Accounting/General Business (AST)
Program Overview:
Sleuth, Save, and Spend: Forecast Your Knowledge of Business for a Bright Career
Knowing numbers and how they relate to profits, losses, and potential gain can make you an invaluable part of any business team. Companies will look to you to manage their payroll, pay vendors, and ensure budgets are never exceeded. Accounting professionals play a major role in any business, so having a firm grasp on accounting fundamentals can help you even if you choose to pursue another area of business administration.
Accountants use their sleuthing skills to analyze data and assess how a company is performing financially. They’re needed in all businesses across all professions. Whether you work for (or own) a large firm or small start-up, knowing the fundamentals in business finance will help you keep companies in the black.
Careers in Accounting
Traditionally, accountants, controllers, and chief financial officers work in business offices, and some travel to different offices to help a variety of clients throughout the week. A degree in accounting will certainly open doors to multiple careers in business finance.
Here are some careers you could have with a degree in accounting and general business:
Go to bls.gov for most current career information.
Actuaries use mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to analyze the financial costs of risk and uncertainty.
National Data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $102,880/year | $49.46/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 20% increase | 25,000 |
Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records.
National Data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $70,500/year | $33.89/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| Less than 5 years needed | 6% increase | 1,424,000 |
Financial managers produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.
National Data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $127,990/year | $61.53/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| 5 years or more | 16% increase | 653,600 |
Cost estimators collect and analyze data in order to estimate the time, money, materials, and labor required to make a product or provide a service.
National Data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $64,040/year | $30.79/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 9% increase | 217,400 |
Economists collect and analyze data, research trends, and evaluate economic issues for resources, goods, and services.
National Data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | $104,340/year | $50.16/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 8% increase | 21,000 |
What You’ll Learn at LASC in Accounting and General Business
You can get an Associate in Science for Transfer (AST) and Associate in Arts (AA) degrees through LASC’s Business Administration: Accounting/General Business program where you will prepare, record, and analyze financial data. Here’s some of what you’ll learn:
- Learn about business ethics and how proper documentation and reporting are vital in decision making and regulatory compliance.
- Discover ways to effectively communicate with financial and non-financial stakeholders so you can accomplish your teams’ goals more efficiently and succesy, resolve potential conflicts, and build connections with your coworkers.
- Hone your critical thinking skills to decode, evaluate, and analyze financial data in order to problem-solve effectively, resolve issues quickly, and organize effortlessly.
- Build software and spreadsheet application skills to gather and analyze data to create financial reports.
- LASC provides internships so you can build your career connections and create community ties for after you graduate.
- To transfer with an Associate in Science for Transfer (AST) degree in Accounting / General Business, start your career here, and when you graduate, you’ll have guaranteed admission into a CSU. Visit your academic counselor for details.
Degrees & Courses You Will Take
Review the Associate in Science for Transfer and Associate in Arts degrees in Business Administration: Accounting/ General Business along with our suggested course of study for these programs. Go to LASC’s current Course Catalog for specific course information:
Major Code: 501.00
Total Units Required: 60
If you are planning to get your bachelor’s degree in Accounting/General Business at a California State University (CSU), then our Associate in Science in Business Administration for Transfer Degree is you! With the successful completion of this degree, you are guaranteed admission to a CSU upon completion of this program. The degree prepares you to continue your formal education in the business field at a four-year CSU. The degree combines the foundation necessary for Business Administration and Accounting with equal emphasis on university parallel courses in Liberal Arts and STEM.
The Associate in Science in Business Administration for Transfer Degree requirements include:
- Completion of 60 CSU transferable units, including the minimum 29-32 units in the major and the completion of either IGETC or CSU GE
- A minimum GPA of 2.0
- A grade of “C” or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis.
The intent of the Associate in Science in Business Administration for Transfer Degree is to assist you in seamlessly transferring to CSU. For your Associate in Science in Business Administration for Transfer Degree, you must:
- Complete 60-semester units of 90-quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University, including both of the following:
- The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements
- A minimum of 18-semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district.
*As required by Senate Bill (SB) 1440 and the California Education Code (CEC) section 66746
- Obtain a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
ADTs also require that students must earn a C or better in all courses required for the major area of emphasis. A “P” (Pass) grade is not an acceptable grade for courses in the major. Students should meet with a counselor to determine the necessary course work to complete the general education requirements.
| Required Courses: | Units |
|---|---|
| ACCTG 1 Introductory Accounting I | 5 |
| ACCTG 2 Introductory Accounting II | 5 |
| ECON 1 Principles of Economics I | 3 |
| ECON 2 Principles of Economics II | 3 |
| BUS 5 Business Law I | 3 |
| Select One Course | |
| MATH 227 Statistics | 4 |
| OR | |
| MATH 235 Finite Mathematics | 5 |
| OR | |
| MATH 265 Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | 5 |
| Select Two Courses | |
| CO SCI 660 Business Systems Design | 3 |
| OR | |
| CO SCI 601 Introduction to Computers and Their Uses | 3 |
| BUS 1 Introduction to Business | 3 |
| TOTAL UNITS | 29-32 |
With the successful completion of this Associate in Arts in Business Administration: Accounting/ General Business, you will be able to:
- Accumulate, record, and analyze financial data.
- Prepare accurate reports following generally accepted accounting principles and ethical standards of the profession for decision-making and regulatory compliance.
- Analyze financial reports and communicate the results to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.;
- Apply accounting and business terminology used in business scenarios, and be proficient with commonly used office software systems.
- Decode, evaluate and analyze the ethics of an accounting scenario and analyze the scenario through effective written communication.
Required Courses: Units ACCTG 21 Bookkeeping and Accounting I. 3 AND 3 ACCTG 22 Bookkeeping and Accounting II 3 OR ACCTG 1 Introductory Accounting I 5 ACCTG 2 Introductory Accounting II 5 BUS 1 Introduction to Business 3 BUS 5 Business Law I 3 ECON 1 Principles of Economics I 3 ECON 2 Principles of Economics II 3 TOTAL UNITS 22-23 Recommended Electives Units ACCTG 15 Tax Accounting 3 BUS 6 Business Law II 3 BUS 38 Business Computations 3 CAOT 82 Microcomputer Software Survey in the Office 3 CAOT 83 Microcomputer Office Applications: Operating System 1 CAOT 85 Microcomputer Office Applications Spreadsheet 3 MATH 227 Statistics 4 MATH 235 Finite Mathematics 5 MATH 236 Calculus for Business and Social Science 5
Get Ready Before You Start
Want to have a career in accounting and business? You can start preparing for it before your first class starts at LASC:
- Make an appointment with your LASC academic counselor to review LASC’s program, start to develop a Student Education Plan (SEP), and discuss your career and transfer goals, as well as what CSUs or other four-year colleges and universities would best fit your needs.
- Still in high school? Search for local business internships with organizations you are interested in after you graduate, see if you can shadow an accountant for a day, or if they have any upcoming meetings you could sit in on. And, make sure you develop your eye for detail!
Program Learning Outcomes
As a student, once you complete the program, you will have the foundation necessary for Business Administration: Accounting and General Business with equal emphasis on university parallel courses in Liberal Arts and STEM.