Accounting Professional

Program description

This certificate builds on the Accounting Specialist Certificate and prepares students for entry-level roles in accounting or business. This program expands on core accounting knowledge by adding critical business context and quantitative skills. This certificate gives students a broader understanding of accounting’s role within the overall business environment, reinforcing practical accounting knowledge while strengthening analytical and ethical decision-making abilities. As part of a stackable pathway sequence, this certificate supports career advancement and lays the groundwork for further study in accounting or business. This certificate is approved through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. Upon satisfactory completion of the listed requirements and filing an application for graduation with Admissions and Records, the student’s transcript will reflect completion of this certificate.

Program learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this certificate, the student should be able to:

1. Apply the accounting equation and perform all phases of the accounting cycle, including preparation and interpretation of financial statements for service and merchandising organizations in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
2. Analyze and apply core managerial accounting concepts, including cost classifications, cost systems, cost-volume-profit relationships, budgeting, variance analysis, responsibility accounting, differential analysis, strategic performance measurement, and capital budgeting decisions to support effective management decision-making, planning, and control.
3. Utilize accounting and business software, including QuickBooks Online and Excel, to process accounting information and prepare financial reports in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in keyboarding and numeric data entry by accurately and efficiently using touch typing and the 10-key keypad, and apply Microsoft Word skills to format business documents such as letters, memos, reports, tables, and labels.
5. Prepare and process payroll records and payroll tax returns in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations.
6. Demonstrate understanding of individual, partnership, and corporate income tax concepts, including gross income, deductions, credits, depreciation, capital gains and losses, payroll taxes, and tax planning in accordance with current tax laws and regulations.
7. Apply mathematical concepts and computational techniques used in business. This includes mathematics of bank services, payroll, buying and selling, interest and loans, taxes, insurance, depreciation, annuities, stocks, and bonds. Utilize descriptive statistics to evaluate business-related data and quantitative reasoning descriptive statistics to evaluate business-related data and quantitative reasoning skills to select among different options in business-related decisions.
8. Demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues in business by analyzing the interactions between business, government, and society, evaluating different perspectives on ethical behavior, and making informed judgments to support responsible and sustainable business practices.
9. Demonstrate knowledge of how businesses operate in a competitive environment by describing basic business principles, forms of ownership, entrepreneurship, international business, and the importance of social responsibility and ethics.

Certificate requirements