diff --git a/app/controllers/accounts_controller.rb b/app/controllers/accounts_controller.rb
index 44103cd2e9b..b1372125199 100644
--- a/app/controllers/accounts_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/accounts_controller.rb
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ class AccountsController < ApplicationController
   include Api::V1::Account
 
   # @API
-  #
   # List accounts that the current user can view or manage.  Typically,
   # students and even teachers will get an empty list in response, only
   # account admins can view the accounts that they are in.
@@ -44,7 +43,6 @@ class AccountsController < ApplicationController
   end
 
   # @API
-  #
   # Retrieve information on an individual account, given by id or sis
   # sis_account_id.
   def show
@@ -61,6 +59,26 @@ class AccountsController < ApplicationController
     end
   end
 
+  include Api::V1::Course
+
+  # @API
+  # Retrieve the list of active (non-deleted) courses in this account.
+  #
+  # @argument hide_enrollmentless_courses [optional] If set, only return courses that have at least one enrollment.
+  #
+  # @example_response
+  #   [ { 'id': 1, 'name': 'first course', 'course_code': 'first', 'sis_course_id': 'first-sis' },
+  #     { 'id': 2, 'name': 'second course', 'course_code': 'second', 'sis_course_id': null } ]
+  def courses_api
+    if authorized_action(@account, @current_user, :read)
+      @courses = @account.associated_courses.active
+      @courses = @courses.with_enrollments if params[:hide_enrollmentless_courses]
+      @courses = @courses.paginate(:order => :id, :page => params[:page], :per_page => params[:per_page] || 10)
+      Api.set_pagination_headers!(@courses, response, api_v1_account_courses_path)
+      render :json => @courses.map { |c| course_json(c, [], nil) }
+    end
+  end
+
   def update
     if authorized_action(@account, @current_user, :manage_account_settings)
       respond_to do |format|
diff --git a/app/models/account.rb b/app/models/account.rb
index d17d41d2c2b..a40467e4a1d 100644
--- a/app/models/account.rb
+++ b/app/models/account.rb
@@ -244,14 +244,11 @@ class Account < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   def fast_course_base(opts)
     columns = "courses.id, courses.name, courses.section, courses.workflow_state, courses.course_code, courses.sis_source_id"
-    conditions = []
-    if opts[:hide_enrollmentless_courses]
-      conditions = ["exists (#{Enrollment.active.send(:construct_finder_sql, {:select => "1", :conditions => ["enrollments.course_id = courses.id"]})})"]
-    end
     associated_courses = self.associated_courses.active
+    associated_courses = associated_courses.with_enrollments if opts[:hide_enrollmentless_courses]
     associated_courses = associated_courses.for_term(opts[:term]) if opts[:term].present?
     associated_courses = yield associated_courses if block_given?
-    associated_courses.limit(opts[:limit]).active_first.find(:all, :select => columns, :group => columns, :conditions => conditions)
+    associated_courses.limit(opts[:limit]).active_first.find(:all, :select => columns, :group => columns)
   end
 
   def fast_all_courses(opts={})
diff --git a/app/models/course.rb b/app/models/course.rb
index 5d853060a7b..95a6de488e2 100644
--- a/app/models/course.rb
+++ b/app/models/course.rb
@@ -429,6 +429,10 @@ class Course < ActiveRecord::Base
   }
   named_scope :not_deleted, {:conditions => ['workflow_state != ?', 'deleted']}
 
+  named_scope :with_enrollments, lambda {
+    { :conditions => ["exists (#{Enrollment.active.send(:construct_finder_sql, {:select => "1", :conditions => ["enrollments.course_id = courses.id"]})})"] }
+  }
+
   set_broadcast_policy do |p|
     p.dispatch :grade_weight_changed
     p.to { participating_students }
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index a737896eda0..b781cc914b3 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -675,6 +675,7 @@ ActionController::Routing::Routes.draw do |map|
     api.with_options(:controller => :accounts) do |accounts|
       accounts.get 'accounts', :action => :index, :path_name => 'accounts'
       accounts.get 'accounts/:id', :action => :show
+      accounts.get 'accounts/:account_id/courses', :action => :courses_api, :path_name => 'account_courses'
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/lib/api/v1/course.rb b/lib/api/v1/course.rb
index cbe44b7e00e..4cb9b67a546 100644
--- a/lib/api/v1/course.rb
+++ b/lib/api/v1/course.rb
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ module Api::V1::Course
     hash = course.as_json(
       :include_root => false, :only => %w(id name course_code))
     hash['sis_course_id'] = course.sis_source_id
-    hash['enrollments'] = enrollments.map { |e| { :type => e.readable_type.downcase } }
-    if include_grading && enrollments.any? { |e| e.participating_admin? }
+    hash['enrollments'] = enrollments.map { |e| { :type => e.readable_type.downcase } } if enrollments
+    if include_grading && enrollments && enrollments.any? { |e| e.participating_admin? }
       hash['needs_grading_count'] = course.assignments.active.sum('needs_grading_count')
     end
     if include_syllabus
diff --git a/spec/apis/v1/accounts_api_spec.rb b/spec/apis/v1/accounts_api_spec.rb
index 23bda118fc9..c7a2b1b99eb 100644
--- a/spec/apis/v1/accounts_api_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/apis/v1/accounts_api_spec.rb
@@ -76,5 +76,53 @@ describe "Accounts API", :type => :integration do
         'sis_account_id' => 'sis1',
       }
   end
+
+  it "should return courses for an account" do
+    @me = @user
+    @c1 = course_model(:name => 'c1', :account => @a1, :root_account => @a1)
+    @c1.enrollments.delete_all
+    @c2 = course_model(:name => 'c2', :account => @a2, :root_account => @a1, :sis_source_id => 'sis2')
+    @user = @me
+    json = api_call(:get, "/api/v1/accounts/#{@a1.id}/courses",
+                    { :controller => 'accounts', :action => 'courses_api', :account_id => @a1.to_param, :format => 'json' })
+    json.should == [
+      {
+        'id' => @c1.id,
+        'name' => 'c1',
+        'course_code' => 'c1',
+        'sis_course_id' => nil,
+      },
+      {
+        'id' => @c2.id,
+        'name' => 'c2',
+        'course_code' => 'c2',
+        'sis_course_id' => 'sis2',
+      },
+    ]
+
+    json = api_call(:get, "/api/v1/accounts/#{@a1.id}/courses",
+                    { :controller => 'accounts', :action => 'courses_api', :account_id => @a1.to_param, :format => 'json' },
+                      { :hide_enrollmentless_courses => '1' })
+    json.should == [
+      {
+        'id' => @c2.id,
+        'name' => 'c2',
+        'course_code' => 'c2',
+        'sis_course_id' => 'sis2',
+      },
+    ]
+
+    json = api_call(:get, "/api/v1/accounts/#{@a1.id}/courses",
+                    { :controller => 'accounts', :action => 'courses_api', :account_id => @a1.to_param, :format => 'json' },
+                      { :per_page => 1, :page => 2 })
+    json.should == [
+      {
+        'id' => @c2.id,
+        'name' => 'c2',
+        'course_code' => 'c2',
+        'sis_course_id' => 'sis2',
+      },
+    ]
+  end
 end