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online business associate degree

Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Fundamentals

Start your online business associate degree

Gain skills to enter the competitive field of business with our Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Fundamentals. You’ll develop a solid foundation in topics like accounting, management and communication. And courses are just 5 weeks long, so you can fit them into your busy life.

Transfer credits

Your prior eligible credits could help you graduate faster and for less.

Ways to save

Your work, life, and school experiences may give you a head start on your degree.

Apply free

No application fee
No SAT/ACT
No essay required

Ignite Your Passion

Start when you're ready

Courses

Browse courses for your online business fundamentals associate

Education should hold practical value. That’s why our courses meet rigorous academic standards and provide you with skills and knowledge immediately applicable to your career.

Skills-aligned program icon

Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.

Requirements: 60 credits

You’ll need 60 credits to complete your AA in Business Fundamentals. Your course schedule may vary based on transferable credits or credits earned through the University’s Prior Learning Assessment.

6 Core Courses

Here’s where you’ll pick up the bulk of your program-specific knowledge. By the time you finish these courses, you should have the confidence and skills to pursue opportunities in a business environment.

6 Core Courses

12 Gen Ed Courses

These courses lay the foundation for all our degree programs. Because communication, math and writing skills aren’t just universally applicable in business — they’re useful in daily life.
 

12 Gen Ed Courses

2 Elective Courses

Elective courses allow you to learn about topics you’re interested in. That means you’ll have a degree that’s unique to you and your education goals.

 

2 Elective Courses

Schedule

Your academic counselor will help schedule your courses for an AA in Business Fundamentals.

Skills-aligned program icon

Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.

Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every five- to six-week course.

We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Tuition

Paying for school

Tuition is based on number of credit hours per course. Courses are typically 3 credits, but can range from 1-6 credits. Costs do not include savings opportunities like transfer credits and scholarships.

Tuition Guarantee

Undergrad cost per course

$1,364 / course

Cost per credit 

Credits per course

Resource fee

$398

x3

+ $170

Estimated cost per course

$1,364

An illustration showing a couple pushing a stroller with a dollar sign and clock in the background

What affects the overall cost of my program?

Your full program cost can vary by: 

  • Savings opportunities. Your cost could be reduced with eligible transfer credits, scholarships, employer discounts and more. Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11K and 1 year off their undergraduate degree at University of Phoenix.

With our Tuition Guarantee, you pay one flat, affordable rate from the moment you enroll to the day you graduate from your program.

Discover ways to save time and money on your degree with our Savings Explorer® tool:

Transfer credits

Your prior eligible college credits can save you time and money, helping you graduate faster. That’s why we’ve accepted credits from 5,000+ institutions. Check to see if you can apply eligible transfer credits from an institutionally accredited university or college toward a degree of your choice.

The Savings Explorer tool can help you find ways to save on your education

Try our Savings Explorer® tool

Eligible students saved:

$11,000 & 1 year

Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11k and 1 year off their undergraduate degree with University of Phoenix.

Try our Savings Explorer™ tool

Eligible students saved:

$11,000 & 1 year

Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11k and 1 year off their undergraduate degree with University of Phoenix.

Financial aid

You may have options when it comes to paying for college tuition and expenses, such as federal grants and loans. Our finance advisors can answer your questions about financial aid and can help guide you through the process.

Federal Student Loan Basics

Careers & Outcomes

What can you do with an Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Fundamentals?

Discover where your degree might take you and make informed choices about your future.

An AABFN can prepare you to be an: 

  • Administrative Manager
  • Office Manager

Top skills learned in this program:

  • Problem Solving

  • Productivity

Ready to get started?

Start your application for free or request additional information.

What you’ll learn

When you earn your online Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Fundamentals, you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. You’ll learn how to:

  • Apply problem-solving strategies to real-life business scenarios
  • Apply business principles to address a variety of organizational needs

5% Growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for administrative service manager occupations is projected to be as fast as average between 2022 and 2032.

The BLS Projected Growth for 2022-2032 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.

Admissions

Apply for free – no application fee, no obligation.

Starting your degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.

  • No SAT/ACT required 
  • No essay required 
  • No cost, risk-free trial for eligible students
  • We’ll request transcripts at no cost to you, when possible, and we accept eligible credits from over 5,000 accredited institutions.

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.[1] Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)

Gabriel G., Enrollment Representative

Call or chat with us 7 days a week.

G. Galindo - Enrollment Representative

Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]

[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)

Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.

Student Experience

An education that fits your busy life

Balancing family, work and school

Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Start your degree year-round and take one class at a time.

Online learning

Enroll in online classes and attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night.

Around-the-clock support and resources

You have a support team available up to 14 hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Computer requirements for courses

Many course assignments will require you to use a computer to complete and submit your assignment. 

Student completing homework at night while child plays on floor.

Faculty Spotlight

Professionals dedicated to you

Your success is a top priority for our deans and faculty members. They bring an average of 29+ years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom, and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.

Kathryn Uhles

I’m dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to meet their career goals.

Kathryn Uhles
Dean, College of Business and IT, University of Phoenix

I’m dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to meet their career goals.

Accreditation

Count on the quality of your education

programmatic accreditation

Our AABF has been reaffirmed for accreditation until 2027 by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), ensuring the quality of your education.

What does that mean in real life? ACBSP-accredited business programs are committed to quality standards. The quality of the program is regularly benchmarked against specific criteria that prepare students for the business industry. Accreditation occurs on a 10-year cycle with regular quality reviews.

View the completion and first-year persistence rates for the University of Phoenix ACBSP-accredited business and accounting programs.

A C B S P accredited

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Frequently asked questions about the Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Fundamentals

Business fundamentals are basic skills and concepts needed to run an organization. Learning business fundamentals prepares you to better understand how a business operates and how different business functions relate. You’ll develop a solid foundation in topics like accounting, management and communication and learn how your decisions impact the organization as a whole.

An associate of arts with a concentration in business fundamentals takes approximately two years to complete with a total of 60 credit hours required. However, you may be able to complete your degree faster if you transfer credits from another institution or earn credits for your work or life experience.

Business literacy helps you understand the language of business to make communication more effective in a business environment. Many of the foundational skills learned in business fundamentals will also introduce the essential terminology you will need to communicate effectively in different business settings.

While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.