Study Materials for Online Cost Accounting Programs

Study materials for online cost accounting programs include textbooks and articles, or case studies. Students often need to use Web-based accounting software such as MyAccountingLab and online course management systems such as Blackboard to access study materials.

What Study Materials are Required for Online Cost Accounting Programs?

Overview of Cost Accounting

Cost accounting, also known as managerial accounting, is typically not offered as a degree program but as a course in accounting or business administration programs. Cost accounting focuses on calculating manufacturing costs and drawing on that information to improve company performance. Topics of study in a typical cost accounting course include cost behavior, estimation and allocation, activity-based costing, budgeting, cost-volume-profit relationships and managerial accounting fundamentals.

Required and Supplemental Study Materials

Study materials for online cost accounting courses generally consist of textbooks covering topics such as cost accounting planning and control, effective writing, and introductory managerial accounting. Curricula may also include articles that focus on specific case studies found on the Internet and within the online course management system.
Because the courses are offered online, students may also need to meet general hardware and software requirements, such as having a computer running a Windows, Mac or Linux-based operating system, antivirus software, broadband Internet access, spreadsheet and word processing programs, a Microsoft-compatible mouse and at least 256 megabytes of RAM.

Career and Salary Information

Common job titles for individuals interested in cost accounting include cost accounting clerk, which can also encompass job titles such as auditing clerk and calculating machine operator. Another common job title is cost accounting manager, which includes the title of cost accountant.
According to PayScale.com, as of May 2010, cost accounting clerks earned between $30,822-$43,906 annually. Cost accounting managers earned between $58,727-$90,602 per year. Actual earned salary varies by industry, however. Below is a list of the most popular industries for jobs in cost accounting and the median salaries earned in each industry:

Median Hourly Rates of Cost Accounting Clerks by Industry

• Entertainment $12.32-$16.88
• Food Manufacturing $13.04-$17.94
• Manufacturing and Distribution $13.68-$18.73
• Construction $13.89-$19.06

Median Salaries of Cost Accounting Managers by Industry

• Construction $60,199-$85,354
• Food Manufacturing $64,207-$81,147
• Manufacturing and Distribution $64,513-$81,951
• Aerospace and Defense $64,659-$84,178
• Chemical Manufacturing $69,738-$87,389