Digital accounting certificate adds to students’ skill sets

October 25, 2022

Kellan Benck was already in the process of earning a Business Administration degree with specializations in marketing and management, so the Dakota State University senior decided to add the new Digital Accounting Certificate to his education.

Digital accounting, which takes place through an electronic format, is now offered at DSU as a certificate, minor, and associate degree.  

After speaking with College of Business and Information Systems (BIS) faculty Dr. Deb Tech and Dr. Wendy Simmermon, Benck developed an interest in adding the required courses to complete the Digital Accounting Certificate.

“I feel like it’s just a really good idea to have a background in accounting, and to understand it so you can manage your own money and for any business positions,” he explained.

As a Business Administration major with a focus on marketing and management, Benck was able to add one additional class, Intermediate Accounting, to complete the Digital Accounting Certificate.

He had already taken QuickBooks as part of his business degree, which taught him the benefits of using digital accounting.

“If you make a mistake in the journals or input a number wrong, it’s a lot easier to fix digitally,” Benck explained. “You can also run a lot of different reports that give your financial data more visibility and readability.”

Additionally, the digital accounting certificate helped him understand the differences between assets and liabilities and the need to balance and track them.

“The Digital Accounting Certificate will give you a really good overall feel for accounting and finance,” Benck added.

The certificate is already helping Benck in the workforce. He was recently hired as a Human Resources specialist for a company that is in the process of transitioning to paperless. Benck is working 25-30 hours a week until he graduates in December and will go full-time in the position after that.

Digital Accounting programs

In addition to the Digital Accounting Certificate, students can earn a Digital Accounting minor or a Digital Accounting Associate Degree.  The new programs prepare students to complete accounting practices through software systems such as QuickBooks Online.

Learning QuickBooks Online will give students that baseline understanding of technology and software, and prepare them to continue learning new technology and software throughout their careers, whether in the accounting industry or elsewhere.

Students who earn the certificates, minors, or associate degrees will be prepared for various jobs in areas such as payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory management, and customer relations. They will also be ready to take the exam to become certified in QuickBooks Online.

These programs can benefit students who will be small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

“The entrepreneurial nature of today’s society really needs to have this foundation of financial literacy before they go out and start a business,” Simmermon said. “Accounting provides the infrastructure to make businesses financially and legally successful.”

Becoming proficient in and understanding basic accounting will help students personally and professionally.

“It gives people options and makes sure they know what the consequences of their choices are,” Simmermon said. “It educates people in better decision-making.”