Accounting (Associate's)

Mountain State University offers both an online Associate's Degree and an online Bachelor's Degree in Accounting.

Accounting is a demanding profession that provides its professionals with both economic and psychological rewards. Although there is a popular impression that accountants deal with numbers only, the truth is that accounting is primarily a people business. The best accountants enjoy working with people and are excellent communicators; they are also team players, and logical and creative problem solvers.

Employees already working as bookkeepers and tax preparers are drawn to an Accounting degree as a way to further their knowledge. Members of the banking industry, and federal and state employees working in related fields, also seek Accounting degrees to expand their career options.

An Accounting degree provides a base from which to build broad knowledge about all business functions - purchasing, manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, and marketing.

The MSU online Accounting degree programs are designed to prepare students for leadership positions in the business community.

The Bachelor's degree qualifies graduates for a career in Accounting on either a basic or a CPA track. The basic track is recommended for those who do not plan to take the CPA exam and is also suitable for those who plan to complete additional credit hours in a master's degree program. While there are state-to-state variations in CPA exam requirements, Mountain State University's CPA track meets most state requirements.

A Bachelor's degree in Accounting can lead to several different career paths, including:

• Public Accounting: You may become an employee of a public accounting firm or you may become a CPA in business for yourself.
• Industrial or Managerial Accounting: In this case, you are employed by a for-profit company to provide a variety of financial and managerial accounting services. You are part of the "team" and the financial information you analyze and interpret is used by corporate executives to make business decisions.
• Not-for-Profit Accounting: Still other accountants are employed by a governmental or other organization that is not profit motivated. These accountants provide a variety of financial and managerial accounting services including processing payroll and reviewing regulatory reports and tax returns to determine compliance.

Graduates of the MSU Accounting programs are working in public accounting, private industry and governmental accounting.