Potomac College is a nationally-accredited college with school locations in both Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia that offers students a two-year Associate’s Degree in accounting. Potomac’s accounting classes will prepare you for a para-professional accounting career. With an Associate’s Degree in accounting from Potomac College, you will be able to assist in auditing and tax preparation. This program enables students to experience the necessary education required to analyze transactions, prepare journal entries and manage a company’s payroll or books.

Bookkeepers, accountiants and auditing clerks are an organization’s financial record keepers. Their duties are imperative to the survival of a business, no matter how large or small. They may update and maintain one or more accounting records. They also tabulate expenditures, receipts, accounts payable and receivable and track profit and loss. They represent a wide range of skills and knowledge, from full-charge bookkeepers who can maintain an entire company’s financial records to accounting clerks who handle specific, individual business accounts.

Students will learn to summarize financial information by taking classes that teach them to prepare and interpret financial statements. This helps in assisting with managerial decision-making. Following graduation, accounting students can obtain employment as a bookkeeper, an accounts receivable clerk, and other entry-level business positions.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks held more than 2 million jobs in 2004 are found in all industries and at all levels of government. Local government and the accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services industry are among the individual industries employing the largest numbers of these clerks.

Begin taking accounting courses at our school today!

• Learn to prepare and summarize financial documents
• Jobs are available as a bookkeeper, accounts receivable clerk, and other entry level positions
• Develop accounting skills to apply towards another degree or enter the workforce
• Learn accounting software and techniques

Program Information

Program Length - Potomac College students can earn an associate's degree in as little as 20 months.

On-Time Graduation Rate - 100% of our students who graduated from this program between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, did so within 6 years.

Median Loan Debt - For all students completing this program between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, the median cumulative loan debts for each of the following are:

• Federal student loans: $29,166
• Private loans: $0
• Institutional finance plans: $0
  
  Note: This preliminary median loan data is pending confirmation from the U.S. Department of Education. It reflects total debt, including costs of living, while the median loan amount prescribed under the Department’s gainful employment regulations excludes such costs of living.

Program Costs - Cost information for Potomac College programs is available at http://www.potomac.edu/financial-aid/tuition. The tuition and fees for the entire program, at current full-time tuition rates, are $31,750. The total estimated cost for books and supplies for the entire program is $2,500.

For information on jobs related to this program, as well as the U.S. Department of Labor Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes, please click on the links below to the O*NET website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Program Mission
The mission of the Associate of Science degree in Accounting is to students for entry-level positions as bookkeepers, accounts receivable clerks and accounts payable clerks. Students learn to analyze transactions, prepare journal entries and post to ledgers.

Program Learning Goals
Graduates of the Associate of Science in Accounting are able to:
•    Recognize ethical and social responsibilities of accounting professionals and apply professional judgment to present financial statements fairly.
•    Prepare financial statements and managerial reports using various accounting standards, theories and techniques.
•    Demonstrate proficiency in written and oral business communication skills appropriate for accounting professionals.
•    Work in teams, organize and assess accounting data to propose solutions for business problems.
•    Use technology to solve accounting problems and improve decision-making skills.

Program Outline
To receive an Associate of Science degree in Accounting, students must earn 60 semester credit hours. Unless noted otherwise, all courses carry three semester credits hours. Program requirements are as follows:

ASSOCIATES OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTING
General Education Requirements 18 Credits
COMP 125 Computer Fundamentals
ENGL 101 English Composition I
ENGL 102 English Composition II
GNED 112 Student Success Strategies
MATH 106 College Mathematics
MATH 110 College Algebra
Core Courses 39 Credits
Required Management Courses (18 Credits)
BUS 110 Foundations of Business
BUS 202 Critical Thinking and Decision making
BUS 240 Business Ethics - Legal and Societal
ECON 201 Principles of Economics
MGMT 230 Organizational Behavior
MRKT 110 Principles of Marketing
Required Accounting Courses (21 credits)
ACCT 101 Financial Accounting
ACCT 102 Managerial Accounting
ACCT 201 Personal Financial Planning
ACCT 203 Federal Taxes
ACCT 214 Accounting Information Systems
ACCT 220 Payroll Accounting
ACCT 290 Intermediate Accounting I
Electives 3 Credits
TOTAL CREDIT 60 CREDITS