Online Accounting Degree BS in Accounting / BS in Accounting and Finance

“Accounting is a great major because there are so many options," said Mona Stephens, accounting faculty lead at Southern New Hampshire University. "Everyone’s career path is a bit different. Do you want to go into public accounting, work within an organization as a management accountant, do taxes, work in government or a nonprofit, be an auditor?"

Like many professions, accounting has evolved with growing advances in technology. But at its core, Stephens said, it's always been about "telling the financial stories of a person or organization to allow for informed decision making."

Accountants may pursue a number of different job titles, including:

• Auditors. Review an organization’s financial records. Subcategories may include information technology auditors, who are tasked to evaluate financial data in technology systems, as well as internal/external auditors, who analyze financial resources and come up with solutions to reduce waste.
• Financial accountants. Handle financial reporting and prepare statements for shareholders, creditors, potential investors and the general public. Financial accounting plays a major role influencing a company's cost and budget, and therefore improving their overall financial standing.
• Government accountants. Work at the federal, state or local level to audit and prepare government records. You may also work with private businesses that interface with government entities.
• Public accountants. Prepare and audit tax returns for companies, government entities or individuals. You may work for a large accounting firm, or even work your way up to opening your own agency. Some public accountants have specialties including in fields such as criminal justice (read about how to become a forensic accountant). A certified public accountant (CPA) distinction is required.
• Management accountants. Help company management with budgets, cost analysis and strategic planning. Management accounting often involves making recommendations to streamline operations and drive business decisions.
• Tax accountants. Use specialized knowledge of government rules and regulations to prepare taxes and do income taxation planning for individuals, corporations and partnerships.

While the above roles represent the many different facets of accounting, these aren't the only options. An accounting degree can also prepare you for a number of other jobs in finance, such as:

• Financial examiner. With expert knowledge of financial law and lending practices, the financial examiner is responsible for keeping institutions compliant. You'll analyze and evaluate the health of financial institutions and protect consumers from risky loans. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, financial examiners earned $81,090 in 2019. In addition, the BLS predicted that job prospects would grow 7% through 2028, faster than the national average.¹ This is largely due to the fact that employers are continuing to seek expert help with federal regulatory compliance.
• Financial analyst. As a financial analyst, you'll work with organizations and individuals to evaluate investment opportunities such as stocks and bonds. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts strong job growth for financial analysts in the coming years – 6% through 2028, or about 20,300 new jobs overall.¹ Median annual salary for these jobs was reportedly $85,660 in 2018.¹
• Finance manager. If your goal is to ultimately take a management-level role, this could be the right path for you. As a financial manager, you'll not only take on critical responsibilities such as directing investment activities and developing long-term financial strategies, you'll supervise a team responsible for budgeting and reporting. The BLS reported that financial managers earned a median annual wage of $128,890 in 2019.¹ Job prospects also appear very promising in the coming years, as their skills are expected to be in high demand for employers across many industries. In fact, jobs are expected to grow 16% – much faster than the national average – through 2028.¹
• Chief financial officer. As a chief financial officer (CFO), you'll have the opportunity to lead the financial future of an organization, overseeing budget management, cost benefit analysis and securing new funding. The BLS reports that, through 2028, top executive jobs will grow 6% – or 150,600 new jobs overall.¹ In addition, the median annual wage for chief executives in 2019 was $183,270, well above median annual wage for all occupations in the same time frame.¹
• Budget analyst. By focusing on budget analysis, spending and funding, budget analysts take the reins in supporting public and private institutions organize their finances. Career prospects in this field appear promising through 2028, with jobs expected to grow on pace with the national average, according to the BLS.¹ Median annual wage for budget analysts was $76,540 in 2019.¹

Read more about what you can do with an accounting degree besides accounting.

If you're looking to earn your accounting degree online – you've come to the right place. SNHU is a leading provider of online education. And since we started as a business and accounting school back when we first opened our doors in 1932, we feel confident in our ability to train accountants for real-world success.

Learning online has become much more common for working adults in recent years. Not only do online courses give you more flexibility – they're more affordable, too. Southern New Hampshire University specifically has some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation. And since we've frozen tuition costs every year since 2012, we're making sure we keep it that way.

It's important to note that our online accounting degree programs also align with the Content and Skill Specification Outlines set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It is also accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). This means you'll have a credible, respected degree that can help position you for success in the field of accounting.

For Fernando Franco '15, earning a bachelor's degree in accounting has been a gateway to a better life.

"I was fed up with working at meager jobs where I was not going to go anywhere in life," said Franco, who worked as a package handler, putting in 12-hour days, a back-breaking job with low pay and little job security. "My father did his homework and found out that SNHU was the best university for me."

While earning a bachelor's is an important step to enter the field of accounting, you may want to take your career even further. If that's the case, you may want to consider one of these three major certifications. Please note that each designation will require a bachelor's degree along with additional requirements, depending on location.

Certified public accountant (CPA), certified management accountant (CMA) and chartered financial analyst (CFA) certifications are all valuable distinctions in the fields of finance and accounting. The one you choose depends on which path you'd like to take. Let's take a look:

Certified public accountant (CPA). If your goal is to work closely with clients to advise on financial matters, the CPA can help you get there. SNHU's program aligns with AICPA, making it an ideal start to the pathway toward CPA licensure. While requirements to sit for the exam vary by state, all states require a minimum of a bachelor's degree or 120 college credit hours to be eligible.

Certified management accountant (CMA). Many struggle to decide whether a CPA or CMA is right for them. Here are a few key differences: For one, the CPA is a state license, while the CMA is a globally recognized credential. The CPA helps prepare you for customer-facing areas of accounting, while the CMA is built for corporate finance. To become a CMA, you'll need to earn a bachelor's degree, complete 2 continuous years of management accounting or financial management experience and pass a 2-part exam.

Chartered financial analyst (CFA). If you're interested in becoming an investment management professional, the CFA is recognized as the industry gold standard. This designation is offered by the CFA Institute and requires many years of work and effort to achieve. Chartered financial analysts must pass a series of CFA exams, hold a bachelor's and complete four years of qualified professional experience.

We tend to think of a traditional bachelor's in a pretty straightforward way – in most cases, they take about 4 years to complete. While that may be true in many cases, the time it takes to earn your bachelor’s degree in accounting online depends on 2 things:

• The number of classes you take per term
• The number of credits you transfer into the program

This is all to say that you might be more ahead than you think. If you’ve earned general education credits or have previously taken classes in accounting, business or finance, you could have a considerable amount of your program already completed.

SNHU accepts up to 90 transfer credits for our undergraduate programs and also offers a free credit evaluation. This gives you the opportunity to look at all your previously earned credits and determine what is transferable to a bachelor's-level program. Once you have this information, you'll be able to determine the classes you'll need to take moving forward, as well as the amount of time it will take to graduate.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, typical entry-level education in accounting is a bachelor's degree.

If you'd like to test the waters, we also offer an associate in accounting. This can give you the opportunity to explore the field before committing to a 4-year program. The best part is, if you decide to continue on, you can easily transfer your credits to a bachelor's program – saving you time and tuition.

If you're committed to a career in accounting, and have done your research, you may have heard of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certifications. While not required, these highly-regarded certifications may help you stand out to employers.

Melanie Karbowski '14 had enjoyed a brief career as a revenue assurance analyst at a startup. But after her children were born, she left the workplace to be a full-time mom at home. When her youngest started kindergarten, Karbowski, then 35, was a freshman in college, excited to prepare for a career in forensic accounting.

But she never dreamed that she would go so far or experience so much success. Today, she couldn't be happier with where she is or where is going.

"For a girl who barely made it out of high school, I am now ready to graduate with a 3.9 GPA," she said just before graduating.