According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “most accountants and auditors need at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field.” It follows that earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in accounting can be a good way to build a rewarding profession with solid job stability.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University offers an online BBA in Accounting program. Focused coursework in this program prepares students to be successful in accounting and related professions. Foundational business management coursework helps students develop transferable knowledge and skills, giving students a great deal of versatility and mobility in a variety of business career paths.
What Will I Learn in Southeastern’s BBA in Accounting Degree Program?
Students in Southeastern’s online accounting program will delve into many aspects of the professional field. Advanced courses will help students build on a foundation of financial accounting theory and methodology.
These studies help students develop in-depth knowledge of the nuances of income taxes, regulations and financial structures as applied to individuals and business entities. Other courses allow students to explore the intricacies of topics like auditing, fraud detection and financial investigations. Internship options allow students to apply their knowledge to real-life, professional experience.
The program’s business core courses cover an array of essential principles, including managerial practices, methods and strategy. Students will study everything from information management and organizational behavior to professional writing and marketing strategy, macroeconomics and statistics to ethics and business legal environments.
This combination of focused and generalized business studies helps students advance their specialized accounting knowledge as well as their aptitude for leadership in any cross-functional management role.
How Can this Degree Advance My Career Opportunities?
As noted above, a bachelor’s in accounting or a related area is generally a prerequisite for jobs in the field. This degree demonstrates graduates have the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their job duties competently, responsibly and professionally.
Southeastern’s online BBA in Accounting program also enables students to earn the bachelor’s degree required for various certifications. This is an important step in becoming a certified management accountant (CMA), certified fraud examiner (CFE) or certified internal auditor (CIA).
Holding such certifications can open unique career opportunities for professionals in corporate, government or private sectors. Certification may also be a requirement for certain professional duties.
What About Earning Potential?
On its own, earning a bachelor’s degree correlates with a significant pay bump. According to BLS, the median weekly wage of full-time and salaried workers over the age of 25 with only a high school diploma is $746. The median weekly wage for bachelor’s degree holders in the same cohort is $1,248. That represents a pay increase of over $26,000 per year.
BLS further reports that the median pay for accountants and auditors in 2020 was $73,560 per year. This suggests accountants and auditors make a relatively high wage, and a bachelor’s degree is one of the first steps in qualifying for one of these high-paying roles.
Southeastern’s BBA in Accounting program also provides students with the advanced skills and qualifications needed to ascend within the ranks of their profession. Higher-level positions, logically, command higher wages. As a comparison, these are the median annual salaries for upper-level accounting roles according to salary.com:
- Accounting manager: $108,015
- Accounting director: $159,040
- Top accounting executive: $224,535
Clearly, the accounting profession can be financially lucrative. Plus, many organizations and individuals will continue to rely on accountants to weather the world of tax laws and the changing regulatory environment.
Both the job stability and the opportunities for advancement inherent to the profession make accounting an attractive line of work for many. Considering these benefits, earning an online BBA in accounting can be a smart investment and an important step toward a long, rewarding career in the field.
Learn more about Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s online BBA in Accounting program.
Sources:
AccountingEdu.org: Careers in Accounting
Investopedia:
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
Salary.com:
Accounting Manager
Accounting Director
Top Accounting Executive
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Accountants and Auditors
Learn More, Earn More: Education Leads to Higher Wages, Lower Unemployment