Online School for Certified Public Accountants

Schools that prepare students for a career in certified public accounting sometimes offer programs online. Courses are available from the bachelor's through master's degree level. Currently, 150 semester course hours are required, in 45 states, to take the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. When selecting an online accounting school, students should consider their career goal and the cost of the collegiate awards they seek.

How to Select an Online Certified Public Accounting School

Award Levels

When students are selecting an online accounting school, they should first consider that, in the majority of U.S. states, certified public accountants (CPAs) must pass an examination requiring 150 semester hours of education. In addition, the individual states have additional requirements for licensure once a candidate obtains a degree.
Degree programs are offered online from the bachelor's through the master's level in the study of accounting, auditing and tax law. Potential students should consider their career specialization and select a school that provides the appropriate degree program. As an example, if a student's interest is in taxation, a master's degree program in taxation (MST) would address that area more completely than if the student simply added taxation electives to an undergraduate degree program in accounting.

Cost

Many online undergraduate accounting degree programs require fewer hours than the 150 needed for the CPA exam. To accommodate the 150-hour requirement, students can enroll in a master's degree program or supplement their undergraduate degree with additional semester work. The cost of these options varies, and completing a master's program is generally more costly than extra undergraduate hours (though each option has its benefits).

Career Goals

Many career paths are available to those with accounting degrees, and passing the Uniform Certified Public Accounting Examination provides the student with an essential credential for many workforces. Students often use the 150 hours of coursework to tailor their studies toward a particular accounting career.
If students want to focus or specialize in taxes, they might take a graduate degree program in taxation, supplementing their bachelor's degree with an MST. Upon graduation, these students could go to work for a large company in the corporate tax department or for a public accounting firm. Other students may want to supplement their undergraduate degree with a master's degree in business administration; this graduate degree program could lead to a career in public accounting or in the financial area of most corporations.

List of Online Degree Programs for Certified Public Accountants

Online Bachelor of Science in Accounting

An online Bachelor of Science in Accounting is offered as a full 4-year program or as a degree completion program for students who have already earned an associate's degree. Students take core classes in technology, business management, economics, statistics, accounting and finance. The online learning process is interactive and participative; students sometimes work in small online learning teams with their classmates on special projects like investment team discussions or financial and economic modeling workshops.

Online Master of Business Administration - Accounting

The online master's degree program in accounting provides students with advanced instruction in accounting principles and theory. Managerial, tax, cost and financial accounting concepts are explored in detail. Commercial law, auditing, financial reporting procedures, financial statement analysis, planning, budgeting and consulting are also examined. Student and instructor interaction, which includes lectures, class discussions and assignments involving current accounting pronouncements and codification standards, all takes place through online features like Web forums and chat programs.

Online Master of Science in Taxation

The online Master of Science in Taxation (MST) program is often designed for current tax professionals who want to continue working full-time while pursuing a graduate degree. In this degree program, students analyze complex tax statutes, Internal Revenue Service tax code regulations, related tax law cases and tax court rulings. Students can focus on individual or corporate taxation areas of concentration.