Finance & Accounting at Northwest Iowa Community College
Northwest Iowa Community College appears in our ranking of the Top 50 Best Associates in Accounting Online.
Students who enroll in classes at Northwest Iowa Community College can choose from four programs that will lead to degrees or diplomas in finance and accounting. Options include the Associate of Arts in Business, the Diploma in Business, the Associate of Applied Science in Accounting, or the Diploma in Clerical Accounting. The AAS in Accounting is eligible for the Future Ready Iowa scholarship program.
Students who enroll in the associate’s degree accounting program can complete their degree in four semesters, or they can choose the clerical accounting option and complete their studies in two semesters. Entry to the program occurs in the fall, and students can study part-time or full-time in their program. Both options in accounting are offered fully online, but students can take select classes on campus.
Classes required in the accounting programs include Payroll Accounting, Business Communications, Principles of Accounting, and Principles of Macroeconomics. Students will also take Financial Analysis, Business Law, Principles of Management, and Cost Accounting. All students take the same sequence of classes, but those who earn a diploma will stop after the first year of study while AAS students will continue into a second year of classes.
A third option related to accounting and finance at Northwest Iowa Community College is the diploma in business, which features several business electives where students can focus on finance or accounting. Some of the accounting classes offered include Computer Accounting and Cost Accounting. Students who want to focus on finance instead can choose from classes like Life Insurance & Financial Planning, Personal Finance, and Compensation Management.
Students who want to focus more succinctly on finance can also choose the Associate of Arts in Business, which features a concentration in finance and insurance services. Students will begin the business degree with general courses in math, science, communication, and the humanities and then continue with their business and finance classes.
Finance classes in the concentration include Principles of Accounting I, Risk Management, Principles of Selling, Principles of Real Estate, and Personal Finance. The finance program may be completed entirely online or on campus, as well as via a hybrid method where some classes are taken online, and others are taken on campus. The associate’s degrees in business take two years to earn when students enroll in full-time study.
About Northwest Iowa Community College
Northwest Iowa Community College is a public college in Iowa that was established in 1966. The college is located just outside the town of Sheldon on a campus of 269 acres. The community college focuses on offering vocational-technical programs, as well as credits in the arts and sciences, that are meant for transfer to four-year universities. The college has around 1,600 students attending classes.
However, there are more than 28,000 students enrolled in non-credit programs that offer continuing professional instruction, supplemental career classes, and high school completion programs. Students can earn their high school diploma or GED when they attend Northwest Iowa Community College. The college shares that nearly 100 percent of its students find jobs and that its location is convenient to many cities like Sioux, O’Brien, Lyon, Cherokee, and Osceola.
Northwest Iowa Community College Accreditation Details
Regional accreditation for Northwest Iowa Community College has been granted by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The college most recently underwent reaffirmation of its accreditation status in 2015. The college is also authorized by the State of Iowa and its Department of Education to operate in the state. The college also participates in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.
Additionally, some programs are programmatically accredited, and the college also participates in some beneficial programs like the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. Specialized accreditations include those from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation and the Iowa Board of Nursing. Programs are also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education and the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology.
Northwest Iowa Community College Application Requirements
Applying to Northwest Iowa Community College begins with the official application and a request for official transcripts to be sent to the college in Sheldon. Transcripts sent to the college must come directly from the institution where the students who want to enroll as non-degree seeking students don’t need to submit their transcripts and may simply apply with the official application.
Before enrolling in classes, students may need to take a Placement Assessment Test known as ACCUPLACER, which may be arranged with the college’s Student Services. Students can choose to earn an associate’s degree at Northwest Iowa Community College when they enroll and work toward a transfer with one of Iowa’s four-year schools like Iowa State University, Northwestern College in Orange City, or Briar Cliff University in Sioux City.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Northwest Iowa Community College charges tuition based on a student’s residency status, and enrollees will also need to cover a variety of general fees. Tuition for residents of Iowa is $173 per credit, and the rate for non-residents is $183 per credit. Students who live in states that border Iowa pay a slightly reduced rate of $178 per credit.
Students who enroll in online classes pay $189 per credit for their classes. Some programs require extra fees. For the purposes of residency and obtaining an in-state tuition rate, the college has special residency programs that may allow members of the armed services and minors to pay Iowa residency tuition rates once approved.
Students who attend Northwest Iowa Community College may qualify for a variety of scholarships like the Future Ready Iowa scholarship, which requires enrollment in an eligible program. The college publishes a scholarship opportunities guide that has a scholarship application in it that students will use to apply for scholarships like the Automotive & Light Duty Diesel Scholarship and the Web & Graphic Design Software Scholarship.
In addition to scholarships, students may qualify for student loans by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. After submission of the application online, students will receive an award letter from the college that indicates what loans, scholarships, or grants for which the student has qualified. Before receiving a financial aid disbursement for costs associated with attending Northwest Iowa Community College, students must sign a master promissory note.
