COD updates QuickBooks class

Beginning this fall, College of DuPage students taking the Accounting with QuickBooks class will receive QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification.

The Accounting 1175 course has been redesigned to include the certification, reflecting the changing needs of today's employers, said COD accounting program coordinator Maureen McBeth.

"The marketplace is changing and more businesses, large and small, are outsourcing their bookkeeping function and certified users of QuickBooks are in high demand," McBeth said. "We have redesigned this class so students learn deeper processes in the QuickBooks software that will enable them to take and pass the QuickBooks certification exam."

The reformatted class has increased from two credit hours to three credit hours and covers a variety of topics, including basic accounting, customization, list management, payroll, purchases, recording transaction, reporting, and sales, as well as QuickBooks customization, general knowledge, setup and utilities.

McBeth said the class will provide students with important in-demand skills.

"This class builds incredible accounting skills that make students more employable," she said. "Obtaining QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification puts jobseekers in a position to be selected over other candidates, as it demonstrates that they have the technical abilities and marketable accounting skills that today's employers demand, allowing them to advance quickly into supervisory roles and even using their skills to take on bookkeeping clients of their own."

The accounting program at College of DuPage provides fundamental and advanced education and practice in accounting principles and skill sets, as well as in areas such as business, computers, mathematics and taxation.

The certificate and occupational accounting programs are designed for students who plan to join the workforce immediately after college as accounting clerks, bookkeepers, junior accountants, bank tellers, credit analysts, auditing clerks and tax preparers.

In addition, COD offers transfer opportunities such as the associate in arts in accounting transfer program and the 3+1 articulated agreement with Benedictine University.

For information on the accounting program at College of DuPage, see cod.edu/programs/accounting/.