An associate's degree in accounting is a one to two year undergraduate degree. This type of degree program teaches students the basics of accounting, with subjects such as cost accounting, taxation and financial statement analysis. These classes prepare a student for higher degree courses. With an associate's degree in accounting, an individual is qualified for an entry level job position, such as a payroll clerk in a payroll department or billing clerk in a billing department.
A bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field such as finance or business administration is usually needed for work as an accountant. A bachelor's is also necessary in order to meet education requirements to obtain licenses and certifications in accounting. Accounting courses for this degree teach the skills needed to pass the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. CPA jobs include tax examiner, collector and revenue agent or an accountancy position at an accounting firm. A bachelor's degree takes four years to complete.
A Master of Accounting Degree is an academic degree that takes two to three years to complete. It's a professional graduate degree that opens up more job opportunities in the accounting field, such as accounting manager, taxation specialist, financial officer, corporate accountant and accounting information systems specialist. Courses for this degree include research, auditing, taxation, consulting services, theoretical foundations of accounting and managerial accounting. Master's degree accounting programs provide students the skills to perform more specialized accounting procedures, particularly within business environments.
A PhD in accounting trains students for a career in research or teaching at a university. Students must complete backgound courses to be eligible for the PhD program. These may include a master's degree in accounting or equivalent course work, such as two semesters of undergraduate calculus, an upper-division course in linear algebra and a upper-division course in micro-economic theory with a mathematical approach.