business owner may have acquired both the practical and theoretical knowledge equivalent to BUSN 423 Entrepreneurship and BUSN 321 Marketing. Students in the Linfield Adult Degree Program may earn as many as 31 of the required 125 semester credits through the portfolio process.
- Internship for College Credit: During the time you’re pursuing an accounting degree at Linfield, secure an internship at a local accounting firm, or business organization. Hours worked at the firm can transfer into college credits toward your degree. Discuss your interest in arranging for an internship with your academic advisor at Linfield early in your program.
There are a variety of opportunities and ways to utilize work experience and put it toward college credits. Though each person’s experience is unique, Linfield’s Adult Degree Program can help you determine if you are able to gain credit for your knowledge and experience en route to earning an accounting degree online.
Online Accounting Degree or Certificate: Which to Choose?
Linfield College Adult Degree Program offers both a bachelor’s degree and a post baccalaureate certificate in accounting. We frequently hear from prospective students wondering what the major differences between these programs are so they can decide which is right for them.
Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the two programs:
Prerequisites
Prerequisites for each program are different. In order to enter the accounting certificate, you must have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college (in any major), and completed the equivalent of Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting. Linfield College offers these courses during the fall and spring semesters. You may also transfer the credits to Linfield from Financial and Managerial Accounting courses.
Linfield’s accounting degree, on the other hand, is a full bachelor’s degree. Requirements include general education courses (the Linfield Curriculum) and courses in the accounting major. If you have completed credits from accredited community colleges and four-year colleges and universities, they may transfer to Linfield to satisfy some of the degree requirements.
Number of Courses
The Linfield post bacc accounting certificate requires a student to take six courses in addition to the prerequisites. These courses are:
- BUSN 361 Intermediate Accounting I
- BUSN 362 Intermediate Accounting II
- BUSN 461 Cost Accounting
- BUSN 466 Advanced Accounting
- BUSN 468 Federal Income Tax
- BUSN 469 Auditing
The Accounting Degree Program, on the other hand, looks much like a regular bachelor’s degree. Courses will include all of the courses in the accounting major, the general Linfield Curriculum education requirements and the math courses of statistics and calculus. Linfield College waives the general education requirements for those with a first bachelor’s degree who decide to earn a second bachelor’s degree in a different field from the first.
Goals
The outcome of completing an accounting degree or certificate is similar. Both the accounting certificate and bachelor’s degree program help prepare you sit for the CPA exam. Both programs advance your career in the field of accounting, whether you’re new to the industry or mid-career. Higher accounting education will be a valuable addition to your resume and can be a great foot in the door if you are job hunting.
Background
For someone who currently holds a bachelor’s degree, choosing to earn a post baccalaureate accounting certificate may be the preferred route. This achievement of knowledge is a recognized asset to one’s resume for career advancement. That was the case for Jeremy Gingerich, who completed an accounting certificate online after working in sales for Ford.
Those students who wish to dive more deeply into the areas of study in management, finance and accounting, may prefer earning the bachelor’s degree in accounting. If this is your first bachelor’s degree, the Linfield Curriculum provides the wonderful opportunity to study areas spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences and social-behavioral sciences.
A study by the U.S. Department of Labor revealed that the projected growth rate for accounting careers is estimated to increase more than 22 percent before 2014, making this an attractive field of study. The decision on which accounting program to choose is different for each individual. Make the decision that works best for you based on your past education, experience and future goals.
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