Accounting Technology Associate in Applied Science Degree
Gain the preparation you need for an exciting career in accounting-related occupations.
Overview for Accounting Technology AAS
The accounting technology program prepares you for a career in accounting-related occupations. You’ll learn the functions of the complete accounting cycle for service, merchandising, and manufacturing businesses. As a graduate of the program, you’ll use computers to maintain and reconcile various financial records, verify business records, and perform other clerical and administrative duties. This program is available for qualified deaf and hard of hearing students.
Accounting technology, offered by RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf, is available as an associate in applied science (AAS) degree or as an Associate+Bachelor’s Degree Program.
The AAS degree in accounting technology is a career-focused degree program that leads to immediate entry into well-paying careers at the paraprofessional or technician level.
The Associate+Bachelor’s Degree Program in accounting technology prepares you to complete an RIT bachelor’s degree. In this option, upon successful completion of the AAS degree in accounting technology, provided you maintain a 2.5 or higher grade point average in the program, you will enroll into RIT’s School of Individualized Study where you can pursue an individualized program bachelor’s degree.
Learn more about the benefits of pursuing an Associate+Bachelor’s Degree Program.
Microsoft Certification
NTID's business studies department operates an authorized testing center for Microsoft Office Specialist. Preparatory courses are offered for several exams each semester.
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Apply for Fall 2026
First-year students can apply for Early Decision II by Jan. 1 to get an admissions and financial aid assessment by mid-January.
Careers and Cooperative Education
Typical Job Titles
| Junior Accounting Technician | Cost Accounting Clerk | Accounts Receivable/Payable Clerk |
| Payroll Clerk | General Accounting Clerk | Microcomputer Accounting Clerk |
Industries
Cooperative Education
Cooperative education, or co-op for short, is full-time, paid work experience in your field of study. And it sets RIT graduates apart from their competitors. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries. RIT co-op is designed for your success.
Students in the accounting technology program are required to complete a cooperative education experience prior to graduation. You may schedule your co-op after completing your second-year academic requirements.
Curriculum for 2025-2026 for Accounting Technology AAS
Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements
Accounting Technology AAS
The curriculum below outlines the typical course sequence(s) for this program.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| NACC-130 | Personal Finance | 3 |
| NAST-140 | Essential Document Production | 3 |
| NAST-160 | Fundamentals of Spreadsheet Applications | 3 |
| NCAR-10 | Freshman Seminar | 0 |
| General Education: Elective 1 | 3 | |
| General Education: Ethical Perspective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| NACC-201 | Accounting 1 | 3 |
| NAST-150 | Advanced Document Production | 3 |
| NBUS-200 | Orientation to Business | 3 |
| NMTH-140 | Mathematics in Society (or higher) (General Education: Elective) | 3 |
| General Education: First Year Writing (WI) | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| NACC-202 | Accounting 2 | 3 |
| NACC-207 | Fundamentals of Payroll | 3 |
| NAST-210 | Essentials of Business Communication | 3 |
| NAST-220 | Fundamentals of Database Applications | 3 |
| General Education: Artistic Perspective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| NACC-203 | Accounting 3 | 3 |
| NBUS-213 | Applied Ethics | 3 |
| NBUS-217 | Fundamentals of Management | 3 |
| General Education: Global Perspective 1 | 3 | |
| General Education: Social Perspective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| NACC-299 | Co-op: Accounting Technology/Business Technology | 0 |
| Hours | 0 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| NACC-208 | Bookkeeping Fundamentals | 3 |
| NBUS-220 | Introduction to Economics | 3 |
| NBUS-223 | Fundamentals of Marketing | 3 |
| General Education: Scientific Principles Perspective | 3 | |
| Open Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 75 | |
Notes:
- All students pursuing an associate’s degree are also required to complete one wellness course.
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An ASL-Deaf Cultural Studies (AASASLDCS) course is required for graduation. It can be taken in any semester and can be taken at NTID or another college of RIT. In order to fulfill this requirement as part of the 75 credits in the program, it must be a course approved for both AASASLDCS and a General Education – Perspective or General Education–Elective or it can be used to fulfill an Open Elective.
Admissions and Financial Aid
For the career-focused AAS degree
- 2 years of math required
- 1 year of science required
- English language skills as evidenced by application materials determine associate degree options.
For the AAS degree leading to bachelor’s degree (Associate+Bachelor’s program)
- 2 years of math required; students interested in engineering, math and science transfer programs should have three or more years of math.
- 1 year of science required; students interested in engineering, math and science transfer programs should have two or more years of science.
- Physics is recommended for students interested in engineering.
- English language skills as evidenced by application materials determine associate degree options.
Specific English, mathematics, and science requirements and other recommendations
- English: Placement into NENG-121 Bridge to Academic Literacies or above, including into a University Writing (UWRT) course. To earn the AAS degree, students must complete all necessary English coursework through UWRT-150 FYW: Writing Seminar.
- Mathematics: Any math course numbered NMTH-140 or higher is required. Typically, students entering this program will have completed at least two years of high school mathematics.
- Science: Typically, students entering this major will have completed at least two years of high school science.
- ACT: For the Career-Focused AAS degree, the ACT middle 50% composite score is 14-17. For the Associate+Bachelor AAS degree, the ACT middle 50% composite score is 18-21 (optional).
Financial Aid and Scholarships
100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.
RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships
Contact
Department of Business Studies