Studying Accounting & Finance at Shoreline Community College
Shoreline Community College appears in our ranking of the Top 50 Best Associates in Accounting Online.
There are four programs in accounting and finance at Shoreline Community College, and those programs award associate’s degrees or certificates. Options include an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences in Accounting, an Accounting Certificate, an Accounting Clerk Certificate, and an Accounts Receivable Clerk Certificate. Students can also earn a Payroll Clerk Certificate or a Tax Preparer Certificate.
Students can enroll in any one of the certificate programs and continue into the associate’s degree program after completing their certificate. For the Associate of Applied Arts in Accounting, students must complete 90 credits within the quarter system that Shoreline Community College uses to deliver its classes. Starting quarters are available in every season, and students can earn their associate’s degree in accounting on campus or online.
Within the program, students will learn the basic principles, procedures, and theories that impact the recording and reporting of financial information. Degree requirements include general education classes and core classes in business and accounting like Payroll Accounting, Business English, Principles of Accounting, and Business Mathematics.
One of the helpful features of the accounting programs at Shoreline Community College is the opportunity to earn industry certification in widely used programs, as well as work experience that may prove valuable after graduation. Students can earn a QuickBooks Certification, AIPB Bookkeeper Certification, or earn status as an IRS Registered Tax Return Preparer. Certification may assist graduates in finding employment after they leave college.
The various certificates at the college vary in how many credits they require, but most are available on the college campus and online. For example, the Payroll Clerk Certificate requires completion of 20 credits and is available on campus or online. Students will receive a Certificate of Completion after finishing their credits. Classes include Computer Accounting, Payroll Accounting, and Principles of Accounting.
Meanwhile, the Accounting Certificate program requires 55 credits, and students will receive a Certificate of Proficiency when they have finished the program. The Accounting Certificate is also available online or on campus. Students can choose to continue into the associate’s degree program after completing their certificate. Classes required include Excel 2019, Payroll Accounting, Word 2019, Principles of Accounting, and Business English.
About Shoreline Community College
Shoreline Community College is located in Shoreline, Washington, with an 83-acre campus in the Shoreview Park neighborhood. The college has more than 13,000 full-time and part-time students enrolled and has been in operation since 1964. The college has 150 permanent academic staff members and 76 associate staff members offering classes. The college’s mascot is the Dolphin. Overall, the college has more than 100 career-focused degrees available.
The college was initially founded by a local superintendent who believed that there wasn’t an adequate opportunity for local students to enroll in higher education in the region. The first classes offered at Shoreline Community College were held in the evening, and more than 800 students were enrolled in the first classes. The first classes were held at a local high school, but a donation from the Boeing family would give the college an opportunity to build a dedicated campus.
Shoreline Community College Accreditation Details
Regional accreditation for Shoreline Community College comes from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which is the regional accreditation body responsible for approving institutions of higher learning in the Pacific Northwest. Accreditation applies to the institution as a whole and allows students to transfer their credits to other institutions and qualify for financial aid assistance through the federal government. There are also some programs accredited by other official agencies.
Accreditations from other organizations include one from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc., which has accredited the nursing program, and one from the Commission on Dental Accreditation, which has accredited the dental hygiene program. The Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics & Information Management Education, the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, and the National Automobile Technicians Education Foundation have accredited additional programs.
Shoreline Community College Application Requirements
Shoreline Community College has an open enrollment policy for all students who are high school graduates or have earned a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Students who are at least 16-years-old may also enroll, and the college also offers some options for enrollment for high school students. Students will use the official online application to apply to Shoreline Community College.
The college also has an application for students who aren’t from the state of Washington and who are interested in online classes. The college participates in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, so students can earn their degree from Shoreline Community College while living in another state and enjoy the benefits of taking classes from an accredited institution. There are also procedures for international students who want to apply, which include transcripts and a $50 application fee.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students who are interested in attending classes at Shoreline Community College will pay $108.83 per credit if they’re Washington residents and $200.16 per credit if they’re from another U.S. state. Non-citizens and international students will pay $286.80 per credit, and non-residents who are U.S. citizens and want to enroll online will pay $123.42 per credit. Students are considered full-time when they enroll in 12 to 18 credits.
Qualified veterans may receive a discounted rate on their tuition and should contact the certifying official for veterans benefits at Shoreline Community College for more information. There are also some extra fees students may pay, like the student union building renovation fee of $4.40 per credit and the student technology fee of $4.40 per credit.
There are several deadlines throughout the year for financial aid that occur in April, June, November, and February, and students must have their applications finished by the deadline for the quarter in which they want to enroll. There are some options for late applications for financial aid, but students must pay their full tuition and fees at the start of the quarter even if their eventual financial aid disbursement hasn’t yet occurred.
Throughout enrollment at the college, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to continue receiving financial aid each year. At the conclusion of a degree program at Shoreline Community College, students must complete exit counseling for any loans they have received while enrolled and in advance of entering repayment on those loans.
