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For further explanation, please contact Leslie Van
Wolvelear at 847-376-7135 or lvanwolv@oakton.edu
Oakton
Associate's Degree and Accounting Certificates:
- Will
Oakton's Associate's Degree transfer to 4-year schools?
- How
do the Accounting certificates differ in purpose?
- Do
Oakton courses count toward the CPA exam education requirements?
- How do
students prepare for the CPA exam?
- What
about students with foreign credentials?
- Please
show sample schedules to complete the CPA Preparation certificate?
- What is
the IRS Enrolled Agent exam?
- What is
the Professional Bookkeepers exam?
- When and
where is each course offered?
- Do
any of the certificate courses typically transfer into 4-year
programs?
- Can Oakton
help me find a job or internship?
General
Questions:
- What
is the profile of the typical student in this program?
- How
is the current job market?
- What
salary can an entry level person expect to get?
- Are
courses offered days, evenings, and weekends?
- Which
courses are offered online?
- Can
an experienced adult student proficiency out of some of the major
courses?
- Any
particular 4-year schools you would recommend ?
- Tell
me more about the ACC 253 Practicum course?
- Describe
some of your most popular courses.
- How can
CPA's get CPE's (continuting education) from Oakton courses?
1. Will Oakton's Associate's Degree transfer to 4-year
schools?
There are two kinds of associate's degrees. The first is
the transfer degree. This is the AA degree. All the courses will transfer
to the 4 year institutions, and you can seamlessly move on to a
university without losing any hours. In accounting, you would only be
able to take two accounting courses (ACC 153 and 154) as these are the
only courses that are guaranteed to be accepted by the 4-year schools.
In the AA degre, you would take all of the general
education core and the business core. These are the same courses that any
freshman and sophomore would take at any business school. Colleges don't
offer the upper level courses for the major until junior or senior year.
If you want to see the AA for business transfer description, open the
college catalog at http://www.oakton.edu/resource/collegecatalog/catalog.pdf
and go to page 78.
The other kind of associate's degree is the career degree
(AAS). This is for students who are not planning to transfer. Some people
already have a bachelor's degrees in another field. Some students just
want job skills. Some students do not feel that their lives will allow
them the time to get 4-year degree so they go for the 2-year degree. Some
students need any degree in order to move up with their jobs.
The AAS in accounting is a career degree program. We cut
back on some of the general education and business core classes and focus
very heavily on the accounting major. If you get this degree, you will
have taken all the accounting courses that that are part of the bachelors
in accounting. You will not, however, have taken many of the general
education or business core classes. The good part of the AAS is that you
develop very strong accounting skills, and you can perform the staff
accountant duties that most bachelor's candidates can perform.
There are two problems with the AAS. First, the upper
level accounting courses do not transfer to the four year schools. The
universities want you to take the accounting major courses locally at
their institutions. Second, many employers require a bachelor's degree as
the minimum job requirement.
If you looking for some job skills, it is much faster to
pursue one of our certificate programs than the AAS degree.
2. How do the accounting certificates differ in purpose?
The Accounting Associate Certificate
(42 cr.),
is OCC’s broadest accounting certificate. It includes 6 hrs. of business law
and covers virtually all of the areas of accounting, including financial
accounting, managerial accounting, auditing, and income taxes. It
prepares students for entry into most areas of accounting, other than
those requiring a CPA Certificate.
The Bookkeeping Certificate (16 cr.),
is a good base for someone entering the field. It provides the basic
foundation to become marketable in an entry-level position.
The Income Tax Preparation Certificate
(20 cr.),
will prepare students to become tax preparers, It will also prepared
students to take the IRS Enrolled Agent Exam. If a tax preparer passes
this Exam, it allows him/her to represent a client before the IRS without
the client being present (e.g. during an audit). Only a high school
diploma and the passing of the exam is required for this designation.
Professional Accounting/CPA Preparation
Certificate (25 cr.),
this certificate is designed to help candidates with a bachelors degree
prepare for the CPA exam and meet the minimum number of accounting hours
required to sit for the CPA exam.
3. Do Oakton courses count toward the CPA exam education requirements?
The following courses
will count toward as accounting hours as part of the education
requirement for the CPA exam:
ACC 153 Financial
Accounting
ACC 154 Managerial
Accounting
ACC 170 Payroll Tax
Accounting
ACC 241 Intermediate I
ACC 242 Intermediate II
ACC 244 Taxation I
ACC 245 Cost Accounting
ACC 250 Accounting
Systems and Procedures
ACC 260 Auditing
ACC 274 Advanced
Taxation
ACC 275 IRS Enrolled
Agent Preparation
The following courses
will not count toward the accounting hours, but they do count in the
total hours needed to reach the 150-hour requirement.
ACC 164 Microsoft Excel
for Accountants
ACC 173 QuickBooks I
ACC 174 QuickBooks II
ACC 175 Peachtree I
ACC 176 Peachtree II
ACC 251 QuickBooks
Consulting
4. How do Students prepare for the CPA exam?
In order to sit for the CPA exam, candidates must have the
following:
1.
A bachelors degree in any field (this does not need to be
in accounting)
2.
150 semester hours of college credit
3.
24 hours of accounting credit (as part of the 150 total
hours)
4.
24 hours of business courses other than accounting (as part
of the 150 total hours)
There are separate requirements for candidates with
graduate degrees in accounting or business.
There are two main resources to find out more about CPA
Exam.
Board of Examiners:
Please visit www.illinois-cpa-exam.com
or call them at 217-531-0950.
This site has information about the education requirements for the exam,
credentials evaluation, and the the exam itself.
Illinois CPA Society:
Please visit www.futurecpa.org
This website has the most recent information for students interested
in the CPA exam as well as careers in accounting.
5. What ABOUT STUDENTS WITH FOREIGN
CREDENTIALS?
The Illinois Board of Examiners does accept credit from
foreign colleges. Please visit http://www.illinois-cpa-exam.com/
and look in the bottom right corner International Information. Click on
the Foreign Credentials link.
The cost of the transcript evaluation is $250 and as long
as you sit for the CPA Exam within three years, you won't need to pay the
evaluation fee again. It is highly recommended to have your transcripts
evaluated immediately as it will guide your choices of which courses to
take when preparing for the CPA Exam. Once you have completed the
evaluation, you will be able to contact the Board of Examiners to make
sure you do not take any duplicate courses.
6. Please Show Sample Schedules to COmplete the CPA
Preparation Certificate.
CPA Preparation Certificate - start
in Fall
Year 1 - Fall Semester
ACC 153 Principles of Financial Accounting
Year 1 - Spring Semester
ACC 241 Intermediate Accounting I
ACC 244 Income Tax Accounting
Year 1 - Summer Semester
ACC 154 Principles of Managerial Accounting
Year 2 - Fall Semester
ACC 242 Intermediate Accounting II
ACC 266 Advanced Accounting
Year 2 - Spring Semester
ACC 260 Auditing
ACC 274 Advanced Income Tax Accounting
Year 2 - Summer Semester
BUS 221 Business Law (optional, not required)
CPA Preparation Certificate - start
in Spring
Year 1 - Spring Semester
ACC 153 Principles of Financial Accounting
Year 1 - Summer Semester
ACC 154 Principles of Managerial Accounting
Year 1 - Fall Semester
ACC 241 Intermediate Accounting I
ACC 244 Income Tax Accounting
Year 2 - Spring Semester
ACC 242 Intermediate Accounting II
ACC 260 Auditing
Year 2 - Summer Semester
BUS 221 Business Law (optional, not required)
Year 2 - Fall Semester
ACC 266 Advanced Accounting
ACC 274 Advanced Income Tax Accounting
CPA Preparation Certificate - start
in Summer
Year 1 - Summer Semester
ACC 153 Principles of Financial Accounting
Year 1 - Fall Semester
ACC 241 Intermediate Accounting I
ACC 244 Income Tax Accounting
Year 2 - Spring Semester
ACC 242 Intermediate Accounting II
ACC 260 Auditing
Year 2- Summer Semester
ACC 154 Principles of Managerial Accounting
Year 2 - Fall Semester
ACC 266 Advanced Accounting
ACC 274 Advanced Income Tax Accounting
Year 2 - Spring Semester
BUS 221 Business Law (optional, not required)
7. What IS THE ENROLLED IRS AGENT EXAM?
In order to represent clients before the IRS, a tax
preparer must be an attorney, a CPA, or an IRS Enrolled Agent. The
Enrolled Agent designation is made by the IRS for candidates who pass a
comprehensive exam offered by the IRS. There is no official education
requirement, but it is recommended that students take at least 2 tax
courses and exam review course in order to prepare for the exam.
At Oakton, we offer ACC 244 and ACC 274 as the two tax
courses. After completing these two courses, it is recommended that you
complete a test preparation course. This is offered at Oakton as ACC 275.
For more information about the IRS Enrolled Agent exam, please visit www.irs.gov and search Enrolled Agent exam.
8. What is the Professional Bookkeeper's Exam?
The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers offers the
Professional Bookkeepers examination. This designation is growing in
popularity among employers who are looking for qualified staff accounting
positions. The topics covered on this exam are adjusting entries,
depreciation, inventory, payroll, error correction, and internal control.
The Bookkeeping
Certificate at Oakton helps prepare the student for most of these
topics, and students can purchase the review books to help prepare for
the exam. For more information, please visit www.aipb.org.
9. When and Where is Each course offered?
See table below.
Please note that “Every Term” indicates that the course is offered
in Fall, Spring and Summer.
|
Course
|
Des Plaines
|
Skokie
|
Online
|
|
ACC 100 Small
Business Accounting
|
On hold
|
|
|
|
ACC 153 Financial
Accounting
|
Every term
|
Every term
|
Every term
|
|
ACC 154 Managerial
Accounting
|
Every term
|
Every term
|
Every term
|
|
ACC 164 Microsoft
Excel
|
Every term
|
Fall, Spring
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 170 Payroll Tax
Accounting
|
Every term
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 173 QuickBooks I
|
Every term
|
Fall, Spring
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 174 QuickBooks II
|
Fall, Spring
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 175 Peachtree I
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Every term
|
|
ACC 176 Peachtree II
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Fall, Spring
|
|
ACC 241 Intermediate
I
|
Every term
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
|
ACC 242 Intermediate
II
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
|
ACC 244 Income Taxes
|
Every term
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
|
ACC 245 Cost
Accounting
|
Fall, Spring
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 250 Systems and
Procedures
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 251 QuickBooks
Consulting
|
Fall
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 253 Practicum
|
Fall, Spring
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 260 Auditing
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
|
ACC 266 Advanced
Accounting
|
Every term
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 274 Advanced
Taxes
|
Fall, Spring
|
Fall, Spring
|
n/a
|
|
ACC 275 Enrolled IRS
Agent Prep
|
Fall
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Please note that “Every Term” indicates that the course is
offered in Fall, Spring and Summer.
10. Do any of the CERTIFICATE courses transfer into 4-year
programs?
ACC 153 & 154 are required by all business programs,
and are transferable to almost every 4 yr. institution. ACC 241 transfers
to a few institutions. Students should contact the individual institution
if they are concerned about transferability of coursework.
11. CAN OAKTON HELP ME FIND A JOB OR INTERNSHIP?
For students who are looking for an accounting job or an
internship, there are a couple of options:
1. Visit www.collegecentral.com/oakton to find local employers
who have posted jobs for community college students. All you need is an
e-mail address to enroll. Keep checking every week. There are some weeks
with 5 posted jobs and other weeks with 40 posted jobs.
2. Students who are at least in their third accounting
course are eligible for Oakton's internship program. See www.oakton.edu/internships for
more information.
The ACC 253 Practicum course requires that students have
employment in the accounting field. For students who already have
accounting jobs, they can use their current employment to meet this
requirement.
12. What is the profile of the typical student in this
program?
In the daytime ACC 153 & 154, the large majority of students
are traditionally aged college transfer students, while the evening
students are often non-traditionally aged. The majority of the students
in the 200 level ACC classes are adults preparing for the CPA exam. The
rest of the students taking the 200 level ACC classes are taking them to
earn a degree or certificate other than the CPA Preparation Certificate,
improve in their present jobs, switching careers, etc.
13. How is the current job market?
Accounting is a hot field right
now. Due to some changes in the law, companies now have more reporting requirements
and a need for more accountants.
CPA's are particularly in demand,
and "accounting clerk" is among the 50 occupations expected to
have the largest number of job openings each year in Illinois.
Accounting work experience is very important,
so students are advised to start working an entry-level job as soon as
possible. Some students can find work after completion of only ACC 153.
Oakton has a very active internship program for accounting students who
are in their third accounting course or later.
The small and mid-sized companies
are largely looking for experience and skills, but will hire students
with knowledge if they don’t have experience. Employers look for students
with good language skills (especially important to be able to talk to
clients on the phone), motivation, people skills, and quick learning
ability. Candidates looking for an entry level job will find some or all
of the following courses very helpful: ACC 153, 164, 170, 173, 175 and
244. ACC 170, 173, and 175 are offered in brief 4 week sessions so that a
student may finish all of the courses in one semester.
There is also a large demand for
tax preparers. Anyone, as long as they have graduated from high school,
can sit for the IRS Enrolled Agent Exam; however there is no credential
or test required to prepare tax returns. Oakton’s Income Tax Preparation
Certificate includes ACC 153, 244 and 274, which are good prep classes
for the exam.
14. What salary can an entry level person expect to get?
Accounting clerks, assistant
accountants, and accounts receivable people generally start at
$12-$15/hr. for part-time positions, and $28-33,000 with little
experience. With 3-4 years of experience, these same positions may pay
from $35-40,000/yr.
CPAs can expect to start at
$40,000-45,000/yr in small firms. Larger firms pay $45,000-65,000+/yr. as
starting salaries.
15. Are courses offered days, evenings, and weekends?
ACC 153 & 154 are the only accounting classes that are
offered during the weekdays. All others are offered evenings or weekends.
ACC 153, 154, 164 and 173 are offered at both Skokie and Des Plaines. The
other ACC courses are usually only offered at Des Plaines.
16. Which Courses are offered online?
The following courses are offered
online:
ACC 153 Principles of Financial Accounting
ACC 154 Principles of Managerial Accounting
ACC 175 Accounting with Peachtree I
ACC 176 Accounting with Peachtree II
ACC 241 Intermediate Accounting I
ACC 242 Intermediate Accounting II
ACC 244 Income Tax Accounting
ACC 260 Auditing
For more information about the
online learning program at Oakton, please visit www.oakton.edu/online.
17. Can an experienced adult student proficiency out of
some of the major courses?
There is a departmental proficiency test available for ACC
153. This is a 100 multiple choice question exam that covers all of the
topics in ACC 153. In order to receive credit for this class, students
need to score 75% or higher on this exam, receive at least 3 hours of
credit by taking any course at Oakton, and then complete the paperwork to
receive the proficiency credit.
This credit will count toward any degree at Oakton, and
many four-year institutions will accept the proficiency credit at their
schools. There are some four-year schools who will not accept this type
of transfer credit. Students who are planning to transfer should check
with their transfer institution about transferring proficiency credit
before beginning this process.
To begin the process, please contact Jay Cohen, accounting
department chair, at jcohen@oakton.edu.
18. Any particular 4-year schools you would recommend?
Northern Illinois University and U of I at Champaign, have
nationally recognized accounting programs. They have a very high CPA pass
rate. Institutions with good local reputations include: Loyola, DePaul,
and UIC.
19. Tell
me more about the ACC 253 Practicum Course?
See http://www.oakton.edu/acad/dept/acc/ACC253FAQ.htm
20. Describe some of your most popular courses.
21. How can CPA's get CPE's (continuing education) from
Oakton courses?
Oakton is a quaified provider of CPE credits for CPA's.
Accountants may receive 15 hours of CPE credit for every credit hour of
class. The most popular classes to be taken for CPE credit are ACC 164 Excel, ACC 170 Payroll, ACC 173 QuickBooks I, ACC 174 QuickBooks II, ACC 175 Peachtree I, and ACC 176 Peachtree II. These are each
1 credit hour classes and students may receive 15 hours of CPE credit for
each course. The two Peachtree courses may be taken online.
In order to obtain the credit, students need to submit
their grade reports to Susan Kruczinski at Oakton's Alliance for Lifelong
Learning. Susan can be reached at 847-635-2604 or skruczin@oakton.edu.
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