Accounting software course curriculum

Program under redevelopment – currently not taking enrollments

Our Accounting software course curriculum is designed by experts in the field to help you graduate with the skills you need to land a job—and build a career. By starting with basic accounting concepts like revenue, depreciation, and cash flow, our courses equip you with a solid understanding of best practices and the ability to use accounting software to take care of the finances for a range of different types of businesses, big and small.

Lesson Group 1: Orientation: Ashworth College Career Program

Learning at Ashworth

The goals and values of Ashworth College; time management; creating a realistic weekly and monthly study schedule; the nature and purpose of assessments; how to study effectively to prepare for and take an online examination; developing the skill sets necessary for success in the twenty-first century.

Concepts in Small Business and Self-Employment

Evaluating your business idea; setting yourself apart from the competition; market testing; investment funding and donation funding; qualities of an entrepreneur; crowdfunding and angel investors.

Lesson Group 2: Accounting Essentials

Basic Concepts and the Balance Sheet

Review of basic accounting principles, focusing on the structure and function of the balance sheet and how a balance sheet is used to evaluate the financial health of a business.

Accounting Systems and Revenue

The basic operation of accounting systems and the use of journals and ledgers for recording transactions. Differences between cash- and accrual-based accounting and the process used to close an accounting period.

Expenses, Inventories, and Depreciation

Students will learn how to complete and analyze the income statement, compute cost of sales, adjust inventory, and record depreciation and amortization.

Liabilities, Equity, and Statement of Cash Flows

This lesson provides an understanding of working capital and how to report various sources of capital properly and generate a complete financial statement package.

Nonprofits and Financial Statement Analysis

Lesson coverage includes analysis of financial statements and the limitations that apply. Students will also understand the accounting differences in "for profit" and "not for profit" entities.

Lesson Group 3: Accounting Software Basics

Getting Started and Setting Up a Company

This lesson instructs students on the basic functions and menus of accounting software and the steps required to set up a company and enter beginning balances.

Entering Transactions for a Cash Business

Students will use accounting software to perform transactions for a cash-basis company, including chart of accounts setup, beginning balances, enter common business transactions and print related financial reports.

Accounts Receivable and Payable for a Service Business

This lesson covers the setup of accounts receivable and accounts payable, maintaining customer accounts, and entering sales and purchases. Coverage also includes the use of defaults to take advantage of software efficiencies.

Processing Cash Payments and Receipts

Students will use accounting software to receive payments from customers and make payments to vendors through the use of receipts and to apply customer discounts according to established payment terms. Students will also prepare the bank reconciliation.

Lesson Group 4: Accounting Software: Statements, Inventory, and Payroll

Preparing Financial Statements

This lesson provides instruction on using software to adjust journal entries and prepare financial statements. Students will apply knowledge of period end adjustments to software based accounting and learn how to generate customized reports.

Purchases and Sales of Inventory in a Merchandise Business

Students will set up the subsidiary ledger and post transactions into and out of inventory using the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Modules. Lesson coverage also develops skills in sales orders invoicing, sales tax applications, and finance charges.

Payroll and Job Costing

Lesson coverage includes setup and operation of the software-based payroll system, including the calculation of payroll taxes. Students will also learn how the payroll function is applied for job costing applications.

Fixed Assets, Partnerships, and Corporations

The program concludes with instruction on using software to account for fixed assets and depreciation. Students will also practice the organization of the partnership's capital accounts and the corporation's equity section of the balance sheet.

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Program Description

In the Computer Accounting program students will review basic accounting practices used to post details of financial transactions for various sizes and types of business organizations. Students will then learn the functionality of common accounting software and use accounting software to complete required transactions and to accurately manage the accounting functions associated with purchasing, payroll, and inventory and to generate documents used for financial reporting and analysis.

Program Objectives

After completing the Computer Accounting program, students will be able to:

Identify and apply fundamental concepts and essential terminology of accounting, including balance sheets, revenues and monetary assets, expenses, inventories and costs, depreciation, assets and liabilities, equities, and cash flow, and identify basic financial statements commonly used for both profit and not-for-profit businesses.
Differentiate between accrual and cash basis accounting and explain the importance of conservatism, materiality, and realization in accounting practices.
Locate and apply the basic functions of accounting software to create, save, open, and enter transactions for company data and related financial reports.
Use accounting software to create companies, run accounts payable, manage inventory and payroll, track inventory and assets, maintain a general ledger, and generate required company reports.
Apply the functionality of accounting software to perform month-end and year-end close and generate and print partnership and corporation reports.

Multiplying your career opportunities

Ashworth College's API Program Name Career Diploma program helps you develop the confidence you need to reach for your career goals because we integrate job search prep into your studies. With the online tools at the Ashworth College Central Network, you’ll get step-by-step guidance as you create polished, professional resumes and letters. After you graduate, you’ll keep your Ashworth College Central Network account so you can revisit the tools any time you need to make a good impression on a potential employer. Learn more about it at the Career Services page.