Online certificate
Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate
Build confidence with the numbers that keep organizations moving.
Develop practical bookkeeping and accounting-support skills for a new role, added responsibility, or a stronger business foundation.
Start with your reason
Why earn an online Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate?
Moving forward should not require putting the rest of your life on hold. Bookkeeping turns invoices, payments, payroll records, and daily transactions into information a business can use. Salem University’s 24-credit Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate introduces the records, systems, and routines a working bookkeeper handles every day.
Understand financial work
Build experience with transaction records, accounts, payroll support, reconciliation, and financial statements.
Prepare for greater responsibility
Develop knowledge that may support a new role, expanded duties, or clearer business decisions.
Study around real responsibilities
Complete one online course at a time in focused four-week sessions.
Build a foundation for what comes next
All 24 credits are designed to count toward Salem’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with a specialization in Accounting. If you bring transfer credit from another school, Salem reviews that separately.
Career relevance
What careers use bookkeeping and accounting support skills?
A bookkeeper keeps the everyday financial record that shows what an organization earns, spends, owes, and collects. The skills developed in this certificate may be relevant to entry-level or support work such as:
- Bookkeeping clerk
- Accounting assistant
- Payroll support specialist
- Office manager with financial responsibilities
Titles and requirements vary by employer. Completing the certificate does not guarantee employment.
Related national occupation
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
- National employment, May 2025
- 1,373,680
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $50,670
- Projected job openings each year, 2025 to 2035
- 144,100
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 for employment and wage. Review the national BLS table. Occupational Outlook Handbook for projected openings. Review the BLS occupation outlook.
These national figures describe the occupation as a whole, not Salem University graduates. Employment and earnings vary by employer, location, experience, and other factors. Completing a program does not guarantee employment or a particular salary.
Why Salem University
Why choose Salem University for bookkeeping and accounting training?
Salem pairs a long institutional history with a schedule that lets you learn accounting one subject at a time.
1888
Founded in West Virginia
Salem University began serving students in Salem, West Virginia, in 1888.
Since 1963
Institutionally accredited
Salem University has been institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1963.
How the schedule works
How does Salem’s online certificate work?
Students complete eight online courses, one focused four-week course at a time, on a schedule designed to take eight months.
The certificate is offered 100% online with monthly starts.
A path you may recognize
Who is this online certificate designed for?
The certificate may suit administrative professionals, career changers, and small-business operators who want a practical accounting foundation.
The administrative professional
You already help with invoices, payroll, records, or financial tasks and want a stronger accounting foundation.
The career changer
You want practical business-support skills and a shorter starting point than a four-year degree.
The small-business operator
You want to understand routine financial records more clearly and work more effectively with accounting professionals.
One focused course at a time
You may already be balancing work, family, and financial responsibilities. Salem’s schedule lets you concentrate on one subject for four weeks before moving to the next course.
Practical knowledge
What bookkeeping and accounting skills will you learn?
- Transaction recording and classification
- Accounts payable and accounts receivable
- Payroll support
- General ledger work and reconciliation
- Basic financial statement preparation and interpretation
- Management information systems used to support business records
What you will study
What bookkeeping and accounting courses will you take?
The certificate includes eight courses that combine general business foundations with accounting-specific study.
- COM102
Professional Communication & Technology
- MAT125
College Math
- MAT140
College Statistics
- ACC111
Principles of Accounting I
- ACC112
Principles of Accounting II
- BUS202
Introduction to Business Operations
- MGT361
Management Information Systems
- ACC304
Financial Accounting
ACC112 requires ACC111 as a prerequisite.
Continue your education
How can these certificate credits apply toward a Salem University degree?
This certificate can stand on its own as a focused academic credential. If you decide to continue, Salem’s current curriculum gives you two degree-pathway options.
Complete the certificate
Earn the 24-credit certificate as a standalone academic credential.
Choose whether to continue
Talk with Advising about the BSBA pathway or the AS in Business Administration.
Confirm your individual degree plan
A degree audit confirms how every course applies, including transfer credit and prior Salem coursework.
Important: Continuing into a degree is optional. Completing the certificate does not guarantee admission to another program. Admission and credit application are subject to Salem’s admissions, academic-standing, catalog, program, and financial-aid requirements in effect at that time.
How to get started
How do you apply to the Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate?
Submit your application
Complete Salem’s online application. There is no application fee and no entrance testing.
Send your documents
Provide proof of a high school diploma or GED (high school equivalency), official transcripts, and photo identification.
Talk with Admissions
Review program fit, tuition, financial-aid questions, and any transfer credit that may apply.
Transfer credit: Eligible transfer credits may cover up to 75% of the certificate. At least 25% of the program must be completed through Salem University, and all transfer credit is subject to evaluation.
Admission to Salem is open to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or ability/disability.
Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate FAQs
How much is the Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate?
Estimated tuition is $11,400 for eligible WV, IN, OH, and PA residents and $13,200 for students in other states. Additional fees and course-material charges may apply.
Is financial aid available?
Financial aid may be available to those who qualify. Salem University’s Financial Aid Office can explain eligibility and next steps.
How long is the certificate schedule?
The designed completion time is eight months. Students complete eight four-week courses, one course at a time.
Is the program fully online?
Yes. The Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate is offered 100% online.
Do I need previous accounting experience?
No previous accounting experience is required. Admission requires a high school diploma or GED, official transcripts, and photo identification.
Can I transfer credits into the certificate?
Eligible transfer credits may cover up to 75% of the certificate. At least 25% of the program must be completed through Salem University, and all transfer credit is subject to evaluation.
What roles could this certificate relate to?
The skills may be relevant to work such as bookkeeping clerk, accounting assistant, payroll support specialist, or office manager with financial responsibilities. Job requirements vary by employer.
Can certificate credits apply toward continued study?
All 24 credits are designed to count toward Salem’s BSBA with a specialization in Accounting, and 15 are designed to align with the AS in Business Administration. Transfer credit from other schools is reviewed separately.
When can I start the Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate?
The certificate has monthly starts. The next start date is shown at the top of this page and in the tuition and next start panel.
How is the certificate different from a full accounting degree?
The certificate focuses on the practical, day-to-day work of entry-level bookkeeping and accounting support and is designed to be completed in eight months. The BSBA is a full bachelor’s degree that adds broader business theory and upper-level coursework. All 24 certificate credits are designed to apply toward Salem’s BSBA with a specialization in Accounting if you decide to continue.
Is Salem University accredited?
Salem University has been institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1963.
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Ready to apply for the Bookkeeping and Accounting Support Certificate?
Start your application or contact Salem University Admissions at (844) 462-9128 or admissions@salemu.edu to talk through the certificate, tuition, and transfer-credit questions.
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