Online Accounting Degree – Bachelor’s Balance the Books, Balance Your Future

Not only does the accounting industry offer a variety of career paths, but it is also a growing and financially rewarding career field. With a high earning potential, increased demand within the industry, and a multitude of diverse opportunities within the field, now is the time to pursue your passion for becoming an accountant. By earning your online accounting degree through Liberty University, you can graduate with valued skills for the current economy.

As you work through the courses within our online data analysis and accounting degree, you can develop analytical and communication skills that can prepare you to sit for certifications like the Certified Public Accountant (CPA). As additional requirements may be needed to receive CPA certification, we encourage students to contact their state board with questions about these additional requirements. You can also speak with one of our admissions counselors for additional information by calling (800) 424-9595.

Liberty University holds institutional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Accrediting (SACSCOC). In addition, our School of Business is among only 3% of business schools worldwide to be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

When you choose Liberty, you choose a regionally accredited university, an accredited school of business, and an accredited online accounting and data analysis degree. SACSCOC and ACBSP accreditation confirm that our online data analysis and accounting degree is academically excellent, capable of helping you master new concepts, and able to help you pursue your career goals.

This program is ACBSP accredited. Our School of Business is among only 3% of business schools worldwide to earn ACBSP accreditation.

Though licensure requirements vary by state, a bachelor’s degree in accounting is typically required if you’re interested in sitting for the Certified Personal Accountant (CPA) exam and becoming an accountant. Many states require at least 150 credit hours for CPA licensure.

Generally, earning an accredited accounting bachelor degree online is the first step towards becoming an accountant. In a field that requires professionals to be knowledgeable, prepared, and familiar with the processes and documents surrounding accounting, proper education is key. As an accounting and data analysis major at Liberty, you will study a variety of subjects and prepare to serve clients with excellence.

Because our bachelor’s in accounting and data analysis degree online is 120 hours in length, you may need to complete another 30 credit hours worth of study to become a CPA. In this instance, choosing one of our online certificate programs is also an excellent choice. Our certificates allow you to work towards the credit requirement needed to become a CPA, gain valuable knowledge, and earn standalone credentials that prove your knowledge of several subject areas.

If you’re an accounting student and looking for other ways to satisfy the credit hour requirement to become a CPA in your state, adding a minor to our online bachelor’s in data analysis and accounting degree online is an excellent way to make progress towards your goals.

The quickest way to complete our online accounting program may not be for everybody, and it will require a commitment to excellence in your academic endeavors. At Liberty, students can take up to 18 credit hours per semester. If your goal is to graduate as soon as possible, we recommend speaking with an academic advisor, indicating your desire to graduate quickly, and creating a semester-by-semester graduation plan in which you take as many credit hours as possible each semester.

Because prerequisites may come into play, we recommend you contact us at (800) 424-9595 so an advisor can walk you through the courses our online accounting and data analysis bachelor’s degree requires, which courses require prerequisites, and which courses pair well with others. We are committed to your success and readily available to assist you as you take the first step towards an accounting career.

What constitutes a good career is entirely subjective, but in our opinion, yes – being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a great career, especially if you like working with numbers, speaking the language of business, and helping a variety of clients.

In addition to earning salaries that are generally higher than non-CPA accountants, CPAs are able to work in a variety of fields – for private companies, government agencies, accounting firms, and nonprofit agencies. Certified Public Accountants also have powers that non-CPAs do not, such as being able to represent clients to the Internal Revenue Service.

Becoming a CPA may also allow you to pursue international career opportunities. In a world that is becoming more and more globally connected, commerce between nations has soared — and with increased business comes a need for professional accountants who are skilled, knowledgeable, and credentialed.

The best designation is the designation that best aligns with your career goals. There are several unique benefits that come with designation as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

The CMA certification is designed to help you analyze a variety of financial situations and use your findings to make sound, informed business decisions that help companies move forward. CMAs are qualified to perform numerous roles – like cost management, budgeting, performance management, investment decision making, and financial reporting – in multiple sectors. The CMA is a globally recognized credential that is excellent for financiers.

The CFA certification is an excellent pathway for financial analysts to show that they are competent, knowledgeable, and ethical. Becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst is a rigorous process that requires the passage of several exams that cover a variety of economic and financial topics.

The CPA designation is very popular among accountants and ideal for professionals who hope to pursue and secure long-term careers in accountancy. CPA’s can be paid by individuals and businesses alike for their services – which typically entail accounting and tax work for clientele. Each state has different requirements for becoming a CPA.

The first step in pursuing a career in accounting is earning a respected, relevant degree in accounting: like Liberty’s Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Data Analysis. A degree can help equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in an accounting career – and it can typically satisfy education requirements put in place by employers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a bachelor’s degree is typically required for successful entry-level candidates.*

After earning your degree, you may want to consider pursuing CPA certification. Depending on which state you reside in, you may be required to complete additional credit hours beyond what a bachelor’s degree in accounting requires. For more information, please contact your state board or see our state licensure page.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, at Accountants and auditors: Job outlook, 2021 (viewed online Nov. 29, 2021). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

There is more to a good accountant than simply being good with numbers and knowing business lingo. Accountants do need to be highly trained and knowledgeable about what they do — they must possess confidence, intelligence, and critical thinking skills if they hope to succeed professionally.

Accountants need to be confident problem solvers who are not intimidated by a challenge. As an accountant, clients will come to you with questions they don’t know how to answer and situations they’re not sure how to navigate. Tax and reporting regulations can be complicated and long-winded. As an accountant, it is your job to tackle such challenges and deliver for your client or company while maintaining the highest degree of ethics.

Not necessarily, no. Though CPA requirements vary by state, students commonly need to complete around 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Satisfying this credit hour requirement as an undergraduate student is a route taken by quite a few students. For more information on your state’s CPA requirements, see our state licensure page.

However, an MBA is an excellent option if you’re hoping to earn a graduate credential, boost your earning potential, and vie for new career opportunities. If you’re interested in building your accounting knowledge beyond the bachelor’s level, Liberty’s 100% online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Accounting may be a great fit for you.

No. Diplomas from Liberty do not say whether you graduated from our online or residential campus — they simply say “Liberty University.” One small distinction is that online diplomas are signed by the online provost while residential diplomas are signed by the residential provost.

Our online bachelors degree in accounting and data analysis does not have any internship requirements. However, participating in an internship is an excellent way to put the skills you learn in class into action. An internship can also help you build connections, teach you new skills, serve as an excellent addition to a resume, and give you more confidence when you begin applying to full-time jobs.

The discipline of accounting does require some basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but it does not entail hard-core math — like calculus.

As part of your online accounting and data analysis degree, there are a few math courses required. We understand that math may not be your favorite subject, which is why we have carefully set up course prerequisites to guide you through learning concepts one step at a time.

Liberty offers an Associate of Arts (AA) in Accounting degree online — which allows you to test the waters of accounting before you dive into a bachelor’s degree or begin working towards your CPA certification. Better yet, each of the courses you take as part of the AA in Accounting can transfer directly into the Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Data Analysis. That way, you’ll have a head start on your bachelor’s in accounting and data analysis if you decide to pursue it following your associate degree in accounting.

The GPA you’ll need to graduate with honors depends on how many credits you transfer in.

Bachelor’s students who earn 60 or more of a bachelor’s degree’s credit hours at Liberty must earn at least a cumulative 3.5 GPA to graduate Cum Laude, a 3.67 GPA to graduate Magna Cum Laude, and at least a 3.85 GPA to graduate Summa Cum Laude.

Bachelor’s students who satisfy less than 60 of their bachelor’s degree’s credit hours at Liberty must earn at least a 3.60 cumulative GPA to graduate Cum Laude, a 3.77 GPA to graduate magna cum laude, and a 3.95 overall GPA to graduate Summa Cum Laude.