Online Accounting Degrees in Colorado

Colorado Christian University

Colorado Christian University describes itself as an interdenominational Christian college and member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. A private university, it enrolls more than five thousand students at its main campus in Lakewood, at satellite sites throughout the state, and online. It competes in NCAA Division I and Division II sports and celebrates its centennial in 2014. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni ranks the school among the top 2% of US colleges in providing solid general education coursework, and it is praised by the Colleges of Distinction both as a Christian and a Colorado school.

Bachelors in Accounting (B.S.)

Colorado Christian University offers an online Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting that affords its students basic training in business and economics as well as providing specialized training in tax accounting, non-profit and governmental accounting and accounting systems. It also identifies areas of focus aligned with the Uniform CPA Examination: financial accounting and reporting, auditing and attestation and regulation. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the program requires students to take forty-eight general credits of general education coursework, nine elective, twenty-one in business, and forty-two in major—of which thirty-one may be life experience credits. Tuition is $498 per credit hour plus fees, and classes run in blocks of seven to ten weeks. Related programs include a certificate, a minor and MBA degrees in business and advanced accounting; the latter supplements the Bachelors in Accounting to prepare students for CPA licensing.

Contact
8787 W. Alameda Ave.
Lakewood, Colorado 80226
303-963-3311
agsadmission@ccu.edu
Website

Colorado Mountain College

Spread across eleven locations in north-central Colorado, Colorado Mountain College prides itself on its integration with the smaller communities in rural Colorado. CNN/Money ranked Colorado Mountain College among the top twenty schools in the US in terms of student success at two-year colleges and first in Colorado for graduation and transfer rates. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; the accreditation is confirmed through 2015. In addition to its two-year offerings, it offers four-year programs in business and sustainability, with more to come (including an elementary education degree pending accreditation).

Associates of Applied Science in Accounting

Colorado Mountain College offers two concentrations in accounting at the two-year level, Professional Bookkeeper and Tax Preparer (which also serves t prepare students for status as an IRS Enrolled Agent). Both offer entry-level skills in accounting meant to offer job advancement opportunities to those already employed; those looking to transfer to a four-year program are encouraged to seek an Associate of Arts degree. Desired learning outcomes in both programs include measurement, reporting, research, leveraging technology, maintaining a professional demeanor, problem solving and decision making, conducting effective interpersonal interactions, exhibiting leadership, communicating effectively, managing projects and understanding legal and international perspectives. Both programs require eighteen or nineteen credit hours of general education coursework (including composition, algebra or statistics, public speaking, computer science and economics) and forty-two in the program (which include computer applications and legal principles in addition to accounting). Ten program hours are electives, allowing students to specialize within programs.

Contact
802 Grand Avenue
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
800-621-8559
joinus@coloradomtn.edu
Website

Colorado Technical University

Colorado Technical University has focused on career-oriented education at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate levels since its founding in 1965. It accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Faculty currency in their fields is emphasized as an asset of the school, Military Times magazine ranks Colorado Technical University among the best schools for veterans, as do G.I. Jobs and Military Advanced Education. The International Graduate Forum calls it one of the ten best online MBA programs, as well. Online courses can be supplemented by brick-and-mortal classes at sites including Colorado Springs.

Associate of Science in Accounting

Colorado Technical University offers an Associate of Science in Accounting as a response to the increasing numbers of businesses and complexity of regulation. Classes are available in Colorado Springs and Denver in addition to online; the associate’s in accounting requires ninety-three credits. Core coursework for the program includes training in spreadsheets; principles of management, law, and taxation; and accounting principles and techniques. This is in addition to fifty-seven hours of coursework in general education classes including composition, history and government, literature, mathematics, social and physical sciences, and a success seminar or humanities elective. Stated program goals include identifying and ethically resolving accounting issues, analyzing accounts for small and mid-sized organizations, preparing financial statements according to prevailing guidelines, continually improving professional performance, applying appropriate financial concepts and managing information systems appropriately. Program courses align to the educational standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Colorado Technical University also offers a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, with classes available in Colorado Springs and Denver as well as online. The curriculum provides a solid grounding in general education in addition to significant skills in corporate, governmental and non-profit accounting, taxation and auditing. A total of 183 credits are required for the degree, including core coursework in general accounting, management, legal and ethical concerns, marketing, taxation, auditing, human resources, economics and global financial and economic systems. This is in addition to an extensive general education requirement that includes composition, humanities courses, social sciences, mathematics and physical sciences, student success training and several other electives. In addition to aligning with the educational standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the curriculum also integrates the competencies and body of knowledge in the Certified Managerial Accounting exam, although the program disclaims being a test-prep course sequence.

Contact
CTU Colorado Springs
4435 North Chestnut Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
1-855-230-0555
Websites:
Associate
Bachelor

DeVry University – Colorado

DeVry University has three physical locations in Colorado in addition to offering a slate of classes online. It emphasizes the flexibility and self-paced nature of online coursework with classes that start every eight weeks, and it makes available a number of financial aid options to its students. Too, it is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It reports that its online bachelor’s degrees were rated highly by the US News & World Report rankings, as well, and it an official provider of educational services to US Olympic athletes.

Associate of Applied Science in Accounting

In addition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field, DeVry offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Accounting (with the names varying slightly due to differences in legal nomenclature across jurisdictions). It seeks to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to work successfully in entry-level accounting positions. Required coursework includes sixty-five credit hours, which can normally be completed in four semesters of full-time enrollment. Required courses cover financial accounting, accounting theory and application and introductory studies of individual income taxes, cost accounting and accounting information systems. This is in addition to required general education courses covering written communication, humanities, mathematics, natural and social sciences and personal and professional development. General education requirements take up thirty of the required credits, with core courses in the degree (covering computer applications and budgeting) taking another fifteen and more specifically focused coursework within the program occupying the remainder.

Contact
DeVry University- Colorado Springs
1175 Kelly Johnson Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80920

DeVry Administrative Offices
Highland Landmark V
3005 Highland Parkway
Downers Grove, IL 60515-5683
719-632-3000
Website

Everest College – Thornton

Everest College offers an extensive online curriculum designed to work with student schedules to quickly and efficiently train students in the knowledge and skills required by their prospective fields. The online component boasts, among others, 24/7 student support. It is accredited through its Florida campuses, where it is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to award diplomas, Associate’s degrees, Bachelor’s degrees, and Master’s degrees. Everest’s Thornton campus is located some ten miles south of Denver and is conveniently placed near child-care centers, ample parking, public transit, restaurants and shopping; it also offers access to Denver’s many cultural opportunities.

Associate of Science Degree of Accounting

Everest’s Thornton campus offers an Associate of Science of Accounting degree (equivalent to the Associate in Science in Accounting or the Associate of Applied Science in Accounting awarded by Everest in other jurisdictions for completing the same curriculum) meant to prepare students for such entry-level positions as accounting assistant, bookkeeper and manager-trainee and to work in both the public and private sectors. The curriculum requires ninety-six credit units, including a success seminar, computer applications, basic communication and math skills, introductory internet research, introductions to business and law, general accounting principles and introductions to management, corporate, payroll, non-profit and tax accounting. Half of the required coursework is in general education, including composition, algebra, interpersonal communication, literature, critical thinking, social science and natural science. US Bureau of Labor Statistics data is cited regarding potential career paths to which Everest Associate in Science in Accounting students are well suited.

Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting

Everest College also offers an online Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, which seeks to equip graduates with the skills needed to track the finances of a given individual or group, understand auditing, analyze financial statements and integrate accounting knowledge into oversight decisions. Like the associate’s degree, it works to suit graduates to work in the public and private sectors. Required coursework includes 192 credit units, including a success seminar, computer applications, basic communication and math skills, introductory internet research, principles of business and business law, principles of management and human resources, general accounting principles and courses focused in management, corporate, payroll, non-profit, tax and cost accounting and auditing. Sixty-two hours of coursework are allocated to general education, composition, algebra, interpersonal communication, literature, history, critical thinking, economics, social science and natural science. Twenty elective hours are required so that the offered educational experience is balanced rather than being strictly vocational.

Contact
9065 Grant St.
Thornton, CO 80229
303-457-2757
Websites:
Associate
Bachelor

Jones International University

Jones International University (JIU) describes itself as the first fully online university, having been founded in 1993. It has been accredited since 1999 by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. JIU awards degrees at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, offering accelerated options for many of its programs. Focusing in business and education, the school does much to enrich its online presence, even going so far as to have collegiate ceremonies in a specially-created online space. It also partners with many corporations and has articulating agreements with more traditional schools.

Bachelor of Business Administration – Accounting

JIU offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting designed to allow graduates to work in public, management or government accounting or internal auditing. It also leads easily to the coursework the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants recommends for the CPA and to the post-baccalaureate coursework JIU requires for the MBA. Required coursework for the Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting encompasses 120 credits, usually earned in 40 months. The standard curriculum includes an orientation to online learning as well as two courses in composition; public speaking; literature; peace and conflict studies; art or music; mathematics and algebra; physics and technology; critical thinking; contemporary history; organizational psychology; introductions to business and management; history, ethics and laws of business; finance; marketplaces and marketing; economics; the expected accounting, electives including communication, conflict management, further mathematics and training; and a capstone project. The course of study is remarkably varied.

Contact
9697 East Mineral Avenue
Centennial, Colorado 80112
(800) 811-5663
info@jonesinternational.edu
Website

National American University – Colorado Springs

National American University (NAU) traces its origins to 1941 in Rapid City, South Dakota. An open-enrollment institution (students must have completed high school or the equivalent), it focuses on business and technology disciplines in its more than thirty-five locations and (beginning in 1998) online. NAU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers degrees at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Too, it has been recognized as a military-friendly school by GI Jobs magazine. The Colorado Springs campus started in 1974 and adds an emphasis on medical professions to the business and technology foundation of NAU.

Associate of Applied Science in Accounting

NAU offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Accounting that seeks to offer its graduates the knowledge and skills to succeed in entry-level accounting positions, such as accounting technician, payroll clerk, bookkeeper or clerical assistant. The program serves as a foundation for successful professional experience later in the graduate’s career. It also articulates neatly with the NAU Bachelor of Science in Accounting program. The degree requires ninety-three hours of coursework, including a general education sequence of composition, speech or interpersonal communication, a science elective, an algebra elective, a humanities elective and seminars in computer systems, academic success and career management. Program-specific coursework includes six courses in accounting principles, a course in accounting software and studies of business finance, business law, principles of marketing and principles of management. One additional elective course is required. (Note that some physical locations may have different requirements than the online course offerings.)

Bachelor of Science in Accounting

NAU also offers a Bachelor of Science in Accounting Degree that seeks to provide graduates the knowledge and skills needed to succeed ethically in the accounting profession in both the public and private sectors. It also offers a foundation for graduate studies in the field. Required coursework spans some 180 credits, many of which can be transferred directly from the NAU Associate of Applied Science in Accounting. They include a general education curriculum spanning composition, speech or interpersonal communication, technical communication, college algebra and business statistics, a science elective, a humanities elective and seminars in computer systems, academic success and career management. Program-specific courses, many of which may also be transferred from the NAU Associate of Applied Science in Accounting, include intermediate accounting, cost accounting, federal tax accounting, accounting information systems, government and non-profit accounting, auditing, accounting analysis, accounting principles, economics, business finance, business law and ethics and principles of marketing and management.

Contact
National American University – Colorado Springs
1915 Jamboree Drive
Suite 185
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
877-593-0430
csadmissions@national.edu
Websites:
Associate
Bachelor

Regis University

Regis University is a Jesuit institution which emphasized values-centered education and a commitment to public service. Founded in 1877, it enrolls more than 9700 students and has received many awards and much recognition. Awards include being named to the US President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and receiving the Peter F. Drucker Foundation Award for Innovative Programs. Recognition includes being cited by GI Jobs as a Military Friendly School, by SuperScholar as one of the 25 Best Online Colleges and Universities of 2012 and by US News & World Report as a Top University in the West and a Top Online Education Program.

Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Regis offers a B.S. in Accounting in both traditional and online format. In both, it equips graduates to take on professional accounting roles individually or with smaller or larger organizations in both the public and private sectors. The B.S. in Accounting is meant to align with the M.S. in Accounting Regis offers, and sets students up to transition into study for the CPA easily. The program requires 128 credit hours of coursework divided into three sections: undergraduate core, accounting-foundational and accounting-upper division major. The first covers composition, global issues, literature and humanities, mathematics, natural science, philosophy, religious studies, social science, oral communication and advanced communication. The second offers courses in basic and intermediate accounting, cost accounting, business lay, economics, marketing and statistics. The third covers income tax accounting, auditing, business law, ethics, business finance, a slate of electives allowing for greater focus in the major and a capstone experience.

Master of Science in Accounting

Regis also offers an M.S. in Accounting that works from a sound ethical foundation and offers a curriculum designed to meet the prevailing standards to sit for the CPA and CMA exams. It is most clearly aligned with the Regis B.S in Accounting, but it prescribes prerequisite courses for those who come to the program without the desired background. The program requires thirty hours of coursework whether taken on its own or as part of a conjoint B.S./M.S. curriculum. Core courses for the program include one class in ethics and law and another in interpreting accounting data. Another twenty-one hours must come from electives including financial reporting, advanced auditing, non-profit and governmental accounting, international accounting, management accounting, controllership, tax policy, IT auditing, forensic accounting and data-driven accounting concerns. In addition, the M.S. requires a capstone experience in business planning and strategy instead of the thesis or exams traditionally associated with a master’s.

Contact
3333 Regis Boulevard
Denver, Colorado 80221-1099
800-944-7667
info@regis.edu
Websites:
Bachelor
Master

University of Phoenix- Colorado Campus

The University of Phoenix offers classes at more than 100 physical locations and online, awarding degrees at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. While the institution is currently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, it is formally on Notice and must correct the problems identified or risk loss of its accreditation. The Colorado Campus in Lone Tree has served Colorado students for more than thirty years; its students take a single course at a time, focusing their attentions more narrowly for more efficient learning.

Bachelor of Science in Accounting

University of Phoenix offers a Bachelor of Science in Accounting both online and at its Lone Tree location. The degree is designed to offer graduates broad experience in the concerns of business and management while allowing them to focus on developing the knowledge and skills to successfully enter into an accounting career. Tuition and fees for courses are $395 per credit for lower division courses, $585 per credit for upper division, and $95 for materials for each course. The degree requires 120 credits of coursework, including a general education core, a slate of electives and seventy-two credits of major courses that cover such fields as business communication, computer use, management theory, accounting principles, accounting ethics, business law, economics, finance, marketing, quantitative analysis, organizational development, corporate taxation, individual and estate taxation, government and non-profit accounting, cost accounting, auditing, research and special accounting topics that will vary by term.

Master of Science in Accountancy

The University of Phoenix Master of Science in Accountancy explicitly seeks to align with the educational standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for professionalism and competency in communication, leadership and strategy, critical thinking, and the use of technology; it is expected that graduates will sit for the CPA in their states. It also seeks to prepare graduates to move into management positions through exposure to and engagement with theories and principles that underlie much accounting work. Tuition per credit is $740, with a materials fee per course of $115. The degree requires thirty-six credits in a core of courses and a slate of electives. The core courses include Communications for Accountants, Financial Accounting, Accounting Theory & Research, Accounting Information Systems, Managerial Accounting & Legal Aspects of Business, Internal Control Systems, Financial Reporting, Auditing, Taxation, Not-for-profit & Government Accounting, Forensic Accounting and Accounting Ethics.

Contact
10004 Park Meadows Drive
Lone Tree, CO, 80124-5453
303-755-9090
Websites:
Bachelor
Master

Online programs can come from anywhere and go anywhere. Having a local connection therefore matters; it helps with accountability, and it helps to be able to point to a place and say that it is where formal education centers. With luck, the information above will help in finding the best program among the online accounting degrees in Colorado.

For more information on obtaining your Online Accounting degree, please see Top 10 Online Master’s in Accounting Degree Programs.