Nexford programs are flexibly paced—not self-paced. Study when it works for you, and stay on track with weekly deadlines. Live sessions are optional. Expect to be challenged: and plan to invest at least 10 hours per week. That’s what it takes to build real skills that deliver real career value.
Skills you will learn - and add to your résumé
The AAS in Business builds foundational skills in management, marketing, finance, and data analytics, preparing you for entry-level roles in administration, customer service, retail, and operations.
Build a Personal Brand
Craft a strong professional identity across resumes, LinkedIn, and interview settings.
Communicate at Work
Share ideas clearly and work well with others in customer or team interactions.
Support Business Operations
Help track performance, solve problems, and carry out daily business activities.
Interpret Financial Statements
Use income statements, budgets, and cash flows to make sense of business performance.
Assist with Marketing Projects
Help execute marketing plans through research, messaging, outreach, and social media.
Collaborate in Teams
Work effectively with others to complete shared goals and solve challenges, in online and in-person settings.
Build a Personal Brand
Craft a strong professional identity across resumes, LinkedIn, and interview settings.
Communicate at Work
Share ideas clearly and work well with others in customer or team interactions.
Support Business Operations
Help track performance, solve problems, and carry out daily business activities.
Interpret Financial Statements
Use income statements, budgets, and cash flows to make sense of business performance.
Assist with Marketing Projects
Help execute marketing plans through research, messaging, outreach, and social media.
Collaborate in Teams
Work effectively with others to complete shared goals and solve challenges, in online and in-person settings.
Courses in the Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
You’ll complete 20 courses - made up of required core and general education courses. Courses are designed to take two months, but you can finish in just one. You’ll begin with one course at a time and can increase your course load as you progress.
Program Courses
Program Structure
You need 20 courses to complete your Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
6 general courses
14 core courses
General Courses (6 required)
Intercultural Communication
Intercultural Communication exposes learners to the principles of intercultural communication to advance their efforts to understand and attribute meaning to communicative behaviors among different cultures and social groups. Learners study communication and culture, intercultural messages, the role of context in intercultural communication, the impact of culture on one’s identity, and communication style. Learners master the practical skills necessary to improve one’s intercultural communication competence in an international world.
Statistics
Statistics emphasizes the analysis of data collection and statistics through the use of current technology. This course introduces learners to statistical terms, distributions, displaying and interpreting of data collected (probability, validity and reliability), effect size, measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode) and determining statistical significance. Learners analyze hypothesis testing and apply statistical techniques.
Introduction to Spreadsheets and Modeling
Introduction to Spreadsheets and Modeling is designed to equip learners with foundational skills in spreadsheet usage and basic modeling techniques. In today’s data-driven world, the ability to efficiently organize, analyze, and visualize information is essential for success across various fields, including business, finance, engineering, and the sciences.
Nutrition and Wellness
Nutrition and Wellness focuses on highlighting strategies for a healthy lifestyle. Two changes have led to a significant increase in preventable diseases: a global increase in the consumption of heavily processed food, and cultural shifts in many parts of the world where people are moving away from preparing food at home. Learners are equipped with practical skills to be healthier consumers of food and consider the importance of a wellness lifestyle with an emphasis on self-responsibility, physical fitness, stress management, and environmental sensitivity. A key focus of UN SDGs for 2030 is Sustainable Economic Development.
American Institutions and Culture
American Institutions and Culture focuses on the US as an intricate subject of study, providing a foundation for examining and interpreting the unique economic and cultural impact of the US across the world. This course examines the US throughout its history and currently on the world stage, provides learners with a practical literacy of the features of American institutions and businesses along with a cultural framework for a fundamental understanding of this nation and prepares learners for the skills to work within an American business environment.
Science of Happiness
Science of Happiness offers evidence-based approaches to living a more meaningful, successful, and happy life by applying practical strategies to improve every domain of life, including home, work, and community. Despite the enormous hardships that many people face around the world, this course explores how to manage cognitive biases and the impact a positive mindset can have on personal, biological, relational, cultural and global aspects of life. Learners implement strategies which foster a positive behavior change.
Core Courses (14 required)
Roadmap to Success
Roadmap to success is the foundational course for the Business program. This course prepares learners for success in the degree program and promotes a journey toward lifelong learning. Learners develop skills for communication, academic writing, self-discovery, career development, and presentation skills. This course is a hybrid competency course and introduces the learner to the competency-based model of Nexford courses in the BBA program.
The World of Business
The World of Business introduces the domain of business and key elements of the functional areas within the context that an organization operates. Learners examine a variety of functional areas and types of business in order to understand their interconnectedness. Additional topics include the business cycle, global business practices, and impact on productivity.
Marketing Fundamentals
Marketing Fundamentals is the foundational course for the Marketing specialization and is an introduction to the role of marketing in advancing the success of a product, service, experience or organization. Learners explore the evolution of marketing to include a review of the key marketing principles relevant in today’s workplace, an overview of the evolution from the traditional to digital marketing platform, and the differentiation between marketing a product or service versus marketing an experience. Learners examine functions and trends that are critical to staying competitive in the marketplace. This course introduces the functions of an organization for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers. Designed to meet customers’ needs and organizational goals, these functions include marketing and behavioral science research, environmental monitoring, target market selection, product selection, promotion, distribution and pricing.
Introduction to Business Law
Introduction to Business Law engages learners in understanding how laws, rules, regulations, and ethical standards pervade every area of business. This course provides an overview of US law while considering that nearly all business concerns are global in nature in today’s ever-changing political and economic business environment. This course encourages learners to approach legal scenarios with an eye on international application. Learners apply several key legal concepts to situations based on real-world legal conundrums and cases. Topics include, but are not limited to contract law, business organization setup, employment law and intellectual property law. Learners thoroughly review and research legal concepts and apply knowledge to specific sets of legal issues found in the assigned professional scenarios.
Principles of Management
Principles of Management focuses on how to create a personal and shared vision and communicate effectively with teams as a leader, manager, and team member. Topics include how to set effective goals and expectations, understanding cultures, the difference between management and leadership, team membership and leadership, and the global workplace.
Financial Accounting
Financial Accounting focuses on the foundations of financial accounting concepts and methods used to generate, analyze, and interpret financial statements. Learners perform journal entries and record-keeping of transactions with an understanding of how these accounts are measured and reported in major financial statements.
Managerial Accounting and Cost Analysis
Managerial Accounting and Cost Analysis focuses on the techniques managers use to identify and manage production costs for labor, material, and overhead. Learners engage multiple methods for budgeting and cost reporting and calculate and interpret variances between budgets and actual results
Data Analytics
Advances in data collection, machine learning, and computational power have fueled institutional progress. The volume of available data has grown exponentially, and algorithms have continued to advance along with greater computational power and storage. As organizations become more inundated with data, having systems and processes in place to better understand and interpret data is highly important. This course focuses on how organizations can identify, evaluate and use data effectively. As consumers become increasingly savvy with their use of data, organizations need to change their responses. The use of data for all types of business from a large organization to a small retail shop will continue to become more sophisticated. This course provides an understanding of the data analysis process. Learners examine how technology has improved the ability to collect, analyze and interpret data, and they investigate data analysis tools and technologies to improve the decision making process.
Introduction to AI
The Introduction to AI course introduces the fundamental concepts of AI, exploring its transformative impact across industries. Learners examine various AI tools and technologies and their interconnected applications in business, healthcare, education, and manufacturing. Additional topics include the ethical implications of AI, future trends, and strategies for integrating AI into decision-making and operations effectively.
Principles of Macroeconomics
This course delves into the fascinating world of macroeconomics, giving learners the tools to understand the big picture of how economies function through general economic factors. Learners will cover GDP, consumption, investment, government role, causes and consequences of economics and busts, inflation and deflation, business cycles, and global connections. Learners will gain skills in economic data, policy impacts, data modeling, and international economics.
Principles of Microeconomics
Microeconomics course unlocks the secrets behind how individuals and businesses make decisions in today's dynamic market. After completing this course, learners will be able to analyze real-world problems according to economic theory, understand concepts such as supply, demand, costs and profits, and explore the impact of economic policies on human behavior.
Managing People Resources
This course provides an in-depth survey of concepts, skills, and practices in human resource management. Learners are introduced to innovative approaches in human capital management at the local, national, and global levels
Business Career Branding for Success
The Business Career Branding for Success course engages learners in developing and strengthening the business and personal component of one’s own career brand. The learner takes the role of a personal CEO and uses business tools to analyze competitive strengths and weaknesses, create a competency profile, document high-demand marketable and transferable skills, craft a resume, and develop a lifelong learning and career development plan that will be revisited throughout the degree program. This course is divided into two parts: Part one is completed when the learner first enrolls to establish a competitive benchmark pre-assessment and initial lifelong learning and career development action plan to be revisited throughout the program during specific course milestones, and Part two concludes in a capstone post-assessment that enables the learner to re-evaluate competitive strengths and weaknesses, finalize the lifelong learning and career development action plan, and create a personal brand and business plan for the individual career path. This course is continually available to learners to revisit and review throughout their studies at NXU from enrollment to graduation.
International Business and Culture
International Business and Culture is the foundational course for International Business. As the speed of globalization increases, organizations need to be increasingly focused on an integrated global business and culture. This course focuses on international business and the interconnectedness of a global culture. Learners examine how an organization operating in the global environment needs to understand and appreciate how to best leverage both global and local cultures for responsible and successful business practices. Topics from the perspective of a global firm are related to management, leadership, the economy, financial reporting and regulatory compliance.
You need 20 courses to complete your Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
6 general courses
14 core courses
Intercultural Communication
Intercultural Communication exposes learners to the principles of intercultural communication to advance their efforts to understand and attribute meaning to communicative behaviors among different cultures and social groups. Learners study communication and culture, intercultural messages, the role of context in intercultural communication, the impact of culture on one’s identity, and communication style. Learners master the practical skills necessary to improve one’s intercultural communication competence in an international world.
Statistics
Statistics emphasizes the analysis of data collection and statistics through the use of current technology. This course introduces learners to statistical terms, distributions, displaying and interpreting of data collected (probability, validity and reliability), effect size, measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode) and determining statistical significance. Learners analyze hypothesis testing and apply statistical techniques.
Introduction to Spreadsheets and Modeling
Introduction to Spreadsheets and Modeling is designed to equip learners with foundational skills in spreadsheet usage and basic modeling techniques. In today’s data-driven world, the ability to efficiently organize, analyze, and visualize information is essential for success across various fields, including business, finance, engineering, and the sciences.
Nutrition and Wellness
Nutrition and Wellness focuses on highlighting strategies for a healthy lifestyle. Two changes have led to a significant increase in preventable diseases: a global increase in the consumption of heavily processed food, and cultural shifts in many parts of the world where people are moving away from preparing food at home. Learners are equipped with practical skills to be healthier consumers of food and consider the importance of a wellness lifestyle with an emphasis on self-responsibility, physical fitness, stress management, and environmental sensitivity. A key focus of UN SDGs for 2030 is Sustainable Economic Development.
American Institutions and Culture
American Institutions and Culture focuses on the US as an intricate subject of study, providing a foundation for examining and interpreting the unique economic and cultural impact of the US across the world. This course examines the US throughout its history and currently on the world stage, provides learners with a practical literacy of the features of American institutions and businesses along with a cultural framework for a fundamental understanding of this nation and prepares learners for the skills to work within an American business environment.
Science of Happiness
Science of Happiness offers evidence-based approaches to living a more meaningful, successful, and happy life by applying practical strategies to improve every domain of life, including home, work, and community. Despite the enormous hardships that many people face around the world, this course explores how to manage cognitive biases and the impact a positive mindset can have on personal, biological, relational, cultural and global aspects of life. Learners implement strategies which foster a positive behavior change.
Roadmap to Success
Roadmap to success is the foundational course for the Business program. This course prepares learners for success in the degree program and promotes a journey toward lifelong learning. Learners develop skills for communication, academic writing, self-discovery, career development, and presentation skills. This course is a hybrid competency course and introduces the learner to the competency-based model of Nexford courses in the BBA program.
The World of Business
The World of Business introduces the domain of business and key elements of the functional areas within the context that an organization operates. Learners examine a variety of functional areas and types of business in order to understand their interconnectedness. Additional topics include the business cycle, global business practices, and impact on productivity.
Marketing Fundamentals
Marketing Fundamentals is the foundational course for the Marketing specialization and is an introduction to the role of marketing in advancing the success of a product, service, experience or organization. Learners explore the evolution of marketing to include a review of the key marketing principles relevant in today’s workplace, an overview of the evolution from the traditional to digital marketing platform, and the differentiation between marketing a product or service versus marketing an experience. Learners examine functions and trends that are critical to staying competitive in the marketplace. This course introduces the functions of an organization for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers. Designed to meet customers’ needs and organizational goals, these functions include marketing and behavioral science research, environmental monitoring, target market selection, product selection, promotion, distribution and pricing.
Introduction to Business Law
Introduction to Business Law engages learners in understanding how laws, rules, regulations, and ethical standards pervade every area of business. This course provides an overview of US law while considering that nearly all business concerns are global in nature in today’s ever-changing political and economic business environment. This course encourages learners to approach legal scenarios with an eye on international application. Learners apply several key legal concepts to situations based on real-world legal conundrums and cases. Topics include, but are not limited to contract law, business organization setup, employment law and intellectual property law. Learners thoroughly review and research legal concepts and apply knowledge to specific sets of legal issues found in the assigned professional scenarios.
Principles of Management
Principles of Management focuses on how to create a personal and shared vision and communicate effectively with teams as a leader, manager, and team member. Topics include how to set effective goals and expectations, understanding cultures, the difference between management and leadership, team membership and leadership, and the global workplace.
Financial Accounting
Financial Accounting focuses on the foundations of financial accounting concepts and methods used to generate, analyze, and interpret financial statements. Learners perform journal entries and record-keeping of transactions with an understanding of how these accounts are measured and reported in major financial statements.
Managerial Accounting and Cost Analysis
Managerial Accounting and Cost Analysis focuses on the techniques managers use to identify and manage production costs for labor, material, and overhead. Learners engage multiple methods for budgeting and cost reporting and calculate and interpret variances between budgets and actual results
Data Analytics
Advances in data collection, machine learning, and computational power have fueled institutional progress. The volume of available data has grown exponentially, and algorithms have continued to advance along with greater computational power and storage. As organizations become more inundated with data, having systems and processes in place to better understand and interpret data is highly important. This course focuses on how organizations can identify, evaluate and use data effectively. As consumers become increasingly savvy with their use of data, organizations need to change their responses. The use of data for all types of business from a large organization to a small retail shop will continue to become more sophisticated. This course provides an understanding of the data analysis process. Learners examine how technology has improved the ability to collect, analyze and interpret data, and they investigate data analysis tools and technologies to improve the decision making process.
Introduction to AI
The Introduction to AI course introduces the fundamental concepts of AI, exploring its transformative impact across industries. Learners examine various AI tools and technologies and their interconnected applications in business, healthcare, education, and manufacturing. Additional topics include the ethical implications of AI, future trends, and strategies for integrating AI into decision-making and operations effectively.
Principles of Macroeconomics
This course delves into the fascinating world of macroeconomics, giving learners the tools to understand the big picture of how economies function through general economic factors. Learners will cover GDP, consumption, investment, government role, causes and consequences of economics and busts, inflation and deflation, business cycles, and global connections. Learners will gain skills in economic data, policy impacts, data modeling, and international economics.
Principles of Microeconomics
Microeconomics course unlocks the secrets behind how individuals and businesses make decisions in today's dynamic market. After completing this course, learners will be able to analyze real-world problems according to economic theory, understand concepts such as supply, demand, costs and profits, and explore the impact of economic policies on human behavior.
Managing People Resources
This course provides an in-depth survey of concepts, skills, and practices in human resource management. Learners are introduced to innovative approaches in human capital management at the local, national, and global levels
Business Career Branding for Success
The Business Career Branding for Success course engages learners in developing and strengthening the business and personal component of one’s own career brand. The learner takes the role of a personal CEO and uses business tools to analyze competitive strengths and weaknesses, create a competency profile, document high-demand marketable and transferable skills, craft a resume, and develop a lifelong learning and career development plan that will be revisited throughout the degree program. This course is divided into two parts: Part one is completed when the learner first enrolls to establish a competitive benchmark pre-assessment and initial lifelong learning and career development action plan to be revisited throughout the program during specific course milestones, and Part two concludes in a capstone post-assessment that enables the learner to re-evaluate competitive strengths and weaknesses, finalize the lifelong learning and career development action plan, and create a personal brand and business plan for the individual career path. This course is continually available to learners to revisit and review throughout their studies at NXU from enrollment to graduation.
International Business and Culture
International Business and Culture is the foundational course for International Business. As the speed of globalization increases, organizations need to be increasingly focused on an integrated global business and culture. This course focuses on international business and the interconnectedness of a global culture. Learners examine how an organization operating in the global environment needs to understand and appreciate how to best leverage both global and local cultures for responsible and successful business practices. Topics from the perspective of a global firm are related to management, leadership, the economy, financial reporting and regulatory compliance.
What’s it like to learn at Nexford?
Real-world projects
Real-world projects
Build skills by doing. Every course includes hands-on projects that mirror real workplace challenges like building financial models plans, data dashboards, or marketing strategies. You won’t just learn about it - you’ll practice doing it. And projects are often curated from the world's largest organizations.
Flexible
Flexible
Collaborative learning
Collaborative learning
Work with peers from around the world on discussions that reflect global workplace dynamics. You won’t learn in a vacuum. Share ideas, get feedback, build a network - and be part of a global community that sharpens how you think.
Rewarding learning
Rewarding learning
Earn certificates and digital badges for the skills you build - long before you finish your degree. Every project moves you forward and every milestone counts. Progress isn’t hidden, its rewarded and you get to share that progress as you grow.
Personalized support
Personalized support
You’re online but never alone. Book 1:1 time with faculty or advisors, join group sessions, or reach out anytime by chat, email, or online calls. Whether it’s academics or career advice, real humans are here - or bots if you prefer.
Technology enabled
Technology enabled
Expect a modern, fully online experience that just works - including on mobile. All required tools are included, and you’ll never pay extra for textbooks or software. No clunky systems or boring PDFs. Just online learning, made simple.
AAS Admission requirements
You can upload your documents 100% online today
Proof of Identity
Proof of Identity
As part of the admissions process, applicants are asked to provide a photo or scan of a government-issued form of identification and a passport-style photo or selfie.
Proof of high school completion
Proof of high school completion
Undergraduate degree program applicants must submit proof of high school completion or its equivalent (e.g., GED or national exam certificate).
Proof of English Proficiency
Proof of English Proficiency
If your previous education was in English, your transcript will serve as proof of English proficiency. You can also provide scores from an approved qualification exam.
Where our learners work
Join us for a free virtual tour
Join us live to see how learning at Nexford works, hear from alumni, and get your questions answered by current learners, faculty, and staff.
Free online webinar
Get a live preview of Nexford courses and the tools our learners use. Hear from our team dedicated to your success.
Free online webinar
Get a live preview of Nexford courses and the tools our learners use. Hear from our team dedicated to your success.
Your dedicated career success platform
Your dedicated career success platform
Personalized Career Recommendations
Discover your strengths and uncover your personalized career paths with AI-powered personality and job-fit assessments.
Smart Resume & Interview Tools
Build standout resumes and get real-time interview feedback to ace your next interview.
1:1 Career Coaching
Book time with expert coaches for personalized guidance on job searches, networking, and long-term planning.
Access thousands of additional courses
Access thousands of additional optional courses & certifications to help you level-up at no additional cost.
Real projects you'll complete in your AAS in Business
Zendesk Customer Support
Business Ops Optimization
LinkedIn: Workplace Communication
Zendesk Customer Support
Business Ops Optimization
LinkedIn: Workplace Communication
Your career outlook as an AAS graduate
Every industry values problem-solving leaders with critical and strategic thinking skills, now also powered by AI skills. These are real examples of roles held by our 4,000+ graduates.
Administrative Support
- Administrative Assistant
- Office Clerk
- Executive Assistant
- Receptionist
Customer Service & Sales
- Customer Service Representative
- Sales Associate
- Retail Supervisor
- Call Center Agent
Accounting & Bookkeeping
- Accounts Clerk
- Bookkeeper
- Billing Specialist
- Payroll Assistant
Operations & Logistics
- Operations Assistant
- Inventory Clerk
- Logistics Coordinator
- Procurement Assistant
40%
Of employers worldwide reporting difficulty hiring AAS graduates with practical business & admin skills
55%
Percentage of AAS graduates employed within 6 months of graduation globally
25-30%
higher average wages earned by AAS degree holders compared to those without a postsecondary education
Sources: Earnest, GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council), LinkedIn Insights / Emerging Jobs Report, World Economic Forum, Deloitte Insights, PwC CEO Survey, Gartner, IDC (International Data Corporation), Statista, eMarketer, Kauffman Foundation, Crunchbase, OECD, World Bank, UNESCO Graduate Outcomes Survey, IBM Research, Harvard Business Review, National Association of Colleges and Employers, International Labour Organization, HubSpot & LinkedIn Marketing Report, Glassdoor Salary Insights
Hear from our alumni and their employers
Nexford is accredited.
Accredited by DEAC
The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)
Accredited by DEAC
The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)
