Whether you’re an entrepreneur, CEO or employee looking for a better financial future, every type of business needs trained personnel to make sure financial transactions are handled properly and accurate records are kept. Dallas College will help you stand out in today’s competitive job market.
If you've already completed a bachelor's degree and are interested in obtaining your CPA license, we also offer training to help you prepare to take the certified public accountant (CPA) exam in the state of Texas.
Accounting at a Glance
4-18 months to complete1
$1,782-$3,564 tuition2
- Brookhaven
- Cedar Valley
- Eastfield
- El Centro
- Mountain View
- North Lake
- Richland3
2 years to complete1
$5,940 tuition2
- Brookhaven
- Cedar Valley
- Eastfield
- El Centro
- Mountain View
- North Lake
- Richland3
What Can I Study?
I Want to Go to Work
-
Credit Certificates
- Accounting Assistant Certificate $2,970 1 year
- Accounting Clerk Certificate $1,782 4 months
- Advanced Technical Certificate in Professional Accountancy $3,564 18 months
Can I Get a Job?
Dallas College offers a variety of certificates and degrees to help you gain the skills you need to start working right away.
- These credentials are often considered Career and Technical Education (CTE).
- These credentials are established with the assistance and cooperation of representatives from local business, to meet local and regional employment needs.
- Higher level certificates and degrees will typically lead to a higher salary in the workforce.
- Workforce (CE) Certificates can often be completed faster than traditional credit certificates but typically do not offer college credit.
- Level 1, Level 2, Enhanced Skills certificates and others, offer college credit and are often stackable to help you build skills as you work towards an Associate Degree.
- Workforce credentials may give you college credit at Dallas College, but they may not transfer to other colleges or universities.
If you're unsure if this is the right path for you, you can talk to a Pathway Specialist for advice.
Pathway Specialist
- 972-669-6400
- PathwaySpecialist@DallasCollege.edu
What Can I Earn? Will There Be Plenty of Jobs?
CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, projects job growth increase of 24% for accountants and auditors, 23% for financial examiners, 19% for financial analysts and 18% for tax preparers.
Many job options are available to people with accounting knowledge and skills, depending on the educational level and experience, including:
Accountants and Auditors
$40/hr
Median Salary
4244
Job Openings
+17%
Projected Outlook
Top Skills:
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Complex Problem Solving
- Mathematics
- Coordination
Budget Analysts
$38/hr
Median Salary
88
Job Openings
+12%
Projected Outlook
Top Skills:
- Critical Thinking
- Mathematics
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Complex Problem Solving
- Speaking
- Management of Financial Resources
- Active Learning
- Writing
Financial and Investment Analysts
$46/hr
Median Salary
1083
Job Openings
+21%
Projected Outlook
Office Clerks
$20/hr
Median Salary
7400
Job Openings
+7%
Projected Outlook
Top Skills:
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Time Management
- Monitoring
All jobs data gathered for Dallas/Fort Worth. Source: Dallas College Labor Market Intelligence and Lightcast4.
“I am a certified accounting clerk and accounting assistant, and also have a certification in Quick Books. I am very proud to have earned my associate degree in Accounting in May, 2018. I have never given up, despite my lack of experience in accounting, the U.S culture and communication skills.” Read Simin Zadkhedmat's story.
A Look Inside Accounting
Dallas College offers both associate degree and certificate programs that will help you stand out in today's competitive job market, every type of business needs trained personnel who speak the language of business and understand different accounting systems. In today's fast changing world.
At Dallas College, you can take accounting courses to strengthen your overall education. Many of Dallas college's faculty have top industry experience and all our faculty take pride in a smaller class size and hands-on approach. Bloomberg terminals provide students access to live financial data and reporting typically only available to industry professionals at top firm. Our courses for the one semester accounting clerk certificate applied toward the Accounting Assistant Certificate, which can be applied toward the associate's degree, earning a Dallas College associate degree or a certificate in accounting can lead to a promotion, raise, or first job in the field as an accounting clerk, bookkeeper, or an Accounting Assistant.
Completing these programs will also allow you to earn credits that will transfer to a four-year university where you can successfully complete a bachelor's degree and beyond. Non-traditional students, such as students who have already obtained their bachelor's degree, can enroll in the Dallas College CPA certificate program to earn the credits required to take the CPA exam. And Dallas college's accounting program courses are offered on multiple campuses. So what are you waiting for? Login and sign up at Dallas College to get started today? For more information, visit our website and begin your Dallas College accounting career journey.
Prepare to Take the CPA Exam in Texas
The Advanced Technical Certificate in Professional Accountancy is a primarily online accounting program that is designed with working professionals in mind. We offer the required courses needed to take the certified public accountant examination (CPA exam) by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
The program may be a good fit for you if you have already received your bachelor’s degree and wish to prepare yourself to take the certified public accountant (CPA) exam in the state of Texas.
This program is available at all of our seven campuses.
- You must first complete a bachelor’s degree before starting this program.
- If you have your bachelor’s and are new to Dallas College, complete the admissions application as a transfer student.
If you have any questions about the CPA exam eligibility requirements or the CPA Program in general at Dallas College, please contact one of our lead faculty below. They are available to help you stay on the correct path for course completion and to submit your letter of intent to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
- Professor Craig Black: Email Craig
- Professor Keith Baker: Email Keith
Get Started With Your Application Today
Dallas College CPA Certificate students who have completed at least 15 semester hours of upper-level accounting toward the award and meet other requirements specified on the linked application are eligible to apply for annual scholarship dollars.
Complete the first section of the online scholarship application and the email the application to: RahsaanDawson@DallasCollege.edu.
What is the CPA program at Dallas College?
The CPA program at Dallas College offers courses that satisfy the requirements to be eligible to take the CPA exam in Texas.
How do I apply to the CPA program?
You must complete a bachelor’s degree before taking courses in the CPA program. Any CPA program courses that you take before you complete a bachelor’s degree will not count toward CPA exam eligibility. After you complete a bachelor’s degree, as a CPA program student, you will follow the same admissions procedures as all other students at Dallas College. There is no additional CPA program-specific application, and Accounting Department approval is not required.
How do I register for courses in the CPA program?
Once you have applied for admission and have been accepted, you will be able to register for classes online.
Are all courses offered online?
Yes. Most of the courses are only offered online. A few courses will be offered both online and face to face during the same semester. Some will be offered online one semester and then face to face the following semester.
What education-related requirements must be satisfied to be eligible to take the CPA exam in Texas?
To be eligible to take the CPA exam in Texas, you must complete all of the following:
- a bachelor’s degree (any major or discipline)
- at least 150 semester hours
- 30 semester hours of upper division accounting courses
- 24 semester hours of upper division business courses
- a TSBPA-approved ethics course (ACNT 1335 at Dallas College)
- a TSBPA-approved accounting or tax research course (ACNT 1393 at Dallas College)
- a TSBPA-approved business communications course (ACNT 2345 at Dallas College)
What TSBPA-approved upper division accounting courses are offered at Dallas College?
The following Dallas College courses have been approved by the TSBPA and will count toward the 30 hours of upper division accounting courses requirement:
- ACNT 1277 Taxation Procedures for Individuals (2 hours)
- ACNT 1278 Taxation Procedures for C Corps and S Corps (2 hours)
- ACNT 1279 Taxation Procedures for Estates and Trusts (2 hours)
- ACNT 1373 Financial Accounting Reporting Standards I (3 hours)
- ACNT 1374 Financial Accounting Reporting Standards II (3 hours)
- ACNT 1375 Forensic Financial Investigation (3 hours)
- ACNT 1393 Special Topics in Taxation (tax research course) (3 hours)
- ACNT 2330 Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting (3 hours)
- ACNT 2332 Accounting Information Systems (3 hours)
- ACNT 2336 Financial Statement Analysis (3 hours)
- ACNT 2378 Financial Statement Auditing Theory (3 hours)
What TSBPA-approved course at Dallas College will satisfy the accounting/tax research course requirement?
ACNT 1393 Special Topics in Taxation will satisfy the accounting/tax research course requirement and will count toward the 30-hour upper division accounting course requirement.
What TSBPA-approved course at Dallas College will satisfy the ethics course requirement?
ACNT 1335 Accounting Ethics will satisfy the ethics course requirement. This is not an accounting course and does not count toward the 30-hour upper division accounting course requirement.
What TSBPA-approved course at Dallas College will satisfy the business communications course requirement?
ACNT 2345 Technical Writing for Accountants will satisfy the business communications course requirement. This course will also count toward the 24-hour business course requirement.
What TSBPA-approved courses at Dallas College will satisfy the 24-hour business course requirement?
The following Dallas College courses have been approved by the TSBPA and will count toward the 24 hours of upper division business courses requirement:
- ACNT 2345 Technical Writing for Accountants (also satisfies the business communications course requirement)
- BMGT 1327 Principles of Management
- BUSI 1307 Personal Finance
- ECON 2301 Principles of Economics I
- ECON 2302 Principles of Economics II
- HRPO 2301 Human Resources Management
- MATH 1342 Intro to Statistics
- MRKG 1311 Principles of Marketing
Can I take courses for the sole purpose of satisfying the 150-hour requirement?
Yes. Any of the TSBPA-approved accounting or business courses offered at Dallas College will count toward the 150-hour requirement. However, the TSBPA will not accept repeated courses, so do not take a course at Dallas College that is the same as or similar to a course that you have already completed (i.e., course equivalent).
What TSBPA-approved upper division accounting courses at Dallas College are equivalent to courses at other colleges and universities?
ACNT 1277 will usually be considered a course equivalent to any junior or senior level tax course in individual taxation and is often named Principles of Federal Taxation or Fundamentals of Taxation or similar at other colleges and universities. ACNT 1373 and 1374 will usually be considered course equivalents to junior level financial accounting courses often named Intermediate Accounting I and II or Financial Accounting I and II or Intermediate Financial Accounting I and II or similar at other colleges and universities. ACNT 2378 would be an equivalent to any other upper division auditing course at other colleges and universities. Course equivalents should be confirmed with the TSBPA to avoid repeating courses.
How do I choose which courses to take?
Complete and submit an Application of Intent to the TSBPA. They will review your transcripts and then send you a letter that identifies which CPA exam eligibility requirements have been satisfied and which have not. You can use the results of this transcript review to determine which courses you need to take to satisfy the remaining CPA exam eligibility requirements.
If I complete the CPA program, will I earn a degree?
If you complete 30 hours of upper division accounting courses, a three-hour TSBPA-approved business communications course (ACNT 2345) and a three-hour TSBPA-approved ethics course (ACNT 1335), you will be eligible to receive the Advanced Technical Certificate in Professional Accountancy. You may take all 36 hours at Dallas College or transfer up to 27 hours and earn the certificate so long as at least nine of the 36 hours (or 25%) are taken at Dallas College. If you take only one or two TSBPA-approved courses at Dallas College, you will not be eligible for the advanced certificate, but the completed courses will still count toward CPA exam eligibility.
Find Out More About Accounting
Sign up to receive additional information about Accounting or call 972-669-6400.
School of Business, Hospitality and Global Trade
- 972-860-8912
- PathwaySuccess@DallasCollege.edu
Dallas College
- 972-669-6400
- Text College to 214-978-6457
- StudentHelp@DallasCollege.edu
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1Length of time is based on catalog degree plans. Prerequisites may be required, which are not included in this estimate. For most programs, full-time student status is assumed, a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
2Cost is based on tuition rates for program hours for Dallas County residents. The price of most required learning materials (books, software, supplies, etc.) is included with the price of tuition. Visit our Paying for College site to learn more about cost, financial aid, scholarships and more.
3Each location offers a unique combination of certificate and degree options. Not all degree and certificate offerings are available for admission/start at all campuses every semester.
4A portion of Lightcast’s data comes from O*NET Online by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Lightcast has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
HB1508 Notice
This program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible.
For more information, please visit dallascollege.edu/hb1508.