Accounting

Accounting at CBC

Accounting is often referred to as the language of business, because businesses in every industry need the technical and creative skills of accountants every day. Because of the wide application of accounting, accountants are in high demand. Whether you are pursuing a one-year certificate or a masters degree in accounting, there will be jobs waiting for you when you graduate!

Degrees and Certificates Offered:

Our degrees and certificates place an emphasis on experience including: instructors bringing current industry practices to the classroom and students applying accounting principles to solve real-world business issues.

Students gain experience in QuickBooks, Payroll Accounting, Accounting Systems and Income Tax Preparation.

CBC Accounting Program

Students will gain knowledge in:

  • Foundational accounting concepts
  • Introductions to business and economics
  • Preparing and interpreting records and business reports
  • Business planning and management
  • Utilizing common business and accounting technology

 

Careers in Accounting

Occupations in Accounting encompass a wide variety of skills, roles, clients and settings including:

  • Banking

    Careers in banking help expand businesses by targeting new growth opportunities, improving portfolio credit quality and maximizing profitability and efficiency of the products. You would also actively prospect, recruit and pre-qualify new clients, be a primary point of contact for new and existing customers and make certain all applications meet standards and help ensure regulatory compliance. You would also provide periodic analysis and reports.

  • Bookkeeper

    As a bookkeeper, your duties would include balancing and maintaining accurate ledgers, matching purchase orders with invoices, coordinating bank deposits and reporting financial results on a regular basis to management. You would also monitor office expenses, tally and enter cash receipts, pay vendor invoices and track bank account balances. You would create monthly financial statements, including cash flow, profit and loss statements and balance sheets. You would also prepare quarterly and monthly tax returns, along with payroll, operating and business taxes.

  • Payroll

    Employees in payroll verify timekeeping records, record data and verify all amounts prior to cutting checks. You would also alter employee tax status, as well as any information about withholding. Other duties would include preparing manual checks, initiating direct deposits and communicating any complaints, questions or concerns about payroll services to the HR manager.

  • Procurement

    As a Procurement personnel, you would compile information and records to prepare purchase orders for procurement of material for industrial firms, governmental agencies or other establishments. You would also search inventory records for sufficient quantity, and compare prices, specifications and delivery dates and award contract to bidders. You'd also write invitation-of-bid forms and mails forms to supplies firms or for public posting.

  • Tax Preparation

    As a tax preparer you would prepare income tax returns for individuals and small businesses. You would interview clients to obtain information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances. You would also compute taxes owed, using adding machine, consult tax law handbooks to determine procedure for preparation of atypical returns and calculate tax form preparation fees according to complexity of return and amount of time required to prepare forms.

Columbia Basin College Accounting Classes

Program Learning Outcomes for Accounting

Program learning outcomes are the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students will achieve before they graduate. The outcomes below were developed by the faculty in the Accounting program at CBC with input from accrediting bodies, advisory committees, employers, etc. This collaboration ensures that the outcomes are relevant for careers that this degree leads to.

Students graduating with an AAS in Accounting will be able to:

  1. Apply core accounting concepts and terminology
  2. Integrate accounting concepts in a simulated business environment
  3. Create journal entries from financial data
  4. Create financial statements
  5. Analyze financial statements
  6. Prepare business reports from financial data
  7. Analyze business reports
  8. Synthesize ideas to Communicate professionally
  9. Perform accounting and reporting functions using accounting technology
Columbia Basin College Accounting Program

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Students walking around CBC's Pasco campus