AA/AS in Accounting and Related Services

The Accounting Technician program at Bellingham Technical College leads to an Associate in Applied Science. It trains students for office and business roles where numbers and careful detail work matter. Graduates can handle full-service bookkeeping, accounts receivable and payable, general ledgers and payroll. Typical employers include wholesale and retail firms, local, state and federal government, service providers, and organizations in health care and education. The college estimates the program takes six quarters to finish. Its published cost estimate covers tuition and fees plus a small allowance for tools, and notes that the first quarter usually costs more because of start-up materials. Students interested in working in this field should expect hands-on preparation rather than a purely theoretical course of study, with attention to the everyday tasks that keep an organization's finances in order.