Accounting Assistant | Gateway Technical College

Create a flexible schedule with classes offered on the Elkhorn, Kenosha and Racine campuses as well as convenient online courses. Graduate in just one year by attending full-time during the day in Racine or Kenosha.
Gain skills to excel as an accounting assistant. Hands-on courses led by expert instructors teach you to compute, classify and maintain accurate accounting and financial information.
Acquire extensive experience with software employers value, such as QuickBooks, Excel and professional income tax software.
Build your brand by gaining real-world experience through internships, earning certificates, study abroad opportunities or joining Gateway’s award-winning Collegiate DECA Club. Showcase your knowledge through digital badges on LinkedIn.
Continue your education by using your technical diploma credits toward an associate degree in Accounting from Gateway.

Program Credits

30

LOCATION

Elkhorn Campus, Kenosha Campus, Racine Campus, Online

Financial Aid Eligible

Yes

ESTIMATED PROGRAM COST

Tuition & Fees: $5,099
Books and Supplies: $2,236

Start Dates

Fall, Spring, Summer

Salary Outlook

$49,587

Career Opportunities:

Accounting Assistant, Accounting Clerk, Bookkeeper

Accounting Assistant Career Pathway

Career Pathways are designed to help you reach your educational goals and explore college and career options. Pathways are made up of related certificates, diplomas and degrees that build on common skills and knowledge. You can begin at any point on the Career Pathway and customize your pathway to fit your goals. View the pathway for your area of interest.

There are many opportunities, both in high school and through previous college, work, and/or military experience, to earn credit for prior learning at Gateway.

Certificates include a streamlined set of courses in a specific program area, providing a set of industry-recognized skills preparing students for entry-level employment. Certificate opportunities in this pathway include:

Tax Preparer Assistant, Payroll Assistant

Technical diplomas help students learn hands-on occupational skills in as little as one or two years for full-time students. Technical diploma opportunities in this pathway include:

Accounting Assistant

Associate degrees are typically completed in two years by full-time students and combine hands-on technical skills with general education. Associate degree opportunities in this pathway include:

Prepare to enter your exciting new career, or choose to continue your education with another Gateway program or by transferring your credits to a four-year college or university.

Curriculum Sheet:

31-101-1 Accounting Assistant Full-Time 2025-26 Curriculum Sheet.pdf

Part Time Curriculum:

31-101-1 Accounting Assistant Part-Time 2025-26 Curriculum Sheet.pdf

Course Number: 101-114Credits: 4.00

Accounting Principles is an introduction to the field of accounting. Fundamental concepts of the accounting process including financial statement preparation, journal entries, posting, adjusting and closing entries. Cash, inventory, receivables, payables, and plant assets including depreciation methods are also covered.

Course Number: 103-143Credits: 3.00

This course introduces students to the use of a PC through hands-on practice. Students explore the fundamentals of using digital technologies to connect, learn, and engage. Students will use the version of Microsoft Office software (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint) in use at Gateway Technical College. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to use MS Office applications.

Course Number: 890-155Credits: 1.00

In this course, students explore the Gateway Technical College community. They examine college resources and services, investigate skills that lead to academic success, and identify strategies for achieving educational and personal goals.

Course Number: 804-134Credits: 3.00

All college students, regardless of their college major, need to be able to make reasonable decisions about fiscal, environmental, and health issues that require quantitative reasoning skills. An activity based approach is used to explore numerical relationships, graphs, proportional relationships, algebraic reasoning, and problem solving using linear, exponential and other mathematical models. Students will develop conceptual and procedural tools that support the use of key mathematical concepts in a variety of contexts.

Course Number: 101-128Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners investigate Intuit's cloud-based software. They set up a business and record customer, vendor, inventory, banking, credit card, general ledger, and payroll transactions. Learners generate financial statements and other financial accounting related reports. Upon completion of the course, learners are able to pursue the Intuit QuickBooks Certified User exam.

Course Number: 101-106Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners develop and edit business-related worksheets and charts. They link worksheets and workbooks to each other to create linking of data between them. Learners examine advanced topics such as data tables, GoalSeek, Scenarios, and Solver, and they perform "what if" calculations on data. Upon completion of the course, learners will be able to apply financial functions and macros to worksheet data and to create reports. They will also be prepared to earn the Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Excel Expert certification

Course Number: 101-116Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners will focus on accounting for corporations. Students will complete the accounting cycle for a corporation including financial statement preparation. Other topics covered will include accounting for stockholders' equity, correcting entries and error analysis. Students will also investigate appropriate internal controls and identify ethical considerations for processing financial transactions.

Course Number: 801-136Credits: 3.00

This course is designed for learners to develop knowledge and skills in all aspects of the writing process. Planning, organizing, writing, editing and revising are applied through a variety of activities. Students will analyze audience and purpose, use elements of research, and format documents using standard guidelines. Individuals will develop critical reading skills through analysis of various written documents.

Course Number: 101-104Credits: 4.00

In this course, learners explore basic federal and state income tax laws for personal income tax returns. Students will prepare manual and electronic Federal and Wisconsin individual tax returns, including supporting schedules. Students will also examine gross income, deductions, credits, capital gains/losses and other important current tax topics. Upon completion of the course, learner will be able to accurately complete personal income tax returns.

Course Number: 101-119Credits: 3.00

In this course, learners focus on preparing the payroll for a business. Students examine current payroll tax laws and regulations to calculate gross and net pay of employees, determine the employer's liability for payroll taxes, and prepare related journal entries. Students complete a Wisconsin Sales and Use Tax form. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to use computerized accounting software to enter and prepare a company's payroll and related reports.

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Application for Admission & Application Fee
Students must meet one of the following multiple measures: earned a technical diploma or higher,* earned a minimum high school GPA of 2.6, earned a minimum college GPA of 2.0 or submit ACT or Accuplacer test scores. Submit any needed transcripts or test scores. *Please note short term technical diplomas do not fulfill Multiple Measures. These programs include Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced EMT, and Truck Driving.