The core classes of today’s undergraduate accounting degree are geared toward preparing up-and-coming business professionals for greatness in the accounting practice. This practice in money management and awareness is crucial to all businesses and individuals alike. So, what are some of the definitive core classes that make up the typical undergraduate program?
Resource: Top 10 Online Accounting Degree Programs
Federal Income Taxes
The federal income tax course is a sure thing in this program of study. Businesses and individuals must deal with these taxes each and every year. Handling these taxes can actually be so important that they can make or break a business. Anyone doing accountant-related work must know how to maneuver through and manage these taxes quite proficiently.
Auditing
An audit is a process by which the company or any factor within is subjected to deep review. As defined by the ASQ, “Auditing is the on-site verification activity, such as inspection or examination, of a process or quality system, to ensure compliance to requirements. An audit can apply to an entire organization or might be specific to a function, process, or production step.”
Perhaps a company needs to know if its shipping department’s records are correct, complete, and organized. An audit on the department’s records could then be conducted so as to diagnose this issue directly. A company wanting to understand all costs associated with a manufacturing process might likewise utilize an audit of the associated department and its processes. The audit simply gathers info for business management and accountants to subsequently work with.
Nonprofits
The study of nonprofits and the specialized bookkeeping therein will also surely be encountered by those on this educational path. The reasons for this are two-fold. First, these types of organizations typically run books and finances in a different way from most other business entities. This goes back to taxes and nonprofit law. In addition, nonprofits are quite abundant, and the chances that an accountant may work with or for one of these organizations are thus relatively high.
Financial Information Systems
Courses that involve learning about financial information systems and related IT are also a regularity in this kind of program today. This is because most businesses today employ modern bookkeeping records systems. Whether it be programs used to calculate numbers, or those used to simply store them, today’s accountant must be familiar with the technologies most commonly used here.
Business Ethics
Business ethics is sometimes considered an elective to this particular degree program. In other cases though, it is one of the cores. Regardless, it is a regular part of these degree programs because of its direct implications to all things bookkeeping. In this course, students will learn the finite details of how to conduct business ethically as well as avoiding common, ethical pitfalls such as is often found in corporate governance, product use, human resources, uses of collected data, and even global business.
These courses will teach volumes on all of the most fundamental bookkeeping concepts of today. Those charting a course through this educational path will surely encounter these courses as well as many others in direct relation. For more information on the particular core classes you will encounter in your undergraduate accounting program, contact the student services department at your school of choice directly.
