BKD University (BKDU) serves as the central hub for training at BKD, using a Learning Management System (LMS) to provide Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for both internal BKD professionals and clients. Beyond this, BKDU supports a range of other training needs, offering programs for human resources, firm compliance, business development, diversity initiatives, mentoring, and leadership training, accessible to all BKD employees.

BKDU is structured with three main colleges that align with BKD's primary departments: Auditing & Accounting, Tax, and Consulting. Additionally, there are six colleges dedicated to specialized training programs: Leadership Academy, Business Development, Coaching, Administration, Technology, and Compliance. BKDU's production team encompasses three departments—Information Technologies (IT), Marketing & Business Development (M&BD), and Learning & Development (L&D). IT manages the database architecture, M&BD handles the front-end development, and L&D oversees branding, user interface, and functionality.

The BKDU logo features a minimalist shield design, representing a universal symbol of higher education, with "University" in the DIN typeface. While the BKD logo typically uses red, BKDU's branding incorporates blue, providing a refreshing contrast and a stable base color. Each college within BKDU follows a consistent branding scheme, using elements like color, shield, and picture.

BKDU offers a variety of PowerPoint and Word templates for use within its colleges.

The brand's flexibility supports its expansion into new departments and firm initiatives. Top row, left to right: New Partner Orientation, Training & Presentation, Media Training, Virtual Training and Coaching Program. Bottom row, left to right:New Manager Training, Executive Presentations, New Employee Orientation, Lunch & Learn and Business Development.

Supporting not just digital platforms but also physical materials such as promotional posters, training guides, displays, and videos. A key annual event is the Leadership Conference, which attracts over 1,200 employees and serves as a major highlight for BKD's Learning & Development department.

Working alongside M&BD, we designed an extensible template that makes navigating BKDU easy and intuitive. Learners can launch directly into a college with a single click, thanks to an extensive cataloging system. Each course is tagged with rich metadata, allowing for robust search capabilities. Learners can filter content by various criteria, including recently added courses, CPE-eligible self-study, video archives, industry, sponsor, provider, field of study, and learning level. A simple media icon indicates whether a course is text, audio, or video-based.

Given the vast amount of content available, consistent navigation is crucial. We implemented a persistent top navigation system to ensure learners could easily find their way back to the main menu without confusion. Our focus has always been on functionality over flashiness; learners come to BKDU with a specific goal, and our job is to help them achieve it quickly and efficiently.

BKD University began with a straightforward goal: to be a one-stop shop for all training needs. Today, with hundreds of courses and training materials, it's achieved that and much more, contributing to BKD's nine-year streak of being named a Training Top 125 (now Apex Award) organization and seven-time recognition by Chief Learning Officer Magazine as a LearningElite Organization. The continued success of BKDU is a testament to the dedication, teamwork, and user-centered design that drive this vital component of BKD's training infrastructure.