The Top 10 Accounting Schools in the United States
If you're an aspiring accountant, you should have no problem finding an accounting school to attend. Most U.S. colleges and universities offer accounting programs, often through their business schools. If you want to attend one of the top-tier accounting schools, then take a look at this list. In 2009, U.S. News & World Report ranked the best schools for accounting as an undergraduate business specialty. Each of the schools below made the cut.
1. University of Texas at Austin
Degrees: BBA in Accounting; MPA; MBA; PhD
Location: Austin, TX
The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin has the No. 1 undergraduate and graduate accounting programs in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report; the No. 1 graduate accounting program, according to the Financial Times; and the No. 2 undergraduate accounting program, according to the Public Accounting Report. The entire accounting program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Many graduates go on to work for big-name companies, such as Dell and JPMorgan Chase, after being aggressively recruited by nearly 200 national and international organizations. According to the school, most graduates of the MPA program accept offers for permanent positions before or within a few months of graduating. The average full-time starting salary for accounting graduates from UT Austin is almost $53,000 per year.
In the class of 2009, 223 students were enrolled in the undergraduate accounting program at the McCombs School of Business, and 96 were enrolled in the master's program. The average GPA for students in the 2009 master's class was 3.77, and 3.4 for the 2009 bachelor's class. UT Austin accounting graduates have historically performed very well of on the Uniform CPA exam. In 2009, graduates of the MPA program had a 75 percent pass rate on the exam.
How to get in: To find admissions information for all of the accounting degree programs, visit the McCombs website. If you are a prospective freshman, the school recommends that you attend one of the daily information sessions and tours on campus. Admission to the MPA program is very competitive. Applicants must submit a statement of purpose essay, two letters of recommendation, and GMAT scores. To be considered for admission, you must have a minimum 3.0 GPA in your undergraduate studies. McCombs strongly encourages students to have at least two years of full-time work experience before applying. Prospective students must also be able to demonstrate proficiency in calculus and computer spreadsheet programs.
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degrees: Certificate; B.S. in Accountancy; Master of Accountancy (MAcc); Master of Accounting Science; M.S. with Specialization in Taxation-Chicago Program; M.S. in Accountancy; PhD
Location: Champaign, IL
The University of Illinois has an extremely competitive accounting program offered through its College of Business on the Urbana-Champaign campus. The school's undergraduate accounting programs ranked No. 1 in the country in 2009, according to the Public Accounting Report. U.S. News & World Report ranked the school's undergraduate accounting programs as No. 2 in the country in, and graduate accounting programs as No. 3 in the country. The accounting program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Graduates of the accounting program at the University of Illinois have gone on to great careers, such as Arthur Wyatt (a former principal at Arthur Andersen) and Charles Bowsher (former U.S. Comptroller General). The College of Business is dedicated to finding jobs for their graduates, and has an internship program which places students in businesses to help them gain real-world experience.
The Master of Accounting Science program is a one-year program for students with an undergraduate background in accounting. Students can concentrate on finance, information technology, or taxation. The four-year Bachelor of Science program requires 124 credits for graduation—26 credits in accounting courses and 98 general education credits.
How to get in: Admission to the Master of Accounting Science program is competitive. Applicants should possess a minimum 3.0 GPA for their previous two years of coursework, a 4.0 on the analytical writing portion of the GMAT, and a minimum score in the 50 th percentile on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GMAT. Applicants are strongly encouraged to gain work experience in the field prior to applying, as this factor is weighted heavily in admissions decisions. For information on admissions requirements for all accounting programs, visit the College of Business at Illinois website.
3. Indiana University
Degrees: Bachelor's, MBA, MBA in Accounting, M.S. in Accounting, PhD
Location: Bloomington, IN
For many years, the accounting program at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has ranked among the top 10 schools in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. In 2009, the undergraduate program ranked No. 6. In 2007, the accounting department's MBA program ranked No. 8 in the nation by the Wall Street Journal, and the Public Accounting Report ranked the entire accounting program as the No. 7 program in the nation (and No. 4 among public universities).
The Kelley School's accounting program offers students a highly competitive curriculum, special training for the CPA exam, and help finding jobs after graduation. The average starting salary for the accounting class of 2009 was $51,871. Graduates from the class of 2009 were hired by such major organizations as JPMorgan Chase, Dell, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Eli Lilly, Gap, Harley-Davidson, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
How to get in: If you are a current student at Indiana University and you want to apply to the Kelley School of Business, you must complete a set amount of coursework, prerequisites, and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA. Admission requirements for the graduate accounting programs are different.
4. University of Michigan
Degrees: BBA, MBA, Evening MBA, Global MBA, MAcc
Location: Dearborn, MI
Students in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan can rely on not only their high-ranking program and competitive class work to help them succeed, but also an active student life program and career services center. The career center provides career counseling, facilitates internships, and hosts recruitment fairs for students. Deloitte, Amazon.com, and Microsoft are among the many companies that hire University of Michigan graduates. The average base salary for a MAcc graduate in 2009 was $54,081, and the average base salary for BBA accounting graduates was $51,619.
How to get in: To apply for the MAcc program, you must submit a resume, GMAT scores (most admitted students score between 600 and 720), transcripts, grades in prerequisite courses, two letters of recommendation, and essays. Candidates also are required to satisfy certain course requirements, including statistics, intermediate cost accounting, principles of managerial accounting, principles of microeconomics, principles of financial accounting, and intermediate financial accounting. There were only 70 students in the 2010 MAcc class, with an average GPA of 3.56.
5. Brigham Young University
Degrees: MBA, MAcc, B.S. in Accountancy
Location: Provo, UT
BYU offers graduate and undergraduate accounting programs through its Marriott School of Management. The undergraduate accounting program at BYU is the No. 3 program in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report and the Public Accounting Report. The school's MAcc program also ranked No. 3 in the U.S., according to the Public Accounting Report.
Placement after graduation is very important to BYU, and they have an active Business Career Center that focuses on matching graduates with companies. They also have multiple recruiting fairs each year, and an internship program for students.
Graduates from BYU can be found working at DaimlerChrysler, Boeing, and ExxonMobil. According to the school, more than 70 firms recruit BYU MAcc students every year, and for the last few years more than 95 percent of MAcc students have accepted employment offers before graduating. The average starting salary for a MAcc graduate is $51,900.
How to get in: The B.S. in Accountancy program accepts 265 students a year, and the MAcc program accepts 160 students per year, so only the most competitive applicants are chosen. Applicants to the MAcc program must have a minimum GMAT score of 500 and a minimum 3.0 GPA. However, the average GPA and GMAT score of admitted students is much higher than the minimum.
6. University of Pennsylvania
Degrees: Bachelor's, MBA, PhD
Location: Philadelphia, PA
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania was established in 1881 as the world's first collegiate business school. Wharton is divided into 11 departments, including the accounting department. In 2009, Wharton's undergraduate accounting program ranked No. 4 in the country, and its graduate accounting program ranked No. 2, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Students in the undergraduate accounting program take a combination of business education courses and arts and sciences classes. During the four-year program, students take nine core business courses, and then they can choose accounting as their concentration (or specialization).
Wharton students are committed to performing well academically. At any time, according to the school, less than 2 percent of Wharton undergraduates are on academic probation as a result of poor performance. Students are rewarded for their hard work when, upon graduation, they are almost immediately employed. For instance, 80.5 percent of Wharton's class of 2009 graduates had full-time employment after graduation with an average starting salary of $59,852 per year.
Graduates from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School receive a lot of assistance in when looking for a job, including interview training, job fairs, internship opportunities, and on-campus recruiting. Accounting graduates have gone on to work for General Mills, L'Oreal, PepsiCo, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, and KPMG.
How to get in: The Wharton School receives approximately 5,500 undergraduate applications every year, and admits only about 500 students to the freshman class (for all degree majors). According to Wharton, the school is looking for undergraduate applicants who are leaders; have strong academic records; have taken the most rigorous curriculum offered by their schools; have taken Calculus during high school; are well rounded; and have a genuine interested in business and the Wharton School.
7. University of Southern California
Degrees: Bachelor's, MAcc, Master of Business Taxation (MBT), PhD
Location: Los Angeles, CA
U.S. News & World Report and the Public Accounting Report both rank USC's Leventhal School of Accounting as having the No. 5 undergraduate accounting program in the country. In fact, the Public Accounting Report has ranked the program among the top five programs in the U.S. since the report began ranking schools more than 20 years ago.
Students at the Leventhal School of Accounting have numerous opportunities to network and mingle with possible employers. The school's student organizations, for instance, have weekly meetings with representatives from the big four accounting firms, mid-tier firms, regional and local firms, and other companies. Representatives from the big four and mid-tier accounting firms also visit the Leventhal School of Accounting once a semester during a networking event, Meet the Firms.
To earn a bachelor's in accounting, students must complete 128 credits from courses that cover accounting and general studies. The MAcc program is a full-time, one-year program that prepares graduates for careers in public accounting; financial services and investment banking; government and nonprofit work; and corporate finance.
How to get in: If you are interested in the undergraduate accounting program at USC, you must meet a number of prerequisites. You should maintain a 3.0 GPA, although you will be more competitive with a 3.6 GPA.
8. University of Notre Dame
Degrees: BBA, MBA, M.S. in Accountancy
Location: Notre Dame, IN
The Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame has the No. 8 undergraduate accounting program in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report; and the No. 4 and No. 6 undergraduate and graduate accounting programs, respectively, according to the Public Accounting Report. The entire accounting program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
The accounting programs at Notre Dame are well known, So well know, in fact, that graduates of the M.S. in Accountancy program have worked for Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Brady Ware, Ford, JP Morgan Chase, Lockheed Martin, Cargill, the IRS, and many others.
The school's career center helps students secure employment by conducting on- and off-campus career fairs, staging mock interviews, hosting a career night, and providing internship opportunities. Of the 96 M.S. in Accountancy graduates from the class of 2009, 61 percent went to work for one of the big four firms. The average starting salary for a BBA in accounting graduate is nearly $54,000.
How to get in: To find out admission requirements for the undergraduate accounting program, visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website. To apply for the M.S. in Accountancy program, you must submit your undergraduate academic record, GMAT scores, personal statement, a list of professional, community and extracurricular activities, and two letters of recommendation.
9. New York University
Degrees: Bachelor's, MBA, PhD
Location: New York, NY
The Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University wants to “cultivate forward-thinking leaders, prepared for a world of constant change, by carefully shaping our environment.” It would seem that the school is succeeding in its mission.
Accounting majors from NYU have an average starting salary of $60,000 per year, and a 98 percent hiring rate after graduation. Organizations that have hired NYU accounting graduates include the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, JPMorgan Chase, Marvel Entertainment, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
How to get in: If you are interested in earning a bachelor's in either general accounting or certified public accounting from NYU, take a look at the NYU undergraduate admissions website. For those interested in the PhD program, be aware that the program is very competitive. On average, the school only enrolls 20 to 24 new PhD students per year across the eight different departments, including accounting. The average GMAT score for the fall 2009 entering class was 714.
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Degrees: B.S. in Business Administration (BSBA), MAcc, MBA, PhD
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has the No. 10 undergraduate accounting program in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report; and the No. 7 graduate accounting program, according to the Public Accounting Report. The accounting department offers a two-year B.S. in Business Administration with an accounting specialty, and an intense, one-year master's in accounting.
The Kenan-Flagler Business School is committed to helping its graduates find employment. The school provides multiple recruiting opportunities, including career fairs and interview fairs, where companies interview students one-on-one. Students who receive their master's in accounting from UNC have a 95 percent placement rate after graduation.
In the 2008-09 school year, organizations that hired three or more graduates of UNC's MBA programs included American Express, Credit Suisse, Darden Restaurants, Dell, Deloitte Consulting, Delta Airlines, DuPont, Ecolab, Eli Lilly, General Electric, the Hershey Company, IBM Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, and Kraft Foods.
How to get in: To apply for the master's in accounting program, you must submit a resume, transcripts, GMAT scores, eight essays, and three letters of recommendation.