Accounting | Associate Degree

Major: Accounting
Degree awarded: Associate of Arts
Total credit hours: 64
Internship/Practicum opportunities: Visit the Career Development Center for internship information.

About the Accounting Associate Degree

An associate degree in accounting is a strong first step into the accounting field. Getting your associate degree in accounting can help open doors to entry-level positions that help you determine if a career in accounting is right for you. Thiel’s program provides students with opportunities to complete an initial college degree while establishing a solid academic foundation for a bachelor’s degree in the field of accounting. Upon completing the associate degree, a student may have completed one-half of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree.

Thiel College’s accounting associate degree is designed to introduce students to topics in financial and cost accounting, as well to the basics of income tax accounting for individuals. This program can provide an enhanced understanding of accounting information flows, costing systems, and the general tax environment to students majoring in other business areas.

Visit our Academic Catalog (2023-2024) for course listings.

Accounting Major Objectives

At Thiel College, the associate degree courses in accounting prepare students to:

Learn generally accepted accounting principles and be able to prepare financial statements
Understand the importance of independent audits and generally accepted auditing standards
Possess a basic understanding of the Internal Revenue Code and the impact of taxes on business
Network with distinguished business alumni

Accounting Curriculum

Thiel’s accounting major develops a solid foundation for public, governmental, and corporate accounting. Our courses explore principles of accounting in detail and build a foundation in economics, data analysis, business law, taxation, and auditing. Review the Academic Catalog (2023-2024) for accounting course listings in detail.

Our Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting provides students with career-ready coursework and hands-on learning experiences throughout their time at Thiel, including unique opportunities to explore entrepreneurship as a career goal.

Scholarship Opportunities

Thiel College offers scholarships to students for reasons such as academic success, community service or involvement, exemplary leadership and more.

The scholarships available to accounting majors are:

The August and Susan Bamford Scholarship
Dr. Morrison H. Beach Scholarship
The Roger ’52 and Paula G. Blatter Scholarship
The John T. Egbert Jr. and Phyllis Faries Egbert Scholarship
Daniel A. Hamo Scholarship
Michael Andrew Holland ’75 Memorial Scholarship
Huether Foundation Endowment for Business
Helen Patterson Hill Memorial Scholarship
Lend-A-Hand Scholarship
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. May Scholarship Fund
The Robert J. Mckinley Memorial Scholarship
The Wise Family Endowed Scholarship Fund

Learn more about the types of financial aid available to Thiel students.

Clubs and Organizations

It's easy to get involved on campus at Thiel; joining a student club or organization is an excellent way to meet fellow students and gain leadership experience.

An accounting major might be interested in the following student organizations:

Accounting Club
Greenville Jr. Chamber of Commerce
Chi Alpha Epsilon (National Honorary for Academic Achievement)
National Society of Leadership and Success

Explore a full list of Thiel student clubs and organizations.

Accounting Alumni and Careers

Majoring in accounting provides graduates with career options across the business field. With a background in accounting, you can make any enterprise—even your own—run better and make more money. Most organizations or businesses need someone with accounting skills to function well, and an associate degree in accounting sets you up with many of the crucial bookkeeping skills for entrepreneurial endeavors.

Thiel College accounting majors have gone on to be general accountants, account executives, account representatives, auditors and much more.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for accountants and auditors is $45,560. Here are a few career opportunities in the accounting field to consider upon graduation:

Accounting Clerk – earn a median salary of $37,500 by producing financial records for organizations and check financial records for accuracy*
Payroll Assistant – earn a median salary of $39,600 by gathering timesheets, capturing time worked, and draft paychecks before employees are compensated*
Bookkeeper - earn a median salary of $42,600. Bookkeepers are responsible for an organization's accounts, known as the general ledger. They record all transactions and post debits (costs) and credits (income). They also produce financial statements and other reports for supervisors and managers*
Account Resolution Specialist – earn a median salary of $38,800 performing moderately complex customer support tasks when evaluating customers situation to provide relevant solutions. Receive direction from supervisors, and escalate non-routine questions to more experienced Account Resolution individuals*

*Job and salary information from www.payscale.com

Learn More About Thiel’s Accounting Programs

At Thiel College, our accounting degree programs harness the power of our comprehensive curriculum and hands-on learning opportunities to provide students with a transformative education. The Accounting major’s courses build the deep technical knowledge and skills needed to excel in a variety of financial roles in public, private and government organizations.

Request information to learn more about majoring in accounting at Thiel.