Finance and Accounting Degrees Available from Blue Ridge Community College
Blue Ridge Community College appears in our ranking of the Top 50 Best Associates in Accounting Online.
The accounting and finance degree programs offered by Blue Ridge Community College prepare students for working as tax preparers and clerks. An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Accounting is available for students and includes two years of classes. They receive a course guideline when they start that shows them what classes they should take during each of the four semesters. Those classes include Survey of Economics, Introduction to Business, Principles of Management, Principles of Accounting I and II, Payroll Accounting and Interpersonal Dynamics in the Business Organization. They’ll end the program with a capstone seminar in accounting.
Blue Ridge Community College offers a career studies certificate in accounting for students who want to learn the fundamentals of this field too. It features only nine classes that students take over three semesters. They learn the basics of tax prep in Principles of Federal Taxation and how to use computer programs in classes such as Spreadsheet Software. Accounting majors can also sign up for pathways programs that let them transfer to three schools in North Carolina that include Western Carolina University. Also available are two different bookkeeping certificate programs.
Students can choose from related AAS programs in Business Administration and Office Administration. The business administration program includes a banking and finance track that is available online. It features five terms and allows students to take most of their electives during the summer session. They’ll take Introduction to Business, Introduction to Computers, Principles of Financial Accounting, Business Law and Money and Banking. The program also includes a work-based learning experience that asks students to spend time working for an accounting firm or financial institution.
Both the work-based learning course and introduction classes are available in the business administration program too. Marketing Applications, Principles of Macroeconomics, Human Resource Management, and Principles of Management are some of the other courses in the program. In addition to an AAS in Office Administration, students can complete certificates in general office administration, medical office administration and virtual office administration. The full program includes pathways in office finance, office software, virtual office, and general office administration. Students who choose the office finance pathway learn how to manage the financial side of an office, including annual budgets and employee salaries.
About Blue Ridge Community College
Blue Ridge Community College is a community college in North Carolina that is run by the state. Established in 1969, it opened as the Henderson County Technical Institute and served students living in that county. Residents of the county approved a levy that paid for the construction of the campus. It began offering classes in January of 1970 and adopted a full curriculum in September of the same year. The institute became the Blue Ridge Technical Institute in 1970 and the Blue Ridge Technical College in 1970 to show that it accepted students from across the region. Since becoming Blue Ridge Community College or BRCC, the college expanded its curriculum to include both technical/vocational and degree programs. Classes are also available for adults who need work training. The system consists of one campus in Henderson that it uses as the main campus of the college. There is another campus in Transylvania County.
Blue Ridge Community College Accreditation Details
Though BRCC offers affordable tuition rates for incoming students, it still allows those who need help to use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The college can include government programs in the aid packages it awards because it has regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Among the programs offered by BRCC that have accreditation include those in nursing, early childhood education, and surgical technology.
Blue Ridge Community College Application Requirements
It takes only four steps for students to apply to BRCC. The college has an Apply Now button located at or near the top of each page on its website. This link takes students to a page where they can create a MyBRCC account, which they will use to set up an email and apply to the college. Students can then enter that account and view the steps they need to complete and what the college needs from them. They will need to apply for financial aid and submit their official transcripts. BRCC then asks students to meet with an advisor, register for classes and view their financial aid packages. Students also need to attend the college’s orientation and pay their balances.
Placement tests offered by the college help students place into certain English and math classes. Their scores can help them skip introduction classes and go directly into advanced classes. BRCC will also accept a standardized test score to determine where incoming students place and can use their transcripts to place them. High school students entering a dual enrollment program need to show that their parents and schools will allow them to take classes.
Tuition and Financial Aid
BRCC offers tuition rates established by the North Carolina General Assembly, which keeps tuition affordable for students. The base rate ranges from $76 to $268 per credit hour based on whether students are residents of North Carolina or nonresidents. Full-time students can take 16 or more credits for $1,216 to $4,288 each semester. These rates do not include the $25 student activity fee or the $48 technology fee. Part-time students pay a technology fee of $3 per credit hour. BRCC also charges a fee that covers the cost of parking on-campus and security for students that comes to $25 each semester.
During the fall and spring terms, the college offers payment plans for students. They can log into their online accounts and sign up for a payment plan. Work-study, grants and loans are some of the financial aid opportunities available for students who use the FAFSA. BRCC offers on-campus jobs through the work-study program and can help students find jobs off-campus through this program. A foundation that is part of the college offers scholarships for students and has an application they can use. There are also scholarships available from the state government for single parents, residents of specific counties and those who meet other requirements. Blue Ridge Community College can help students apply for some of those scholarships when they apply to the college’s finance and accounting degree programs.
