The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that accounting jobs will grow at a national rate of 10 percent annually until 2026, which is faster than the national mean growth of other jobs. Additionally, the State of Colorado is one of three states or territories, along with the District of Columbia and Delaware, where the concentration of accounting jobs is higher overall than any other places in the country.
A bachelor’s degree in accounting is nearly mandatory for any career in the field of accounting and many other fields in the world of finance. Students will study accounting principles, ideals of integrity, and technological applications during their studies, all of which are crucial to graduates’ success in the 21st century.
Colorado Christian University
College of Undergraduate Studies
Colorado Christian University is ranked No. 96 in the regional universities west category by U.S. News and World Report. More than 8,000 students of all ages attend the school.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Students studying accounting at Colorado Christian University take a slate of classes that equal 120 credit hours. Students wishing to achieve their CPA licenses may do so at the university by pursuing an additional 30 credit hours as part of a master’s degree. Degree classes incorporate an exceptionally strong ethical component, both from an accounting perspective and as a problem-solving philosophical base. Colorado Christian University is, at its heart, a liberal arts college, and to that end, requires its students to study arts and humanities, literature, and mathematics as part of their education there.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
•National Association of Schools of Music
•Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Contact
180 S. Garrison Street
Lakewood, CO 80226
(303) 202-0100
Colorado Mesa University
Department of Business
Fully 9,500 students study at Colorado Mesa University, whose ranking from U.S. News and World Report is prestigious. The school occupying its 86-acre campus is the No. 6 public school in the West Region and the No. 25 school overall. About three-quarters of attending students say that they’re satisfied with their education after their freshman year.
Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting
Students must apply for admission to this program, and it is selective. Because of the degree’s focus in developing certified public accountants, the university merges the bacehlor’s program with a Master of Business Administration with an accounting focus, which takes five years to complete instead of the usual four. This program also fulfills all of the licensing requirements for being a CPA.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1100 North Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501
(970) 248-1020
Colorado State University: Global Campus
Department of Business
Having achieved a No. 9 ranking among all online programs in the country from U.S. News and World Report, Colorado State University’s Global Campus is a trendsetter in both content and quality of instruction. As the name implies, there is no actual “campus.” In fact, the university’s tagline is, “You’re already on campus.” International students can earn their degrees in their home countries.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
The accounting program at Colorado State University: Global Campus is as varied as it is well-regarded. Students may select any one of 18 different accounting field specializations, ranging from criminal forensics to managing nonprofit organizations. The accounting portion of the 120-credit hour bachelor’s degree comprises 17 three-credit courses. The specializations require a bloc of five upper-division courses, totaling 15 credit hours. The degree requires completion of a practicum as well.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contact
(800) 920-6723
admissions@CSUGlobal.edu
Colorado State University-Pueblo
Hasan School of Business
U.S. News and World Report ranks Colorado State-Pueblo as No. 99 in the category Regional Universities West. The 279-acre campus is home to a bit more than 4,500 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 14-to-1. The university is also ranked among business and engineering programs in the region.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Colorado State University: Pueblo’s accounting program comprises 120 credit hours. Students may select a minor, and they must complete the minor’s course requirements in addition to their other commitments. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in business core classes, and they must complete all 100 and 200-level classes before beginning 300-level classes and above. Accounting majors must also complete Applied Calculus and a slate of three technology-based courses designed to reinforce their computer skills.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
•Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
•Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
Contact
2200 Bonforte Boulevard
Pueblo, CO 81001
(719) 549-2100
info@csupueblo.edu
Colorado Technical University
School of Business and Management
Colorado Technical University allows students to attend classes on campus or to study online. In keeping with the technology of the 21st century, the university has even developed an app that allows students to study via their phones. U.S. News and World Report ranks the school No. 144 for its engineering programs. Colorado Technical University gives credit for life experiences as long as the student passes specific exams designed to assess such learning. The school calls this the CTU Fast Track™.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Colorado Technical University assigns credit loads to its courses differently than other schools. The accounting bachelor’s requires 183 credits to complete, with many of the classes bearing 4.5 credits each. Students study math, literature, and history as part of a well-rounded liberal arts education, and several of the classes in accounting have “labs” where students can apply learned material.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
•Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
•Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Contact
4435 N. Chestnut Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(888) 404-7555
Fort Lewis College
Department of Accounting
Fort Lewis College is ranked No. 173 among liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. The university covers 362 acres, and a shade more than 3,000 students attend. There are opportunities for individual attention from professors because the student-to-faculty ratio is 15-to-1. More than half of the classes have fewer than 20 students.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
The Bachelor of Science in Accounting requires 33 credits in the liberal arts and 63 credits in the accounting core. The remainder of the required 120 credits comes from electives. The college requires 15 credits in the Arts and Humanities, History, or Social Sciences fields too. Students who transfer credits and fulfill any class requirements must take free electives to fill out their schedules instead of having just free time. The accounting program emphasizes ethics and analysis instead of just number crunching, seeking to create not only good accountants but also conscientious critical thinkers.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, CO 81301
(970) 247-7010
admission@fortlewis.edu
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Department of Accounting
The 127-acre campus belonging to Metropolitan State University of Denver is right in the middle of downtown. Its ranking in the West Region is No. 102, according to U.S. News and World Report. It is a selective school and only accepts two applicants in three. Nearly 20,000 students attend Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
The university’s educational philosophy regarding its accounting students is split 50-50 between practical experience and classroom study. The degree requires 33 credit hours of general core classes. The accounting degree also requires 10 credit hours of general education classes and four additional credit hours in mathematics. The school recommends that these be completed as part of a student’s first 60 credits. Each degree at the university also requires that students study multiculturalism and diversity. The remainder of the 120 credit hours are devoted to the accounting core curriculum.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1201 Fifth Street
Denver, CO 80217
(303) 556-3058
admissions@msudenver.edu
National American University
College of Business, Accounting, and Technology
There are three chief Colorado campuses affiliated with National American University: Centennial, Colorado Springs, and Colorado Springs South. All three are urban campuses and offer the same accounting degree so that students can maintain the status quo in their lives with little disruption. Some students, however, depending on the focus of the accounting degree they choose, might have to take classes at different locations or even hybrid classes that are both in the classroom and online.
Accounting Bachelor of Science
Flexibility is key to the education at National American University. Students in diverse classes, such as Auditing I, Auditing II, Cost Accounting, and Federal Income Tax I and II apply the theory they learn in real-world settings that challenge them with different scenarios that require separate solutions. The university stresses the mathematical side of accounting as the foundation for all other accounting pursuits and applications.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contacts
8242 South University Blvd., Suite 100
Centennial, CO 80122
(303) 542-7000
centadmissions@national.edu
1915 Jamboree Drive, Suite 185
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(855) 369-9397
csadmissions@national.edu
1079 Space Center Drive, Suite 140
Colorado Springs, CO 80915
(855) 369-9397
cssadmissions@national.edu
Regis University
College of Business and Economics
Regis University is ranked No. 26 among Regional Universities West by U.S. News and World Report. The university also ranks No. 32 among best value schools and No. 16 among best colleges for veterans. About 4,000 students attend the 90-acre campus, creating a close community that breeds respect. The admission process is selective, and fewer than two in three students are accepted.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
The accounting department stresses the importance of not only the latest technology but also the most up-to-date accounting techniques. They balance this cutting-edge philosophy with an equal stress on active ethics in both the classroom and the workplace. The degree involves 120 credit hours of study. Students who select a minor from either the business field or another field must complete 12 credit hours in that minor. Students even get to present a senior capstone of some type, which can be discussed with the students’ advisers.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contact
3333 Regis Blvd., Suite B-20
Denver, CO 80221
(800) 388-2366
ruadmissions@regis.edu
University of Colorado Boulder
The Leeds School of Business
The University of Colorado Boulder received a ranking of No. 96 among National Universities from U.S. News and World Report. The school is also ranked No. 59 in a tie with another university as a best college for veterans. The student-to-faculty ratio is 18-to-1, and just about 30,000 students attend. The school is also a member of a prestigious group of 62 research universities nationwide called the Association of American Universities. It is the only school in the Rocky Mountains to have achieved such a distinction.
Bachelor of Arts in Accounting
The standard degree in accounting at the University of Colorado Boulder is the Bachelor of Arts, although many students forego the arts electives and choose to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. Students studying either may combine the end of their bachelor’s studies with master’s studies to fulfill the requirements for the CPA’s exam. The normal bachelor’s degrees comprise 120 credit hours, and there are requirements at the end of every year to be able to progress to the next year.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contact
Regent Administration Center, Room 125
552 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309
(303) 492-1411
leedsrecruitment@colorado.edu
University of Denver
School of Accountancy
The University of Denver has secured a ranking of No. 96 from U.S. News and World Report among National Universities. The school also has an all-girls campus with the same ranking, and students who identify as female can achieve the same degrees as they could at the coed campus. The University of Denver is also ranked No. 58 among best value schools. It is No. 59 among best colleges for veterans. The school only accepts 53 percent of applicants, so it is competitive.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
As with many schools that offer accounting degrees, the University of Denver allows students to progress directly from the undergraduate program to the graduate program as part of the licensing requirements for the certified public accountant’s examination. That program is “3+2,” meaning that the student finishes the bacehlor’s program in three years and will take two to finish the master’s program. The standard degree is 186 credit hours, with most of the core classes awarding four credits each instead of the usual three.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
•Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International
Contact
2199 South University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208
(303) 871-2000
Mackenzie.Fallt@du.edu
Western State Colorado University
The School of Business
With a ranking of No. 77 from U.S. News and World Report in the West Region, Western State Colorado University is a top school for accounting. It is also a leading public school and is ranked No. 24 in that regard. Only about 2,000 students attend the university at its small, homey campus in Gunnison.
Bachelor of Arts in Accounting
Most states now require 150 credit hours before a student may take the certified public accountant’s examination. Western State Colorado University provides students with that opportunity in its Professional Emphasis track. Students at the university, if they do not plan to become a CPA, may take the Financial Analysis Emphasis instead. Many such students pursue careers in forensic accounting, including jobs as certified fraud examiners. In any case, the base major and either of the emphases comprise 120 credits, with the 30 extra required in the professional track.
Accreditation
•The Higher Learning Commission
Contact
600 North Adams Street
Gunnison, CO 81230
(970) 943-0120
admissions@western.edu
The State of Colorado is fertile ground for accounting majors to follow their career dreams. The schools there, not surprisingly, focus on accounting to ensure that the state’s companies have a richly educated and diverse workforce to man their open positions. As always, students should ask pertinent questions of their chosen universities so that they know what to expect.
Related Resources:
- Top 25 Most Affordable Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Accounting
- Top 35 Online Master’s in Accounting Degree Programs
- 5 Great Tips for the CPA Exam
- 5 Great Reasons to Become a CPA
- 5 Great Books for CPAs
- What is the Difference Between the CPA and the CMA?
- What is the Difference Between a CPA and CFA?
- What is the CPA Exam Like?
- What Benefits Does a CPA Certification Give Accountants?
- Is it Necessary to Become a CPA?
- How Much Does a CPA Earn Yearly?
- How Long Does it Take To Become a CPA?
- How Do You Maintain a CPA License?
