All About Certificate Programs in Accounting

In this article the author gives details on the types of certificate programs availble when taking accounting classes at a traditional university or online accounting classes:

With the economy going through its changes, many of us are looking to enhance, improve and even change their career paths. If a career in accounting is what you want to do, then you need to know about the different accounting certificate programs to get you going where you want to be!

With the rise of specialization-specific career options and opportunities, getting a certificate or degree in your area of expertise is the right thing to do to ensure that your career options stay on top of the changing economic scenario. There are a variety of certificate programs in accounting which will definitely help you fast track your accounting career path.

Certified Public Accountant or CPA is the most popular accounting certificate program which many accountants opt for. It is a well known fact that the examinations are not quite easy to pass. Gaining this certification, however, ensures that you stay ahead of the game in your accounting career.

Certified Management Accounting or CMA is sponsored by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). The certification program requires a Bachelors Degree or the CPA certification, along with completing the CMA examination. You also need to have experience in the relevant accounting field. This qualifies you to become a member of the IMA.

Certified Financial Manager or CFM is also sponsored by the IMA. This certification gives you an expertise with financial markets and instruments, managing investor relations, risk management, corporate restructuring and analyzing financial statements.

Certified Internal Auditor or CIA is sponsored by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). This enables you to become an expert in internal auditing processes. You will need to have a Bachelor’s Degree and relevant work experience along with passing the certification examination.

Certified Financial Planner or CFP is an examination offered by The College for Financial Planning and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Along with completing their examination, you will need to have a Bachelor’s Degree and at least 3 years of experience in the relevant field.

Chartered Financial Analyst or CFA is a certification sponsored by The Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR). Apart from a Bachelor’s Degree, you will need to have at least 3 years of experience in investment decision making processes.

Certified Fraud Examiner or CFE is sponsored by by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Members specialize in the investigation, detection and the deterrence of white-collar crime and fraud. You will need to have a Bachelor’s Degree, have at least 3 years of experience in the relevant field, and pass the certification exam.

Certified Government Financial Manager or CGFM is offered by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA). Members are knowledgeable and skilled in governmental accounting, budgeting and financial reporting along with financial management and control within the government. This prestigious position requires you to have a Bachelor’s Degree, and relevant experience along with passing the certification examination.

With these top accounting certificate programs you can certainly send your accounting career on to the fast track of success!

To Know more about top accounting programs offered at top accounting schools visit http://accountingprogramsu.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davy_Reiner

- This handy article gives a good overview of the various accounting certifications that are available, allowing you a broad view of the career paths available.

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Do Online Accounting Classes Count Towards the CPA Exam Education Requirement?

If you are considering an online accounting class as a way of advancing in your accounting or finance career, you are no doubt wondering whether your class will count toward the CPA exam requirement. No one wants to spend all that time and money on an online accounting class, only to find out that it doesn’t help them qualify toward the exam at the end!

So, to answer this question, you should first know what the CPA exam’s educational requirements are. In order to qualify for the exam, you generally must have a bachelor’s degree in some field (not necessarily accounting). In addition, you should have at least 150 hours of college credit, and of those, 24 must be accounting class credit and 24 must be business credits other than accounting class credit. While this may vary depending on your level of education and/or the state in which you reside, these requirements are what you should keep in mind as you think about an online accounting class.

In order to make sure that the online accounting class of your choice meets this requirement, you should visit that school’s website to see a number of things. First of all, it is imperative that they are an accredited, Title-IV eligible institution, or else the work you have put in might not be recognized. Be wary of “degree mills,” which are institutions posing as accredited colleges that will give you unhelpful degrees. Avoid this unfortunate situation by thoroughly researching the institution of your choice to make sure that it will meet the necessary requirements. Another thing to look at when you visit the online accounting college website is whether they have the flexibility that you need in an online class, and to see if your credits from a previous institution are transferrable, if applicable.

Luckily, accounting is a growing field and a smart bet for the future. Taking an online accounting class proactively while you get valuable experience on the job might even be a smarter plan than trying to go to school full-time. Accounting firms prioritize experience, so working a job in the field while you take the online accounting class is an excellent way to stay on top of your career goals.

On the whole, online accounting classes can and do meet the CPA exam requirements. Once you sign up for them, if the school is accredited, you are held to the same high standards that an accredited brick-and-mortar institution adheres to. The advantages of an online accounting class are more flexibility and the chance to advance without having to pick up and move to a college campus. The ability to keep your day job and work towards a degree that will allow you take the CPA exam makes an online accounting class an excellent option, especially for busy professionals who want to be more marketable.

Give yourself the chance to advance in a hot field and check out the variety of online accounting classes offered to see if there’s one that’s right for you!

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Jobs Available after Earning an Accredited Online Accounting Degree

Choosing to obtain an accredited online degree in accounting may be a wise decision indeed. The fact is all businesses need an accountant, so the opportunities that exist for those with accounting degrees are varied indeed. The median salary for an account is a little over $40,000, but with experience and the right opportunity, accountants can make many times this amount.

Entering into the world of accounting is not as basic a profession as some people think. Many folks tend to see accountants as number crunching analysts, who do one thing and one thing only, but the field of accounting has opened up immensely over the years and the opportunities are growing all the time.

The first and most popular job is as a CPA, or certified public accountant. CPA’s usually handle the accounting and bookkeeping needs of a variety of businesses and takes care of things such as payroll, quarterly taxes, and even profit and loss statements. This is an incredibly important job and is one of the main ways that businesses can keep track of what their profit and loss is and how they can maximize profit in the future. CPA’s often help businesses become more successful just by analyzing the bottom line numbers they report.

Another job available to those with an accredited online accounting degree is that of an on staff accountant. What this means is that the accounting will be done for one particular business, rather than for several. This position is usually offered by larger companies who have payrolls of $500,000 or more yearly. Some larger corporations have whole accounting divisions where each accountant will focus on a different area of the business as a specialty and pay particular attention to the financial statements of their area, and the reports they file will be integrated into larger ones using information obtained by the other accountant’s on staff. This type of position can be very lucrative and is often rewarded with bonuses based on increasing profit of the company.

There are certainly many more positions that are available to those with online accounting degrees, but the last one I will mention for now involves crime. Not COMMITTING crime, but solving it. For those folks who have both a skill and knowledge in accounting and are interested in policy work, they may choose to seek a position as a forensic accountant. This unique job opportunity will require the accountant to analyze financial reports and information provided by the police or other law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes to help in convicting criminals of wrongdoing. Some may see this as simply white collar investigations, but in actuality, forensic accountants have used financial information to track and convict all types of criminals including some of the most heinous murderers of our time.

Choosing to obtain an accredited online accounting degree can be rewarding in many ways and as you can see by the examples above, will afford you exciting opportunities in all facets of business. Make sure to take your time when picking an online school, and make sure it is an accredited institution.

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