Accounting courses online in Australia
Your guide to finding the right accounting course for you.
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With an abundance of online accounting courses right at your fingertips, it can be hard to decide which course is right for you.
To help, we're narrowed down what courses are available, the topics you may cover and the career opportunities available after you complete your course.
Where can I find accounting courses online?
What online courses are available for accounting?
Upskilling and introductory courses
| Course | Course Details | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Administration & Payroll Certificate Plus Xero and MYOB | Course length: 15 hours Subjects covered: Introduction to Xero online, Xero purchases and bills | The Career Academy via Training.com.au |
| AAT Foundation Certificate | Course length: 3-6 months Subjects covered: Using accounting software, bookkeeping controls, elements of costing | Kaplan |
| CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting | Course length: most students take 12 months to complete the course Subjects covered: Fundamentals of business economics, fundamentals of financial accounting | Kaplan |
| ACA Certificate | Course length: Most students take 12 months to complete the course Subjects covered: Assurance, accounting | Kaplan |
| Accounting & Financial Statement Analysis | Course length: 65 hours Subjects covered: Build a balance sheet, build an income statement, difference between debits and credits | Udemy |
| Critical Business Skills for Success | Course length: 30 hours Subjects covered: Strategy, operations, finance and accounting, organizational behavior, marketing | The Great Courses |
Certificates
| Course | Course Details | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping | Course length: up to 2 years Subjects covered: Cloud computing in business, Prepare financial reports and Administer subsidiary accounts and ledgers Career prospects: Finance clerk, payroll officer, bookkeeper | Monarch Institute via Training.com.au |
| ACCA Applied Knowledge | Course length: Most students complete the course within 6-12 months Subjects covered: Management accounting, financial accounting, business and technology Career prospects: Financial analyst, accounts manager, payroll administration, lending adviser | Kaplan |
| Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping | Course length: Maximum 24 months Subjects covered: Process financial transactions, administer subsidiary accounts and ledgers Career prospects: Accounts payable clerk, accounts receivable clerk | Open Colleges |
| Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping | Course length: 12 months self-paced Subjects covered: Accounting fundamental, effective work practices Career prospects: Payroll officer, finance clerk | Monarch Institute via Training.com.au |
| Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping | Course length: 12 months self-paced Subjects covered: Accounting fundamental, effective work practices Career prospects: Senior accounts administrator, payroll administrator | Inspire Education |
Diplomas
| Course | Course details | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma of Accounting | Course length: up to 24 months Subjects covered: Provide management accounting, prepare financial reports, Prepare tax documentation Career prospects: Budget analyst, bookkeeper, accounts administrator | MCI Institute via Training.com.au |
| Diploma of Accounting (management accounting) | Course length: 1240 hours over 24 months Subjects covered: Apply economic principles, monitor corporate governance Career prospects: Reporting analyst, accounts manager, finance clerk | Mentor Education via Training.com.au |
| Diploma Of Accounting | Course length: 785 hours over 12 months Subjects covered: Prepare financial reports, Prepare financial reports for corporate entities, Prepare operational budgets, Manage budgets and forecasts Career prospects: Tax accountant, financial analyst, accountant | Institute of Public Accountants |
| Diploma Of Accounting | Course length: up to 12 months Subjects covered: Establish and maintain payroll systems, complete business activity and instalment activity statements, Set up and operate a computerised accounting system Career prospects: Accountant, senior accountant, public accountant, corporate accountant, certified public accountant | Australian College of Skills & Education |
Degrees
| Course | Course Details | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Accounting | Course length: 4 years Subjects covered: Principles of economics, business and society Career prospects: Accountant, data analyst, tax accountant | Open Universities Australia - University of South Australia |
| Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) | Course length: 4 years Subjects covered: Business law, business accounting, introductory economics Career prospects: Accountant, account modelling, financial management | Open Universities Australia - Curtin University |
| Bachelor of Accounting (Online) | Course length: 3 years full time Subjects covered: Quantitative methods, foundations of finance Career prospects: | Flinders University |
| Bachelor of Accounting | Course length: 3 years full time Subjects covered: Taxation, company accounting, financial information systems Career prospects: Financial analyst, tax analyst | Swinburne University |
What topics may be covered in an online accounting course?
Some of the topics you might cover include:
- Financial calculations
- Introduction to financial accounting
- How to read, analyse and prepare a company's balance sheet
- Practical accounts training
- Basic accounting skills for business owners
- Balance sheet reconciliation
- Payroll administration
- Prepare financial reports
- Accounting for tax
- Asset management
- Accounts payable/receivable
- Data analysis
In addition to these topics, you'll likely learn how to operate accounting software systems such as Xero, MYOB and MYSQL for data management.
How long does an online accounting course take to complete?
Some beginner courses may take as little as three hours.
For a certificate IV, a full-time study load takes 12 months while most diploma level courses take 18-24 months of full time study.
An online bachelor's degree can take 3-4 years to complete full-time.
What are the career opportunities after studying accounting?
Some of the career paths an accounting course can offer include:
- Auditor: Audit account, internal auditor, senior auditor, audit assistant
- Bookkeeper: Corporate bookkeeper, medical bookkeeper, senior bookkeeper
- Business service accounting: Business service accountant, senior business service accountant, tax and
- business services accountant, supervisor business services accountant
- Chief financial officer (CFO): Chief financial officer, chief finance officer
- Corporate accounting: Company accountant, divisional accountant, corporate accountant
- Cost accounting: Cost accountant, cost and trade accountant, inventory accountant
- Financial accountant: Finance accountant, commercial finance manager
- Financial controller: Cost controller, regional financial controller
What equipment and software will I need?
On top of a stable Internet connection and access to a laptop or computer running the latest operating system. For Apple laptops this is Mac OS and for Windows this is Windows 10 OS.
Access to Zoom, Google Hangouts or Skype is required to attend classes and software such as Office 365 and Adobe Reader is preferable to complete assignments.
Depending on the level of study and the educational institution, you may also need accounting software such as MYOB and XERO installed on your computer. You'll be notified of this before classes begin.
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Ask an Expert
I have done a diploma in BSc (hons) Accounting with Finance but am not from Australia. In two months time, I’ll be going to Australia but I don’t know which course I can do or even my diploma has any value there or not. Can you help me out?
Hi Nill,
Thanks for your question.
You can find more information on qualification and skills recognition in Australia.
I hope that helps,
Stephanie