Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Six Accounting Courses You Cannot Afford to Miss

Career Center - by Carie Bishop

Employment of American-based accountants and auditors is expected to grow a healthy 18 percent during the decade between 2006 and 2016, adding more than 225,000 jobs. The best prospects will be for those earning a CPA, however hiring will be brisk all across the post-secondary-degree spectrum. If you’re looking into training, here are six accounting courses you should add to your class schedule:

Taxation
Taxes affect business decisions no matter the size of the company. Federal taxation courses should cover topics such as tax planning, capital gains and losses, partnerships, and corporations. Combine studies in finance and strategy with taxation. Learn about taxes in relation to compensation, investments, regulated industries, mergers and acquisitions, and financial instruments. Stretch your studies to include statewide, federal, and multinational tax issues.

Auditing
Learn to integrate contemporary auditing software and methodology. Take coursework that embraces a range of subjects covering auditing ethics, professional standards, legal liability, and reporting rules. Classes should expose you to the contemporary auditing environment.

Financial Accounting
Classes cover the basics of compiling financial data for internal and external stakeholders of a business entity including management, investors, creditors, and government agencies. Master basic principles of financial statements, inventories, bonds, compensation, stockholder equity, fixed-assets, income statements, and cash flows.

Managerial Accounting
Learn the methodology for interpretation of accounting reports, performing cost control and analysis, and measuring performance. Topics can include cost behavior, job costing, projected performance, product pricing, and contemporary accounting software (accounting cycle, relational databases, internal control structures, and enterprise planning programs).

Fraud Examination and Auditing
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established reporting and auditing standards for all U.S. public company boards, management, and public accounting companies. That means new jobs for accountant/auditors who are well versed in uncovering, investigating, documenting, and reporting occupational and financial fraud.

Business Organization
Your studies should lead to a comprehensive understanding in how to apply your coursework across the major business types: sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies. Knowing how to offer your skills to government agencies and non-profit corporations will further broaden your overall appeal in the workplace.

Interested in Fast & Flexible Accounting Education? Find accounting degrees online.

Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics