Can a bachelor's degree be obtained with prerequisite an associate of science degree in accounting?

Answer 1

Answer 1: The "Associate of Arts" (AA) degree is usually counted, by most bachelors degree programs, as equivalent to the entire first two (freshman and sophomore) years of the bachelors degree. So, then, a person with an AA could, theoretically, enter a BA program, get said AA counted as the first two years thereof, and then enter said BA program as a junior and finish just the junior and senior years, and, voila!, s/he has the bachelors degree.

So the bottom line answer is, at least theoretically, two (2) years.

However, some bachelors programs, after analyzing the AA degree, will declare that it is deficient in some of what's called "lower division general education" (LDGE). All associates and bachelors programs contain up to 45 semester credit hours of pretty much the same LDGE; but some bachelors programs require slightly different amounts of LDGE, in slightly different areas, than do some associates programs. And so it's possible for someone with an AA degree to use it to enter a bachelors program, and said bachelors program will make the AA degree holder take a course or two or three of LDGE in order to make-up whatever is the deficiency. If so, then the AA degree holder would first need to do that, and only then enter the bachelors program at a junior. If that happens, then finishing the bachelors may take two years, plus maybe a summer session or something like that.

Additionally, a bachelors degree in accounting is a specialist degree, usually intended to prepare the graduate for sitting for a state CPA exam and licensure as a certified public accountant (CPA). Such degrees usually require additional amounts of math; and many AA degrees contain only one math course (typically something like "College Algebra" or "College Mathematics" or something like that. Someone with an accounting degree is usually required to have taken that, plus at least calculus... maybe even trigonometry... and definitely statistics.

So, then, an AA holder might even end-up taking an additional whole semester, in addition to the junior and senior years, in order to get a bachelors in accounting. It would all just depend on how the accounting degree's requirements and standards, which tend to vary from schools to school.

Answer 2

Yes, you just have to inquire about any prerequisites and course requirements to complete the program.