Careers with Online Accounting Degree Programs

If you want to become a qualified accountant, you can consider a variety of degree programs either through traditional mode or through online education. These degree programs can help you to choose from different career options. Some of the highly paid careers with an accounting degree are that of loan officers, bank officers, underwriters, tax collectors and actuaries or specialized careers like FBI agents, commodities traders, IRS investigators, securities brokers or chief financial officers.

Choosing an Online Accounting Degree

An Online Accounting Degree can help you gain knowledge and necessary skills to develop a lucrative career. It trains you to conduct auditing, taxpaying and financial management. Based on your academic qualifications and license, you can choose to become an accountant or a certified public accountant CPA. Apart from these, you can even opt to become a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).

Apart from these, based on the specialization chosen, you can even opt for careers in areas like forensic, public accounting and taxes enabling you to develop careers in niche areas. For a CPA or CMA, you need to complete 150 hours of coursework with a concentration in business and accounting. While an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree can help you to get an entry level job, a master’s degree prepares you for a licensing exam and allows you to work as a licensed accountant.
Other career options include forensic accounting (which includes investigating and collecting evidence for financial fraud or tax evasion) or financial accounting (this involves compilation and development of financial statements for suppliers, banks, stockholders and the government). You can even consider becoming a CFO, Controller, General Accountant, Financial Analyst, Financial Planner or CEO based on the educational qualification chosen.

Career Outlook with an Accounting Degree

The career outlook with an accounting degree is quite bright. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, career options for accountants are estimated to grow at a very fast pace and are likely to be faster than other industries during 2008 to 2018. While a CPA can earn about $40,500, the salary for tax accountants is about $39,700 and a financial controller with experience can earn a salary of about $67,400. Moreover, tax manager can earn about $84,400. If you have a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, your salary can be about 1.8 times more than of those without a degree.
To develop a lucrative career in accounting, you need to have a license and this you can get with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Any license in accounting can authorize you to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Therefore, accounting degrees at various academic levels are quite valuable and help you to earn better positions as well as a higher salary.