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Accounting Associate

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  • Accounting Associate

2025-2026 Edition

  • Greeting from the President
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    • Accounting Associate
      • Accounting Associate A.A.S.
      • Accounting Associate Certificate
      • Accounting Technology Certificate
      • Income Tax Preparation Certificate
      • Professional Accounting – CPA Preparation Certificate
    • Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology
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Department Chair: Leslie Van Wolvelear, 847.376.7135, lvanwolv@oakton.edu
Program Co-Coordinators: Anita Cotton, 847.635.1462, acotton@oakton.edu; Prashant Rawal, 847.635.1814, prawal@oakton.edu

Many business-related jobs require a bachelor’s degree. Students considering business as career can take ACC 153 and ACC 154 at Oakton. These two courses will transfer to four-year institutions and satisfy the accounting component of the business core. Transfer students may take other accounting courses to build skills, especially in accounting technology, but those courses will most likely not transfer to four-year institutions.

There are other avenues for students considering careers in accounting. For students who do not plan to pursue bachelor’s degrees, Oakton’s Accounting curriculum provides the preparation to become staff accountants, tax preparers, payroll accountants, QuickBooks Certified Users, and Microsoft Excel Specialists.

Students who already have bachelor’s degrees may consider any of the avenues in the above paragraph or they may pursue Oakton’s program to prepare for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam.

The curriculum offers a 62-credit-hour A.A.S. degree program and four accounting certificates: a 19-credit hour Accounting Technology Certificate that includes Excel, QuickBooks, and Cloud Accounting; an 17-credit-hour Income Tax Preparation Certificate that leads to the IRS enrolled agent exam; a 41-credit-hour certificate in accounting that includes accounting technology, taxation, ethics, and communications; and a 36-credit-hour Professional Accounting – CPA Preparation Certificate that leads to the national uniform CPA exam.

CPA Exam Candidates should check the Professional Accounting - CPA Preparation Certificate for information regarding CPA Exam preparation.

  • Accounting Associate A.A.S.
  • Accounting Associate Certificate
  • Accounting Technology Certificate
  • Income Tax Preparation Certificate
  • Professional Accounting – CPA Preparation Certificate

Accounting Courses

ACC 1003 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Accounting Procedures  

Course introduces fundamental accounting procedures to complete the accounting cycle, including business transactions, adjusting entries, financial statements, and closing procedures. Also integrated are reconciliation of bank statements, examination of internal controls, and payroll procedures. This non-transfer course is intended for those students who want to learn basic accounting or for those who need preparation before enrolling in ACC 153.

Prerequisite: None  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 1534 credit hours (lecture: 4 | lab: 0)
Principles of Financial Accounting  

Course covers preparation and analysis of financial information using generally accepted accounting principles. Content includes the accounting cycle, financial statement preparation, merchandise accounting, internal controls, cash, receivables, inventory, payables, property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, liabilities, stockholders’ equity, cash flow statement, and financial statement analysis.

IAI Major: BUS 903  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 1544 credit hours (lecture: 4 | lab: 0)
Principles of Managerial Accounting  

Course presents accounting information used for internal business management. Focus is on planning, controlling and evaluating company performance. Content includes budgeting, job costing, product pricing, breakeven analysis, standard costing, decision models. Projects will be completed in Microsoft Excel. Prior experience with Excel not required.

Recommended: ACC 153  
IAI Major: BUS 904  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 1701 credit hours (lecture: 1 | lab: 0)
Payroll Tax Accounting  

Course covers study and practice in practical applications of payroll tax laws and requirements. Content includes understanding and preparation of payroll records including FICA, unemployment taxes, payroll registers, tax forms, and deposit coupons.

Recommended: ACC 100 or ACC 153.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 1803 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Accounting with Microsoft Excel  

Course provides accounting refresher and uses Microsoft Excel features to perform accounting functions. Accounting topics include transactions, financial statements, cash flow, inventory costing, bank reconciliations, payroll, depreciation, bond amortization, financial ratios, and budgeting. Excel topics include formulas, formatting, multiple worksheets, charting, ranges, pivot tables, basic macros, goal seek, and special functions for calculations of inventory, payroll, depreciation, and time value of money.

Note: ACC 180 is designed for students with prior knowledge in accounting. Other students should refer to CAB 135. Recommended ACC 153 or prior accounting knowledge.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid

Fee: $10

Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 1833 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
QuickBooks Online Certified User Preparation  

Course prepares students for QuickBooks Online Certified User Exam. Topics include setting up companies, managing customer and vendor activity, preparing bank reconciliations, setting up inventory tracking, working with Balance Sheet transactions, performing payroll, creating job estimates and time-tracking, setting up product classes, customizing forms and reports, integrating with Microsoft Office, performing adjusting entries, and closing the books.

Recommended: ACC 153 or prior accounting knowledge.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid

Fee: $10

ACC 1882 credit hours (lecture: 2 | lab: 0)
Cloud Accounting  

Course uses cloud systems to perform accounting functions for service and merchandising entities. Google Sheets are used to prepare transaction analysis and financial statements. Excel 365 is used to perform the entire accounting cycle. QuickBooks Online is introduced and basic navigation of tools, screens, and forms. Prior experience with accounting software is not required.

Recommended: ACC 153 or prior accounting knowledge.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 2414 credit hours (lecture: 4 | lab: 0)
Intermediate Accounting I  

Course presents development, usefulness and limitations of financial accounting. Content includes the study of financial statements, conceptual framework of accounting, present value techniques, as well as issues arising from cash, receivables, inventories, long-term assets, and current liabilities.

Recommended: ACC 153  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 2424 credit hours (lecture: 4 | lab: 0)
Intermediate Accounting II  

Course presents theory and practice relating to liabilities, equity, and statement of cash flows. Content includes study of debt and stock securities, earnings per share, accounting for income taxes, pension costs and leases, statement of cash flows, and financial reporting. Accounting research is included using professional databases to resolve accounting issues.

Recommended: ACC 241  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 2432 credit hours (lecture: 2 | lab: 0)
Accounting Research  

Course presents practice of general accounting research. Content includes study of professional research using authoritative databases. Focus is on accounting literature, including application of professional standards to case study simulations. This course will satisfy the 2-hour accounting research required by the Illinois Board of Examiners for the CPA exam.

Recommended: ACC 241.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
ACC 2443 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Income Tax Accounting  

Course offers practical study of current federal and Illinois state income tax concepts, requirements, procedures and forms as they relate to businesses and individuals. Content includes income inclusions and exclusions, capital gains and losses, business and personal deductions and accounting methods. Computerized tax software used.

Recommended: ACC 153.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 2453 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Cost Accounting  

Course presents managerial and cost accounting with a focus on how management can use this information to make strategic business decisions. Content includes application of cost concepts in manufacturing under differing costing methods, with focus on job, process, standard, variable and activity-based costing. Additional content includes short and long-term decision techniques with focus on cost-volume-profit analysis and capital budgeting. Assignments include computerized spreadsheeting.

Recommended: ACC 154  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 2513 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
QuickBooks Comprehensive  

Course prepares students for QuickBooks ProAdvisor Exam. Content in first 8 weeks includes basic functions such as sales, receivables, purchases, payables, inventory, bank reconciliations, sales taxes, and payroll. Content in second 8 weeks includes cleaning up errors, fixing the data necessary for tax returns, and troubleshooting financial reports. Previous experience with QuickBooks is not required.

Recommended: ACC 153 and basic computer skills.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
ACC 2533 credit hours (lecture: 1 | lab: 15)
Practicum  

Course offers cooperative work experience in accounting field. Part of course credit earned for participation in supervised cooperative work experience program, in college-approved training setting. Minimum of 200 hours at work site must be completed.

Recommended: ACC 250 and accounting job (at least 15 hours per week) at the time ACC 253 begins.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 2552 credit hours (lecture: 2 | lab: 0)
Careers in Accounting  

Course presents an exploration of career paths in bookkeeping, tax accounting, corporate accounting, auditing, international accounting, and independent accounting practice. Content includes fields of accounting, professional resumes, cover letters, job-search strategies, and interview skills. Students will attend one professional networking event arranged by the instructor.

Recommended: ACC 153  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 2603 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Auditing  

Course concerned primarily with financial auditing. Content includes auditing standards, concepts and techniques, internal control, audit programs and audit reports.

Recommended: ACC 242, or concurrent enrollment in ACC 242.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 2663 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Advanced Accounting  

Course covers governmental and not-for-profit accounting, and business combinations. Content includes general funds, special funds, consolidated financial statements, intercompany inventory, and other intercompany transactions.

Recommended: ACC 242, or concurrent enrollment in ACC 242.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 2743 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Advanced Tax Accounting  

Course examines basic concepts of corporation income taxation for person in business field or student aspiring to a business career. General understanding of federal income tax system assumed. Focus is on tax aspects of business transactions and on compensation techniques. Content includes basic principles of income taxation as applied to partnerships, estates and trusts; taxation on transfer of wealth, both during lifetime and testamentary. Computerized tax software used.

Recommended: ACC 244.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring | Summer  
ACC 2803 credit hours (lecture: 3 | lab: 0)
Data Analytics for Accounting  

Course covers accounting concepts through the application of data analytics. Content includes data preparation, modeling, analysis and interpretation, and visualization.

Recommended: ACC 153, and ACC 242 or concurrent enrollment in ACC 242.  
Instruction Type: In-Person | Online | Hybrid
Term Typically Offered: Fall | Spring  
ACC 2901-4 credit hours (lecture: 1-4 | lab: 1-4)
Topics In Accounting  

Course covers selected current topics in Accounting; one identified for each section. Possible content includes: Income Tax Update, Payroll Tax Update, and Case Studies in ethics for Accounting. Fee Varies. Prerequisite may vary by topic.

Instruction Type: In-Person
Oakton Community College Home

Des Plaines Campus

1600 E. Golf Road

Des Plaines, IL 60016

847.635.1600
Directions

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7701 N. Lincoln Avenue

Skokie, IL 60077

847.635.1600
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