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Accounting Fundamentals

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Accounting Fundamentals Course Description

In this comprehensive online course, you will learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, as well as how to analyze and record financial transactions. You will get hands-on experience with handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities.

Accounting Fundamentals covers all the bases, from writing checks to preparing an income statement and closing out accounts at the end of each fiscal period. Whether you’re a sole proprietor looking to manage your business finances or you simply want to gain an understanding of accounting basics for career advancement or for personal use, this course will give you a solid foundation in financial matters.

Upcoming Sessions

New sessions start every month, so you can sign up anytime. View upcoming session start dates below.

  • October 16th, 2019
  • November 13th, 2019
  • December 11th,  2019
  • January 15th, 2020

Course Mechanics

Total Course Hours: 24

Duration of Access: 6 weeks

Course Type: Online

You will spend about two to four hours each week completing two engaging lessons in an enjoyable, interactive online learning environment.

Expert instructors develop and lead every course, and you’ll be able to interact with them and with fellow students in lively online Discussion Areas.

Lessons are released every Wednesday and Friday at noon during your session. Upon completing a course with a passing score, you’ll get confirmation of completion from the Savannah Tech Continuing Education department.

Course Outline

Week One

Lesson 01 – Account Classifications, Account Titles, T Accounts, and the Accounting Equation
Wednesday

Welcome to Accounting Fundamentals! In this first lesson, you will learn all about account classifications, debits, credits, and T accounts. You will learn the difference between a liability and an asset and find out how to determine an owner’s equity.

Lesson 02 – General Ledger Accounts and the Balance Sheet
Friday

Here’s where you will begin your hands-on accounting practice: You will start by creating an imaginary company for which you will be the accountant. You will learn how to analyze your company’s transactions to determine which amounts go into which accounts, then you will create your company’s own General Ledger forms and post a few transactions into those accounts.

Week Two

Lesson 03 – Journalizing Transactions and Posting to the General Ledger
Wednesday

Now that you understand the functions of the General Ledger, you’re ready to move on to the next phase of recording transactions: the Journal. In this lesson, you will learn how to enter transactions into an 11-column journal and then post or transfer those amounts into appropriate General Ledger accounts.

Lesson 04 – Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Purchases and Payments on Account
Friday

In this lesson, you will learn all about Accounts Payable–money that you owe your vendors and suppliers. You will practice journalizing cash purchases and purchases on account, and you will get hands-on practice transferring those purchases to their corresponding Accounts Payable Ledger accounts.

Week Three

Lesson 05 – Journalizing and Posting Cash and Charge Sales and Cash Received on Account
Wednesday

In this lesson, you will learn about Accounts Receivable, which is another name for money owed to your company by its customers. You will learn how to journalize and post those sales on account, how to enter charge sales into the journal, and how to transfer the information into an Accounts Receivable Ledger.

Lesson 06 – Payroll and Various Deductions
Friday

It’s payday! This lesson will teach you how to determine gross pay, deductions, and net pay. You will learn how to prepare a payroll, write payroll checks, and how to prepare and maintain accurate payroll records.

Week Four

Lesson 07 – Banking Services and Reports
Wednesday

In this lesson, you will learn all about banks and banking services: You will learn the proper way to write checks, make out deposit tickets, and reconcile your company’s checking account with the bank statement–skills you will find valuable in both your business and personal life!

Lesson 08 – Posting Journal Totals to the General Ledger and Schedule of Accounts Payable and Schedule of Accounts Receivable
Friday

This lesson will teach you how to prepare a Schedule of Accounts Payable and a Schedule of Accounts Receivable. These reports can be used to compare the amount of money your business owes its creditors with the amount of money your customers owe your business.

Week Five

Lesson 09 – End-of-Year Worksheet
Wednesday

In this lesson, you will prepare a worksheet showing the net income or net loss for the fiscal period. The worksheet will show all income and expenses for the fiscal period as well as the assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity account balances.

Lesson 10 – End-of-Year Financial Reports
Friday

In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare various reports that are vital to the well-being of your company. You will learn how these reports can be used to make sound financial decisions in the next fiscal period. You will discover how to put together an Owner’s Equity Statement, an Income Statement, and a Distribution of Net Income.

Week Six

Lesson 11 – Journalizing and Posting Adjusting Entries
Wednesday

In this lesson, you will prepare for the end of the fiscal period by adjusting your asset account balances to accurately reflect the assets remaining at the end of the year. You will also find out how to journalize and post adjusting and closing entries to bring your company’s General Ledger up to date.

Lesson 12 – Journalizing and Posting Closing Entries and Preparing a Post Closing Trial Balance
Friday

In the final lesson, you will prepare a Post Closing Trial Balance report to ensure that all of your debits and credits in the General Ledger balance out in preparation for the new fiscal period.

Cost & Payment Options

Cost: $125

Payment Options: Credit & Debit Card payments are accepted online.

Course Requirements

  • Course Prerequisites:
    • You do not have to take any other courses before taking this class.
    • Anyone can enroll.
  • Instructional Material Requirements:
    • The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
  • Hardware Requirements:
    • This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac device.
    • You must have working headphones or speakers.
  • Software Requirements:
    • PC: Windows XP or later.
    • Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
    • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
    • Adobe Flash Player. Click here to download the Flash Player.
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the Acrobat Reader.
    • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

How To Register

Registering can be completed online in just 5 easy steps.

1. Click the “Register Now” Button below.

2.Click “Add to Cart”.

3. Select a session start date from the drop down menu under Session Date. Click the “Continue to Checkout” button to move on to the Sign In page.

4. Use either Returning Students or New Student to access or create your account. If you are a new student, you will be asked to create an account by creating a username and password and providing your contact information. Select Continue or Continue to Payment Options to move on to the Purchase page.

5. Provide your preferred payment method, confirm your payment, and you’re set!

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In partnership with Ed2Go, Savannah Technical College is proud to offer a collection of over 400 online courses for your to chose from. Whether you’re looking for personal enrichment or professional development, these six-week online courses are the perfect way to learn a new skill or enhance your existing ones.