Account analyst education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an account analyst. Account analysts usually study business, accounting, or finance. 68% of account analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 6,616 real account analyst resumes to see exactly what account analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for account analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online account analyst courses to help get the education required to be an account analyst.

There are certain account analyst certifications that you should consider. These account analyst certifications include Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

What education do you need to become an account analyst?

What degree do you need to be an account analyst?

The most common degree for account analysts is bachelor's degree, with 68% of account analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Associate, 14%

Master's, 9%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become an account analyst?

You should major in business to become an account analyst. 34% of account analysts major in business. Other common majors for an account analyst include accounting and finance.

Business, 34%

Accounting, 22%

Finance, 10%

Economics, 4%

Other Majors, 30%

Most common colleges for account analysts

Account analysts often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Here are the most common colleges for account analysts in the US based on their resumes.

Account analyst common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	21.41%
DeVry University	5.41%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	4.99%
Ohio State University	4.99%
Strayer University	4.99%

Show more common account analyst colleges

Best majors for account analysts

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	33.8%
2	Accounting	22.3%
3	Finance	9.9%
4	Economics	3.6%
5	Marketing	3.6%

Show more common account analyst majors

Best colleges for account analysts

The best colleges for account analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

An account analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for account analysts. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become account analysts.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for account analysts

Advertising disclosure

1. Financial Accounting & Excel-Comprehensive Accounting Course

4.3

(736)

Comprehensive accounting course to learn the accounting cycle in a practical way and pick up critical Excel fundamentals...

2. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement

4.6

(930)

Master Adjusting Entries & Financial Statements: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate Accounting and Reporting...

3. Financial Accounting - Subsidiary Ledgers & Special Journals

4.5

(580)

Mastering Special Journals and Subsidiary Ledgers: A Comprehensive Guide to Streamlined Accounting Practices...

4. Financial Accounting-Debits & Credits-Accounting Transaction

4.5

(781)

Masterclass: Learn Accounting Principles, Financial Statements, Transactions & More in this Comprehensive Course...

5. Excel Accounting Problem

4.3

(348)

Learn How to Create an Accounting Worksheet Using Microsoft Excel from a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)...

6. Principles of Financial Accounting

4.5

(875)

Learn the complete accounting cycle -recording business transactions to presenting the Balance Sheet & Income Statement...

7. Payroll Accounting: Laws, Calculations, and Journal Entries

4.4

(1,649)

Master the complex world of payroll with practical examples, legislation insights, and comprehensive problems...

8. Financial Accounting: The Complete Introductory Crash Course

4.5

(1,604)

Learn the Basics of Financial Accounting: Financial Statements, Debits and Credits, The Accounting Cycle and More!...

9. Accounting 101 - The Principles Of Accounting

4.4

(647)

The Easiest Course In Accounting!...

10. Accounting, Bookkeeping & Financial Analysis (Accounting)

4.5

(521)

Accounting & Bookkeeping Basics. Accounting & Financial Analysis Concepts. Learn Accounting & Bookkeeping...

11. Financial Accounting: A Comprehensive Guide with E-book

4.5

(3,466)

Unlock Financial Accounting Mastery: Comprehensive Course for Students, Professionals, and Business Owners...

12. Governmental Accounting 100

4.6

(355)

Fund accounting-governmental accounting-General Fund & government-wide activity transactions-modified accrual method...

13. Accounting basics, create financial statements easily

4.5

(280)

Discover, develop, practice your financial information and explore the world of accounting...

14. Awaken the Accountant in You Master the Accounting Basics

4.1

(309)

Learn Accounting to Boost your career, pass an exam, be a screwed entrepreneur!...

15. Accounting Made Easy: A Quick Guide to Financial Accounting

4.5

(2,757)

Accounting is not about Math, it is about concepts. And no one said it has to be hard. Learn the basics in just 2 hours!...

16. Accounting & Bookkeeping Masterclass - Beginner to Advanced

4.5

(4,371)

Accounting, Bookkeeping Introduction, Accounting, Bookkeeping Entries, Accounting, Bookkeeping Adjustments & Reports...

17. Introductory Financial Accounting

4.7

(666)

Learn the basics of Accounting including: the accounting cycle, inventory, depreciation, receivables, and more!...

18. Financial Bookkeeping and Accountancy: Complete Accounting

4.3

(501)

A Complete Course on Book-keeping & Accounting Course For Level 1 & 2 aspirants...

19. Accounting 101: How to read an Accounting Balance Sheet

4.7

(2,288)

Accounting 101: Non-Accountants' Guide to Accounting. Learn Accounting. Get Paid More, and Get Promoted Faster!...

20. Accounting Basics - A Complete Study

4.5

(971)

A - Z Guide for learning the Basics of Accountancy...

Top 10 most affordable universities for account analysts

The most affordable schools for account analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for account analysts are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for account analysts.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for account analysts

The hardest universities for account analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for account analysts are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for account analysts based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for account analysts

The easiest schools for account analysts to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an account analyst without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for account analysts.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average account analyst salary by education level

Account analysts with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $65,061 annually. With a Master's degree, account analysts earn a median annual income of $63,244 compared to $57,414 for account analysts with an Bachelor's degree.

Account analyst education level	Account analyst salary
Master's Degree	$63,244
Bachelor's Degree	$57,414
Doctorate Degree	$65,061

Account analyst education FAQs

What is the best college for Account Analysts?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for account analyst jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs