Best Online Associate in Accounting Programs of 2023

Located in the town of Norfolk, Nebraska, Northeast Community College is a medium-sized public school that offers over twenty online associate degrees, including an Associate of Arts with a concentration in accounting. The program is sixty credit hours, and course choices include Business Law, Applied Statistics, and Principles of Microeconomics. Upon completion, students are prepared for immediate employment in an entry-level accounting position or for continued studies in accounting at a four-year college. Instructors for the online accounting program have all worked in the accounting field, and the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 17: 1. Northeast Community College boasts a 99.5% job or higher education placement rate in the months following graduation.

Indiana Wesleyan University is the largest college in the state of Indiana. It's a Christian school affiliated with the Wesleyan Church that founded its distance-education program in 1985. Today the school offers over 100 different undergraduate and graduate degrees online, including an Associate of Science in Accounting. Students can complete this degree entirely online in 24 months. The program prepares students for jobs as bookkeepers, accounting clerks, or auditing clerks, among others. Students in the online associate in accounting program at Indiana Wesleyan also have the option of continuing their studies at the bachelor's level. There are three start dates for the online program a year, and financial aid is available through grants, loans, scholarships, veterans' benefits, and employer reimbursement. Indiana Wesleyan University stands out for having the best graduation rate of all the private schools on this list.

A two-year public school in Appleton, Wisconsin, Fox Valley Technical College offers over 200 in-person and virtual programs, including an Associate of Science in Accounting. The program is practical in focus and provides skills in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, digital accounting software, payroll management, cost accounting, and tax preparation. Students can enroll in the program part-time or full-time. A new cohort begins each October. Admission requires an academic skills assessment or a high school GPA of 2.75 or higher. Student services available to online learners at Fox Valley include e-textbooks, a tech library, a student success kit, educational support, and counseling. The school stands out on this list for having the highest graduation rate among the public schools.

Liberty University is a pioneer in distance education. In 1985, the Virginia-based Christian university launched one of the nation's first distance-learning programs by mailing VHS tapes to students. Today, its distance-learning program, Liberty University Online, offers 289 programs, including an Associate of Science in Accounting. The sixty-credit hour program takes, on average, 18 months to complete and features instructors with real-world experience in accounting. Courses include Business Law, Principles of Marketing, and Financial Accounting. There are no required login times for classes, so you can work on your degree when it's most convenient for you. There are no textbook fees, as all undergraduate students at Liberty have access to free electronic textbooks. Additionally, Liberty University Online offers tuition discounts for first responders, current and former military members, and their spouses. Liberty's program stands out on this list for having the most selective admissions rate among both private and public schools.

Southern New Hampshire University is unique in that the majority of its students are online learners. While about 3,000 students study on-campus, 135,000 students attend the university remotely. This private school was founded in 1932 with a focus on business and accounting, but today offers programs in all disciplines at all degree levels, from associate to doctoral. Over 200 programs are offered online, including an Associate of Science in Accounting. The sixty-credit-hour program has no set class times. You can learn on your schedule. Courses include Federal Taxation, Managerial Accounting, and Global Dimensions in Business. The school offers a flat fee of $320 a credit for online undergraduate degrees, which is below the national average for private universities. Financial aid and scholarship opportunities are also available for online learners, and active-duty service members and their spouses receive a 30% tuition discount.

SUNY Online is the clearing house for all online degree programs offered by the diverse 64 member schools of the State University of New York. Through SUNY Online's Herkimer Community College, students can earn an online Associate of Science in Accounting degree. The program provides students with hands-on and skill-building coursework in basic accounting theory and application. It utilizes the same curriculum as Herkimer Community College's on-campus program outside Utica, New York. It's a highly flexible 62-credit hour program, and there are no set times required to log in to complete your coursework. Student services provided to online learners via SUNY Online include an individual concierge, personal tutor, and technical support through a help desk.

Minnesota State College Southeast is an open-access public institution offering fifty programs in high-demand career and technical fields. Its comprehensive online Associate of Science in Accounting program blends theory and practice and takes two years to complete. Courses include Income Tax, Business Ethics, and Computerized Accounting Applications. Students learn to use accounting tools like Excel, QuickBooks, Access, Turbo Tax, Word, Peachtree, and PowerPoint. The program's instructors have real-world experience in a wide range of accounting areas, including public, private, audit, tax, governmental, and non-profit. Graduates of the program often secure jobs as staff accountants, budget analysts, and auditors or continue their accounting education at the bachelor's level.

Although Franklin University's physical campus is in Columbus, Ohio, 80% of its students attend this private school online. Over eighty undergraduate and graduate programs are offered completely online, including an Associate of Science in Forensic Accounting. This 64-credit-hour program can be started at numerous different times during the academic year and typically takes 24 months to complete. Students learn the fundamental principles of fraud investigation and forensic evidence in terms of detection in business. Courses include Financial Accounting, Fraud Examination, and Interview Techniques and Legal Elements in Fraud Investigations. Among Franklin's online accounting graduates are bookkeepers, accounting assistants, and accounting technicians. Franklin University also offers an online associate in general accounting program.

Northcentral Technical College is a medium-sized public community college in Wausau, Wisconsin, which grants associate degrees in high-demand fields. Among its many 100% online programs is a 61-credit hour Associate of Science in Accounting. The program's curriculum highly-hands on and contains courses like Mentored Business Experience, in which students are paired with a mentor in the field, and The Branch: Skills Accelerator, where students work together in teams to tackle a mock business problem. Northcentral Technical College welcomes transfer credits and accepts credit for prior learning experiences like military service, work-life, and scores for nationally-recognized tests, such as Advanced Placement exams.

With a flexible schedule, discounted tuition, and a free application, Champlain College's online Associate of Science in Accounting program is an ideal option for active-duty military personnel who are looking to prepare for a civilian career.

Per-credit tuition is just $250 for active-duty military, making the total cost of the 60-credit Accounting program $15,000. Champlain also offers scholarships and other financial assistance to active-duty military personnel and veterans. Their Veterans Services Office is dedicated to helping students from the military navigate the benefits process, to ensure they're taking advantage of the service they're eligible for.