Here are some of the most common accounting occupations you may pursue with a bachelor’s degree:
Accountants examine financial records for both businesses and people to ensure that everything is in order and accordance with the law. An accountant’s annual pay is $71,550.
Financial analyst – if you like stocks, bonds, and other investments, this could be the job for you. Financial analysts assess risk and make investment recommendations to both businesses and individuals. A financial analyst’s annual pay is $81,590.
Auditor – An auditor gathers and analyzes a company’s financial information and tax records to uncover any faults, areas of non-compliance, or fraudulent operations. An auditor’s annual pay is $71,550.
Personal financial advisor – if you enjoy budgeting and planning for the future, this is a career route to consider. Personal financial counselors might work for themselves or a firm. They examine people’s Money to devise a financial strategy to help them reach their objectives. A personal financial advisor earns an average of $87,850 per year.
With a bachelor’s degree in accounting, you can take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) test in addition to working in any of these positions. However, to acquire your license, you must finish at least 150 credit hours. Keep in mind that most bachelor’s degree programs only provide 120 credits, so if becoming a CPA is your ultimate goal, you’ll need to look into other possibilities, like completing a master’s degree, to meet the 150-credit need. According to PayScale, the average CPA in the United States earns $86,468.
Obtaining an Accounting Master’s Degree Online
If you currently have a bachelor’s degree in accounting or are nearing completion and looking for methods to further your profession, a master’s degree is possible.
According to Chavez of Tatum, obtaining a master’s degree is especially helpful if your objective is to advance to an executive position such as a corporate controller or chief financial officer. “If you want to be in a leadership or executive level capacity in your career, a master’s degree tends to be looked at with a larger amount of priority from that employer’s standpoint,” Chavez adds.
A master’s degree can also help you make more Money. According to PayScale, a bachelor’s degree in accounting might earn between $47,000 and $95,000. Master’s degree holders, on the other hand, might make up to $136,000 per year.
Nonetheless, Chavez points out that a master’s degree alone is not always enough to advance to an executive role.
Employers will also consider how many years of job experience you have in the field when making their hiring decision. But, again, this is where an online degree can come in helpful.
You don’t have the usual time constraints of taking classes on campus when you enroll in an online program. This means you can take classes and complete coursework at your leisure, making it easier to continue earning job experience while studying.
Working while pursuing a degree, on the other hand, is one of the most significant problems of online learning. According to Buck of Purdue University Global, graduate students must devote 20 to 25 hours a week to their studies.
How much time will it take?
A master’s degree in accounting can be obtained online in one to two years, around the same time it would take to obtain your degree on campus. Programs are normally 30 to 36 credit hours long, while some, such as the one offered at Purdue University Global, can be as long as 52 credit hours.
Traditional programs are normally divided into semesters, which means that lessons span roughly 15 weeks, and you will have to juggle many courses simultaneously. However, just like the undergraduate online option, classes for online master’s programs are held every quarter. Thus, the majority of students take one course every six weeks, for two courses per quarter. Depending on the school, classes can be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of the two.
