The Best MBA Programs In Accounting

Here are some benefits that prospective accounting students will enjoy at their schools:

1) The University of Texas (McCombs School of Business): For the past eight consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has listed McCombs as the top-ranked MBA program for accounting. At the same time, Public Accounting Report has ranked McCombs as the top MPA program for 20 of the past 21 years. Aside from its teaching prowess, the McCombs faculty has been recognized for its world-class research. In 2014, the accounting faculty earned the number one global ranking in research productivity from the BYU Accounting Research Rankings. In fact, McCombs accounting faculty members are among the editors for prominent academic journals like The Accounting Review (TAR) and the Journal of the American Taxation Association (JATA). Faculty members also hold board seats and offices for organizations like Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and the American Accounting Association (AAA).

The curriculum is highly popular with McCombs graduates. For example, one student in an anonymous appreciated how her “Financial Statement Analysis” course built off previous coursework while continuing to challenge here. “I loved that it brought together so much of the foundational work from all the other classes I’ve taken. [It] really challenged me to think critically and learn a lot.” Another student appreciated how his “Petroleum Accounting” course gave him an advantage during recruiting. “After taking the class, I interviewed with the Bank of Scotland’s Energy Finance Group.  [I] was asked in a group interview what I knew about Oil & Gas and I starting explaining what I learned in the course.  After a few minutes, the interviewer stopped me and they immediately offered me a position.”

2) The Wharton School: Taking a wholistic and multidisciplinary approach, Wharton’s accounting department integrates disciplines like finance, economics, and operations to help students gauge data reliability, measure organizational efficacy, identify trends and gaps, and drive larger decisions. Like McCombs, Wharton’s accounting department is also a research powerhouse, with findings from recent studies being channeled back into the classroom in these areas: The design of executive compensation contracts; productivity, efficiency, and incentives in the health care and banking; international accounting standards; securities analysis; taxes and organizational design; and the economic impact of accounting policy.

3) The University of Illinois: This MBA program prides itself on “customization” and “global experiential learning” and benefits from the resources of the larger university, which is ranked among the top 15 public universities by Forbes. Their course offerings include Risk Measurement and Reporting, Auditing, Federal Taxation, and Accounting and Analysis.

4) University of Chicago (Booth School of Business): For decades, Booth has ranked among the top MBA programs for finance and accounting. Its Accounting Research Center (ARC), founded in the 1960s, has traditionally promoted accounting research by faculty and students, along with connecting the Booth community with professionals and alumni by organizing workshops and conferences. Booth is also the home of the Journal of Accounting Research (JAR), the oldest (and among the most cited) private research journals in the field. Among its most popular electives is “Financial Statement Analysis and Corporate Valuation,” which is taught by Christian Leuz who also serves as Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the European Corporate Governance Institute.

5) Stanford Graduate School of Business: According to Radhav Rajan, the school’s senior associate dean for academic affairs (and the Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting), a hallmark of the Stanford teaching experience is the pairing of tenure-line faculty with renowned practitioners to bring academic rigor and unparalleled real-world relevance to electives. For example, Rajan cites “Mergers and Acquisitions,” co-taught by professor Ron Kasznik and Oracle Co-CEO Safra Catz, and the “Project in Event-Driven Investing,” co-taught by Professor Maureen McNichols and Aetos Capital Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer Anne Casscells. Rajan also credits pedagogical innovations at the school for its high ranking in accounting, including its use of RAIL (Real-time Analysis and Investment Lab).

6) Brigham Young University (Marriott School): This program has traditionally prided itself on teaching excellence and the accounting program is no exception. However, the program goes well beyond credit and debits, focusing heavily on how accounting fits impacts other functions and helps shape strategy.