Accounting Certificate of Achievement

Accounting is the study of analyzing, recording, summarizing, and reporting financial information to managers, owners, customers, investors, and other decision makers inside and outside a business organization. Career paths chosen by students pursuing undergraduate studies in accounting commonly include financial accounting, management accounting, tax accounting, governmental and not-for-profit accounting, and auditing. Careers in the discipline that generally require graduate-level degrees include forensic auditing, management consulting services and education. Even students who choose not to major in accounting find that coursework in the field can improve their ability to understand the role of accounting as a part of the overall business management team, as well as their ability to comprehend financial information as it pertains to their personal wealth management.

College of the Desert’s accounting curriculum includes course offerings that provide a general overview of the discipline, as well as a specialized focus on bookkeeping, financial accounting, managerial accounting, tax accounting, cost accounting, and computer accounting. The college offers an Associates of Science Degree for employment preparation and a Certificate of Achievement in Accounting, as well as courses leading to transfer to a four-year institution. Both the AS degree and the certificate are designed to provide students with skills necessary for employment or advancement in the accounting profession. Students earning the certificate may also choose to continue their study toward an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree in the field. Past recipients of the COD Certificate of Achievement in Accounting have obtained positions as accounting clerks, bookkeepers, accountants, controllers and tax preparers. 

For more information please contact the School of Applied Sciences and Business Office, the Counseling Center or call 760.776.7316.

Course Code Title Units
Required Courses
BUAC 003Accounting for Government & Non-Profit3
BUAC 004Income Tax - Individuals3-4
or BUAC 004A Income Tax - Individuals / CTEC
BUAC 005Income Tax - Corporations / Partnerships / Estates / Trusts3
BUAC 010Accounting with QuickBooks3
or BUAC 013 Payroll Accounting
BUAC 019Excel Spreadsheets for Accounting2
BUAC 020AFinancial Accounting4
BUAC 020BManagerial Accounting4
Recommended Electives
Select any two courses (6 units):
BUAC 010Accounting with QuickBooks3
BUAC 013Payroll Accounting3
BUMA 010Introduction to Business3
BUMA 020ABusiness Law I3
BUMA 003Business Statistics3
or SOC 003 Fundamentals of Statistics
ECON 001Principles of Macroeconomics3
ECON 002Principles of Microeconomics3
BUAC 050Accounting in the Business Environment3
BUAC 051Accounting for Entrepreneurs & Business Managers3
BUFI 012Money Management & Planning for the Future3
BUFI 013Investment Opportunities3
BUMA 001Principles of Management3
BUMA 031Business Calculations3
BUMA 032Human Relations in the Workplace3
BUMA 094Business Communications3
CIS 010Computer Literacy4
BUAC 095AAccounting Work Experience3
Required Subtotal22/23
Elective Subtotal6
CERTIFICATE TOTAL28/29