Graduate Certificate Programs in Accounting – Online and Campus
Updated: March 18, 2025
Accounting graduate certificate programs provide professional training in the principles and practices of accounting for qualified students who hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Some programs are designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting, while others are designed for students with a bachelor’s degree in any field or discipline. These programs are offered by accredited colleges and universities, commonly through a school or department of business, accounting, or professional development. Certificate programs confer a certificate of completion rather than a degree and can typically be completed in 12 months or less.
Students in an accounting graduate certificate program complete a small cluster of graduate courses, some or all of which may overlap with a master’s in accounting program. In addition, depending on the school and the program, graduate credits earned while completing a graduate certificate can often be applied toward an eventual master’s degree, if a student chooses to pursue one in the future. While an accounting graduate certificate program alone does not provide sufficient credits to qualify for the CPA exam, the training provided by these programs can help prepare students to sit for the exam.
Accounting and CPA Licensing Explained
Accounting, or accountancy, refers to the processes by which financial transactions are recorded, reported, and analyzed. Professional accountants track profits and expenditures, financial gains and losses, depreciation of capital investments and returns on financial investments for individuals, businesses, and non-profit entities. To do so requires an understanding of federal, state, and local laws and regulations pertaining to income and taxation, as well as familiarity with the forms and protocols for reporting financial transactions, income, and expenditures.
There are a number of distinct specializations within the field of accounting, including personal income tax accounting, business accounting, non-profit accounting, and corporate accounting. In addition, there are accountants who perform audits, which are formal reviews of previously reported financial transactions, and forensic accountants, who review financial reports for evidence of illegal or criminal activity.
While a license is not required to perform basic accounting, federal and state authorities require certain types of financial reports to be filed by individuals who are licensed as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Specific requirements for a CPA license vary by state but include a bachelor’s degree, 150 credits of accounting-related coursework at the bachelor’s level or above, and one to two years of relevant professional experience. The licensing process involves meeting eligibility requirements for licensure and taking and passing the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. Some states also require CPAs to pass an ethics examination.
Identifying and Classifying Accounting Graduate Certificate Programs
Graduate certificate programs in accounting are post-bachelor’s academic programs offered by colleges and universities that provide graduate-level training and instruction in professional accounting and confer graduate credit hours. While students who complete a graduate certificate program receive a certificate of completion rather than a degree, they often take courses with and receive the same instruction as students enrolled in master’s degree programs in accounting. Furthermore, students who complete a graduate certificate in accounting may be able to transfer their graduate coursework from their certificate to a full master’s program in the same or a related field, pending admission to and transfer credit approval from the master’s program. Graduate certificates in accountancy, financial auditing, and forensic accounting are all classified as accounting programs on GraduateCertificates.com. For more information on graduate certificate programs with a focus on taxation, visit our Graduate Certificate Programs in Taxation page.
While format, curricular content, and admissions requirements vary by school and by program, graduate certificate programs in accounting have several identifying characteristics. These programs typically consist of three to six graduate-level courses and focus on practical accounting proficiencies. They also require applicants to hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. While some programs are designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in any field or discipline, others require applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting or to have completed specific business and accounting prerequisites. Individuals who hold a master’s degree or a doctoral degree are also eligible for accounting graduate certificate programs, as are licensed CPAs who are interested in expanding their knowledge base and adding new skills.
Accountancy Graduate Certificate Coursework
As noted above, curricula vary by program, as do course names and descriptions. Programs designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting typically focus on more advanced topics in the field. Programs that do not require prior training in accountancy focus on foundational concepts in accounting and the application of those concepts.
Common topics in an accounting graduate certificate program are financial statements and their preparation, legal liability and risk analysis in accounting, federal and state income taxation, and ethical practices. The list of courses below draws on research into actual graduate certificate programs in accounting to provide an overview of the types of courses students in these programs typically complete.
- Financial Accounting and Reporting
- Federal Income Tax
- Data Preparation for Accounting
- Managerial Accounting
- Not-For-Profit and Governmental Accounting
- Cost Accounting
- Accounting Information Systems
- Income Taxes
- Auditing
- Accounting for Governmental and Not-For-Profit Entities
- Business and Corporate Taxation
- International Accounting
Online Graduate Certificate in Accounting Programs
Many schools now offer accounting graduate certificate programs in fully and/or partially online formats in order to provide students with a more flexible and convenient alternative to attending campus-based classes. Online programs utilize internet-based learning management systems (LMSs) that can stream live and/or prerecorded lectures and class meetings while also supporting a range of supplemental instruction. Most LMSs can host discussion forums, deliver exams, and provide students with access to instructors, classmates, and technical support services. This allows students in online programs to complete all or most of their required coursework fully online without having to commute to a campus location.
There are two primary modes of online instruction: synchronous instruction and asynchronous instruction. Live lectures and class meetings are examples of synchronous instruction, which encompasses any instruction that takes place in real-time. Typically programs that utilize synchronous instruction do so using web conferencing software so that students can interact with instructors and their classmates “face-to-face” in a virtual environment. Live sessions are usually scheduled in the evenings or on weekends so that working professionals across different time zones can attend. Types of instruction that do not have set meeting days and times, such as pre-recorded lectures and PowerPoint presentations, are classified as asynchronous instruction. This includes exams that are not proctored and assignments that students complete on their own time and then submit by specified due dates.
While asynchronous instruction offers more flexibility than synchronous instruction, it is less structured, requires more self-discipline and strong time management skills, and may be challenging for students who would prefer an online learning experience that resembles traditional, classroom-based learning. On the other hand, students who need maximum scheduling flexibility to complete course materials and assignments at any time, day or night, should find programs that mainly use asynchronous instruction. It is important to note that both forms of instruction are widely used across different programs and universities, with some programs incorporating both into classes and extracurricular support (such as office hours or group study sections). Regardless of the instructional methods that graduate certificate programs in accounting incorporate into their curricula, schools work hard to ensure students are engaged and supported both within and outside of classes.
Accounting graduate certificate programs that are fully online and that do not have any campus-based components are common. However, some online programs require students to attend in-person residency sessions that may include orientations, lectures, workshops, and/or networking opportunities. Campus-based residencies are typically three to five days in length, are often scheduled during the summer months, and can be a valuable addition to an online program. However, they do require travel for students who do not live within commuting distance to their school’s campus, which can add to the costs of a graduate certificate program.
GraduateCertificates.com classifies programs as online programs if they require three or fewer campus visits per year, and this includes programs that are fully online with no required in-person instruction. Graduate certificates that require more than three on-campus sessions per year are classified as hybrid or blended programs.
Examples of Online Accountancy Graduate Certificate Programs
Each of the accredited schools listed below offers an online graduate certificate program in accountancy. The programs offered by these schools provide a representative overview of the types of accounting graduate certificate programs that are offered online.
The University of Connecticut (UConn) offers an online Graduate Certificate in Accounting Fundamentals program through its School of Business. The 12-credit program is fully online and does not require any campus visits. Students in the program are required to complete four courses covering topics in financial reporting, taxation, and accounting. Courses include Financial Reporting I, Financial Reporting II, Assurance Services, and Federal Income Tax. This is a post-baccalaureate program with coursework that fulfills the eligibility requirements for the Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program offered by UConn. In addition to providing students with the prerequisites for the MSA program, the graduate certificate program has two courses that confer credits that can be transferred into the MSA program. More information on UConn’s accounting programs is available at accountingfundamentals.uconn.edu.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I) has a 12-credit, four-course Accounting Data Analytics Graduate Certificate program that can be completed in eight to 24 months. Offered through the Gies College of Business, the program is fully online and does not require any campus visits. The program’s curriculum focuses on the use of analytics technologies in professional accounting. Students take two required courses in Data Driven Decisions in Accounting, and Data Preparation for Accounting, before choosing two additional courses from a list of electives that include Machine Learning for Accounting, Accounting Analytics Applications, Applying Data Analytics in Marketing, Applying Data Analytics in Accountancy, and Infonomics. Students who complete the program can apply all 12 credits earned toward U of I’s online Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Accounting (MSA), or Master of Science in Management (MSM) programs. For more details, visit the Gies College of Business at giesbusiness.illinois.edu.
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) offers an 18-credit Graduate Certificate in Accounting featuring six courses that prepare students for financial reporting, cost analyses, auditing, and tax filing at the federal level. This program’s curriculum was designed to align with the topics covered in the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam, to support the studies of individuals who want to obtain the CPA credential. (Note: Completion of this program alone does not qualify students for the CPA examination or credential.) Students of this graduate certificate program take two foundational courses in Building Business Leaders and Applied Business Statistics before progressing to courses on Cost Accounting, Financial Reporting, Auditing, and Federal Taxation of Individuals. The graduate course credits that students earn as part of the certificate program are transferable to SNHU’s online Master of Science in Accounting program. For more information about the Graduate Certificate in Accounting, visit SNHU at Snhu.edu.
More Graduate Certificates in Accounting
| School Name | Location | Program |
|---|---|---|
| American University | Washington, D.C. | Forensic Accounting Graduate Certificate |
| East Texas A&M University | Online; Commerce, TX | Auditing and Forensic Accounting Graduate Certificate |
| George Mason University | Online; Fairfax, VA | Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting |
| Northwest Missouri State University | Online | Graduate Certificate in Accounting |
| PennState World Campus | Online | Graduate Certificate in Accounting |
| Purdue University Global | Online | Graduate Certificate in Accounting |
| Seattle University | Seattle, WA | Graduate Certificate in Accounting |
| Southern New Hampshire University | Online | Graduate Accounting Certificate |
| Suffolk University | Boston, MA | Graduate Certificate in Foundations of Accounting & Taxation |
| The George Washington University | Washington, D.C. | Graduate Certificate in Accountancy |
| UMass Dartmouth | Online; Dartmouth, MA | Accounting Graduate Certificate |
| University of Connecticut | Online | Graduate Certificate in Accounting Fundamentals |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Online | Accounting Data Analytics Graduate Certificate |
| University of St. Francis | Online | Professional Graduate Certificate in Accounting |