What is Accounting?
An accountant is a business professional who works with the lifeblood of every enterprise, its finances. While many of us only think of accountants when tax time rolls around, accountants can work in many other areas of business and government. Yet, they all essentially work with ledgers that record every expense and revenue generating transaction. Accountants are thus very detail oriented, and many have migrated to the IT world where they are called to audit network traffic, database activity, and more. Accountants also work under a wide range of licenses and certifications which steer their careers in meaningful ways.
In fact, one of the most respected professional license is that of certified public accountant. CPAs are licensed by their state to sign tax filing documents. To earn this status, CPAs have passed the most difficult professional exam available. Other accountants can earn certificates to work in other areas of business such as risk management, forensic accounting, management accounting, and non-profit accounting.
Best Schools for Accounting in Kansas
Kansas State University
Score: 82.8
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,942
- Out-of-State:$27,816
- Net Price: $18,745
- Acceptance Rate: 79%
- Retention Rate: 87%
- Graduation Rate: 70%
- Total Enrollment: 19,745
- Undergrad Students: 15,113
- Graduate Students: 4,632
- Grads Salary: $74,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
University of Kansas
Score: 82.47
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,700
- Out-of-State:$29,412
- Net Price: $18,322
- Acceptance Rate: 88%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
- Total Enrollment: 28,406
- Undergrad Students: 20,696
- Graduate Students: 7,710
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Friends University
Score: 79.76
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $32,748
- Out-of-State:$32,748
- Net Price: $22,579
- Acceptance Rate: 56%
- Retention Rate: 70%
- Graduation Rate: 61%
- Total Enrollment: 1,927
- Undergrad Students: 1,460
- Graduate Students: 467
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 14:1
Baker University
Score: 77.21
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $33,900
- Out-of-State:$33,900
- Net Price: $23,410
- Acceptance Rate: 92%
- Retention Rate: 74%
- Graduation Rate: 59%
- Total Enrollment: 1,945
- Undergrad Students: 1,457
- Graduate Students: 488
- Grads Salary: $78,000
- Student-to-faculty: 12:1
Newman University
Score: 76.97
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $35,500
- Out-of-State:$35,500
- Net Price: $19,315
- Acceptance Rate: 48%
- Retention Rate: 71%
- Graduation Rate: 54%
- Total Enrollment: 2,787
- Undergrad Students: 2,398
- Graduate Students: 389
- Grads Salary: $69,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
Washburn University
Score: 74.96
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,578
- Out-of-State:$20,582
- Net Price: $12,894
- Acceptance Rate: 100%
- Retention Rate: 69%
- Graduation Rate: 53%
- Total Enrollment: 5,663
- Undergrad Students: 4,930
- Graduate Students: 733
- Grads Salary: $68,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
Wichita State University
Score: 74.53
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,322
- Out-of-State:$19,240
- Net Price: $14,184
- Acceptance Rate: 95%
- Retention Rate: 68%
- Graduation Rate: 51%
- Total Enrollment: 16,741
- Undergrad Students: 12,856
- Graduate Students: 3,885
- Grads Salary: $74,000
- Student-to-faculty: 20:1
Pittsburg State University
Score: 74.15
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $8,008
- Out-of-State:$19,692
- Net Price: $19,357
- Acceptance Rate: 88%
- Retention Rate: 78%
- Graduation Rate: 58%
- Total Enrollment: 5,722
- Undergrad Students: 4,426
- Graduate Students: 1,296
- Grads Salary: $68,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
Fort Hays State University
Score: 72.43
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $5,633
- Out-of-State:$16,811
- Net Price: $13,774
- Acceptance Rate: 92%
- Retention Rate: 77%
- Graduation Rate: 48%
- Total Enrollment: 12,843
- Undergrad Students: 10,206
- Graduate Students: 2,637
- Grads Salary: $65,000
- Student-to-faculty: 14:1
Benedictine College
Score: 72.24
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $34,800
- Out-of-State:$34,800
- Net Price: $28,451
- Acceptance Rate: 76%
- Retention Rate: 80%
- Graduation Rate: 65%
- Total Enrollment: 2,465
- Undergrad Students: 2,391
- Graduate Students: 74
- Grads Salary: $68,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
Emporia State University
Score: 71.81
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $7,356
- Out-of-State:$15,669
- Net Price: $15,441
- Acceptance Rate: 98%
- Retention Rate: 67%
- Graduation Rate: 54%
- Total Enrollment: 4,658
- Undergrad Students: 2,412
- Graduate Students: 2,246
- Grads Salary: $67,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Rasmussen University-Kansas
Score: 70.58
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $15,340
- Out-of-State:$15,340
- Net Price: $17,320
- Acceptance Rate: 100%
- Retention Rate: 50%
- Graduation Rate: 50%
- Total Enrollment: 333
- Undergrad Students: 333
- Graduate Students: 22
- Grads Salary: $70,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
University of Saint Mary
Score: 64.61
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $33,890
- Out-of-State:$33,890
- Net Price: $23,611
- Acceptance Rate: 90%
- Retention Rate: 64%
- Graduation Rate: 44%
- Total Enrollment: 1,414
- Undergrad Students: 1,015
- Graduate Students: 399
- Grads Salary: $66,000
- Student-to-faculty: 12:1
Kansas Wesleyan University
Score: 63.82
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $33,470
- Out-of-State:$33,470
- Net Price: $23,419
- Acceptance Rate: 85%
- Retention Rate: 60%
- Graduation Rate: 38%
- Total Enrollment: 951
- Undergrad Students: 899
- Graduate Students: 52
- Grads Salary: $69,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
Central Christian College of Kansas
Score: 63.68
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $21,000
- Out-of-State:$21,000
- Net Price: $12,217
- Acceptance Rate: 100%
- Retention Rate: 59%
- Graduation Rate: 23%
- Total Enrollment: 455
- Undergrad Students: 437
- Graduate Students: 18
- Grads Salary: $67,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
Midamerica Nazarene University
Score: 62.7
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $36,120
- Out-of-State:$36,120
- Net Price: $29,992
- Acceptance Rate: 73%
- Retention Rate: 61%
- Graduation Rate: 46%
- Total Enrollment: 1,539
- Undergrad Students: 1,185
- Graduate Students: 354
- Grads Salary: $65,000
- Student-to-faculty: 10:1
Hutchinson Community College
Score: 61.69
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $3,720
- Out-of-State:$4,650
- Net Price: $6,456
- Acceptance Rate: 100%
- Retention Rate: 69%
- Graduation Rate: 45%
- Total Enrollment: 4,983
- Undergrad Students: 4,983
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $42,300
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Ottawa University-Ottawa
Score: 57.7
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $35,300
- Out-of-State:$35,300
- Net Price: $28,126
- Acceptance Rate: 80%
- Retention Rate: 58%
- Graduation Rate: 29%
- Total Enrollment: 1,055
- Undergrad Students: 936
- Graduate Students: 119
- Grads Salary: $70,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
Barton Community College
Score: 53.45
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $3,904
- Out-of-State:$4,832
- Net Price: $11,329
- Acceptance Rate: 100%
- Retention Rate: 51%
- Graduation Rate: 43%
- Total Enrollment: 4,393
- Undergrad Students: 4,393
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $38,350
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
Kansas City Kansas Community College
Score: 51.38
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $3,420
- Out-of-State:$6,720
- Net Price: $13,563
- Acceptance Rate: 100%
- Retention Rate: 50%
- Graduation Rate: 38%
- Total Enrollment: 4,803
- Undergrad Students: 4,803
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $38,200
- Student-to-faculty: 14:1
Online Accounting Education in Kansas
Kansas is a state for business. Those that drive its highways and byways may be impressed by the endless rows of corn or sunflowers, but there is far more afoot. After all, all of those agricultural products must be processed by way of the state's top industrial sector – manufacturing. Then, those manufacturing plants need to be audited for efficiency and financial worthiness by a team of accountants.
In fact, there's hardly any business in existence that doesn't rely on accountancy for its lifeblood. On top of this, Kansas boasts professional and business services as its #3 industry and finance and insurance comes in at #7 among the state's top 10 economic sectors. Thus, there is always a demand for accounting professionals in Kansas. Even its #10 industry, construction, needs budget analysts and other accounting professionals to ensure that projects are viable and profitable and have a reasonable budget.
To ensure that Kansas maintains positive economic growth, it needs a steady supply of highly qualified accounting professionals. From bookkeepers to CPAs, the state needs its businesses to maintain healthy accounting practices. Thus, Kansas' colleges and universities all work hard to provide future bookkeepers and accountants with the very best education possible.
Nearly every community has some access to a community college where students can study business and accounting from highly qualified instructors. These community college classes typically have small class sizes, and the schools frequently offer courses and even whole degrees online. Kansas' four-year colleges and universities also offer full bachelor's accounting degrees that are designed to prepare students for their CPA examination. There are also programs for a master of accountancy or a master of business administration.
Kansas' innovative post-secondary institutions also offer their accounting students the opportunity to enhance their degrees with other subject areas. For instance, many accounting students broaden their education with courses in computer science, information technology, or business administration. These special concentration areas help Kansas' accounting professionals become the cutting-edge businesspeople that the world needs to address the new challenges posed by technology and an increasingly global economy.
Online Associate (AS or AA)
One terrific way to start a career in business and accounting is to earn an associate accounting degree. A two-year degree provides students with the fundamental skills they need to start working as a bookkeeper. Their two-year associate degree can also help them earn certain certifications which distinguish them in the marketplace.
It can be very beneficial to start a career with an associate accounting degree. For one thing, associate degrees include the core college curriculum required for a bachelor's degree. Students who decide to complete a bachelor's accounting degree later are thus primed to dive into their upper-level accounting courses. Those who take a few years to work in business or bookkeeping may even be able to pay off a good portion of their student loans. After all, community college credits tend to be more affordable than those from a four-year institution.
Online Bachelors (BS, BAcc or B.Acy)
A four-year undergraduate accounting degree is a very strong foundation for any accounting student. Over the course of a full undergraduate accounting degree, students are able to gain exposure to many special topics in accounting. Undergraduate students can also round out their accounting education with courses from other fields. Some accounting students earn a minor concentration in areas such as information technology, computer science, and business management, to name a few options. These minor fields may even help steer their career after graduation.
A bachelor's accounting degree is also immensely helpful for those who desire a CPA license. Most state boards of accountancy require a bachelor's accounting degree for those who wish to sit for the AICPA examination. CPA candidates should investigate their state's requirements. Kansas' CPA requirements include 150 credit hours, including of a bachelor's degree. Thus, students typically need to complete their undergraduate degree and then add around 30 more credits to their transcripts. This may be a terrific opportunity to start an MS in Accounting or even an MBA.
Online Masters (MS, MAcc or M.Acy)
Since Kansas' board of accountancy requires that candidates for the CPA examination have a minimum of 150 credit hours, it's a wise idea to enter a graduate degree program for accounting or an MBA. Either degree will provide the credits necessary to sit for the CPA exam. However, before doing so, it's important for students to decide where they want to take their careers. Those who are interested more in applying their accounting skills in a general way may want to complete an MBA with a concentration in accounting and/or finance. Students who are dedicated to accounting should apply to MS programs for accountancy. Yet a third option is a dual MBA where students can concentrate on some other topic in their second MBA year while finishing an MS in Accountancy in the same three-year period.
Not only will these graduate courses help students qualify to sit for the CPA exam in Kansas, but they will also find that their job prospects brighten when they graduate. With an MBA, students will broaden their knowledge of business in the first year and then concentrate on a special topic, such as finance or accounting, in their second. An MS, on the other hand, offers students the opportunity to dive deep into their chosen field.
Online Doctorate (PhD or D.Acy.)
While the business community doesn't emphasize the need for a PhD, the online degree can always be of use. In fact, a student who doggedly pursues a doctorate after completing their undergraduate accounting degree might find that they have an edge. After all, since master’s accounting degrees are increasingly common, one way to stand out from the pack is by completing a doctorate in accounting. It's also true that the business community increasingly values specialization among its workers and a PhD allows students to become as specialized as they possibly can be.
Over the course of the PhD work, students will be able to explore special topics in accountancy with microscopic accuracy and detail. Given the rise of technology, those who aim their careers towards auditing networks and databases may especially benefit from a doctorate curriculum. Others might choose more traditional topics to study, such as taxation and regulation. Once their dissertation is accepted and they graduate, all doctorate accounting students will have the chance to thrive in the business, governmental, non-profit, or academic realm.