Accounting Subjects: How They Differ
These subjects are not interchangeable. A program is mapped to a subject only from official curriculum evidence: a named concentration or track (formal), or a degree whose own required core is in that area (core). A topic covered in one or two courses does not count. Counts are real and come only from verified programs; a program can carry more than one subject.
Accounting (529)
The core study of financial reporting, managerial accounting, taxation, auditing and accounting systems. Institutions call the field accounting or accountancy; both names are covered here.
Accounting and accountancy are different words for the same subject. The degree title, the credits and the program's own CPA-related statements decide what a program offers, not its name.
Associate: 65Bachelor's: 191Master's: 258PhD: 15Formal concentrations/tracks: 106
Accounting and Finance (6)
Degrees that combine accounting and finance in one formal program: a joint degree or a named accounting and finance major or concentration.
A finance degree with only an introductory accounting course is not listed. The accounting component has to be a documented part of the program.
Bachelor's: 4Master's: 2Formal concentrations/tracks: 1
Forensic Accounting (34)
Fraud examination, financial investigation and litigation support, offered as a formal degree, concentration or track in accounting.
Forensic accounting investigates financial records and fraud. It is a different field from forensic science, which examines physical evidence in a laboratory.
Associate: 3Bachelor's: 6Master's: 25Formal concentrations/tracks: 27
Taxation (107)
Tax accounting and tax law for accountants: master's degrees in taxation and formal tax concentrations inside accounting degrees.
Only taxation programs with a substantive accounting focus are listed. A law degree such as an LLM in Taxation is not an accounting degree and is not listed.
Associate: 1Bachelor's: 1Master's: 104PhD: 1Formal concentrations/tracks: 77
Auditing and Assurance (39)
Audit methods, internal control, assurance services and risk, offered as a formal concentration or track.
An audit course inside a general accounting degree is part of the curriculum, not a separate subject. Only formal auditing tracks are mapped here.
Bachelor's: 3Master's: 34PhD: 2Formal concentrations/tracks: 35
Accounting Information Systems (24)
The design, use and control of the information systems that produce accounting data, offered as a degree, major or formal track.
An accounting information systems program keeps accounting at its center. A general information systems or data analytics degree without a formal accounting focus is not listed.
Bachelor's: 6Master's: 18Formal concentrations/tracks: 19
Accounting Analytics (49)
Data analytics applied to accounting, auditing and financial reporting, offered as a formal accounting program, concentration or track.
Generic data analytics programs are not listed. The analytics must be an official part of an accounting program.
Associate: 1Bachelor's: 5Master's: 43Formal concentrations/tracks: 27
Managerial and Management Accounting (11)
Cost accounting, budgeting, performance measurement and accounting for decisions inside organizations, offered as a formal concentration or track.
Cost and managerial accounting are usually courses inside an accounting degree. They get their own subject page only where a formal concentration or program exists.
Bachelor's: 4Master's: 7Formal concentrations/tracks: 11
Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting (3)
Fund accounting, public-sector financial reporting and nonprofit accounting, offered as a formal accounting concentration, track or program.
Public administration and nonprofit management degrees without an accounting pathway are not listed.
Bachelor's: 2Master's: 1Formal concentrations/tracks: 1