Hi guys,
I have finally decided to get an accounting degree. I am currently taking my second introductory class (managerial accounting). I will be taking intermediate accounting I next semester. I don’t really know which accounting classes I should take together in order to handle the course load. I hope to graduate on December 2016. Here is the list of the required classes.
MAJOR REQUIREMENTS – 30 HOURS COURSE SHORT TITLE PREREQUISITE(S)
ACCT 321 Intermediate Accounting I
ACCT 322 Intermediate Accounting II
ACCT 331 Cost Accounting ;
ACCT 341 Introduction to Taxation
ACCT 360 Accounting Systems Operations
ACCT 460 Auditing
FOUR courses from the following
ACCT 411 Entrp. Networks and Communication
ACCT 421 Advanced Accounting
ACCT 431 Advanced Cost Accounting
ACCT 441 Advanced Tax
ACCT 465 Internal Auditing
ACCT 468 Forensic Accounting
ACCT 471 Government & Not for Profit Accounting
ACCT 495 Internship
Other than taking the two intermediate courses in sequential order and taking advanced after the two intermediate courses are complete, any order is fine. I’d try to take 2 accounting classes/semester if possible. How the workload etc. stacks up is often dependent on the professor as much as the material.
A lot of it depends on what your personal strengths are. Cost Accounting, Intermediate, Tax, etc. are generally more quantitative and numbers-oriented while Auditing and Systems classes are generally more conceptual (Auditing can involve a lot of memorization really). Depending on what you personally are good at, it might be worth having a mix of different kinds of courses so that you can isolate the classes that rely on skills that you struggle with more. For me personally, I wasn’t really good at math so I tried to isolate Cost and Tax (as in, I didn’t take them with each other or with Intermediate) so I could focus more time on them.
Looking at your schedule, there might be some suggested sequences that your college prescribes. For example, Internal Auditing might not make a lot of sense if you take it before Auditing; Advanced Tax may require Intro to Tax as a prerequisite. You might be able to get guidance from your college’s course catalog or from talking to upper-level students too.
Thank you for your input. I will try to talk to them. Do you think it’s a good idea to take an online cost accounting class over the summer? I am not really good at math either.