Accounting Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

An Accounting major teaches you to record, analyze, report and audit financial information. Accounting majors learn financial and managerial accounting, tax, auditing and accounting information systems.

An Accounting major includes coursework in financial accounting, managerial and cost accounting, federal income tax, auditing, and accounting information systems and more. You build skills such as financial reporting, tax preparation, auditing, and spreadsheets and accounting software. Typical degrees: associate, bachelor's and master's degrees.

Typical courses include financial accounting, managerial and cost accounting, federal income tax, auditing, accounting information systems, and business law. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Accounting is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. In the latest federal data, 738 colleges reported certificate awards, 733 colleges reported associate awards, 1,080 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 474 colleges reported master’s awards, and 16 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to accounting include accountant, bookkeeper, tax preparer, budget analyst, financial examiner, financial analyst, payroll clerk, and billing clerk. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include accountant (typical training: 4+ years), bookkeeper (typical training: 3–12 months), tax preparer (typical training: 1–3 months of tax training), budget analyst (typical training: Entry-level with a degree), financial examiner (typical training: Several years of exam training), and financial analyst (typical training: 4 years).

Accounting majors build skills such as financial reporting, tax preparation, auditing, spreadsheets and accounting software, and accuracy and ethics.

Good pairings include Finance (adds investment and corporate finance knowledge), Information Systems (prepares you for accounting technology and audit of IT systems), Data Analytics (prepares you for data-driven auditing and analysis), and Legal Studies (helps with tax law, contracts and compliance).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as accountant, bookkeeper, and tax preparer, and enjoy subjects like financial accounting and managerial and cost accounting. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes financial accounting, managerial and cost accounting, and federal income tax; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

1,884 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (152), New York (109), Texas (101), Pennsylvania (100), and Illinois (81), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

1,656 of the colleges that offer accounting also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Accounting teaches you to record, analyze, report and audit financial information. Business Administration is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Accounting leads to careers such as accountant and bookkeeper, while Business Administration leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager.

Accounting teaches you to record, analyze, report and audit financial information. Marketing studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Accounting leads to careers such as accountant and bookkeeper, while Marketing leads to careers such as marketing manager and digital marketing specialist.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to accounting, such as Accountant Training.