A persistent commitment to innovation and unyielding high expectations have contributed to the Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program’s Top 10 ranking by U.S. News and World Report.
The publication released its 2024 rankings for online, non-MBA business graduate programs today, and the UConn MSA was ranked No. 9 in the nation. The program has been highly ranked for 10 consecutive years.
“What makes the program consistently successful is that we have always set high standards for online education, even before other universities were offering online programs,’’ said professor George Plesko, accounting department head.
“Over time, the program has continued to innovate and to increase the expectations of what we can offer,’’ he said. “In addition, we have a group of highly talented faculty who are dedicated to the program, its mission, and our students.’’
This year, the MSA program added two certificates, one in tax and the other in financial reporting, that align student coursework with the newly redesigned CPA exam, Plesko said.
U.S. News ranks programs according to their performance across a set of indicators of excellence, including faculty credentials, student engagement, reputation in both industry and academic circles, class size, graduation rates, student support and online teaching best practices.
Professor Joshua Racca, the program director, said the program has a sterling reputation, both in Connecticut and across the nation.
“We are able to accomplish this because of the high level of expectations we have for our faculty, students, and staff, who all come to UConn because they want to strive for excellence,’’ Racca said. “While there were few choices in online education when we started this program, there are lots of choices now, and the best continue to choose UConn.’’
The UConn accounting program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), considered the ‘gold standard’ of business school evaluation.
The 30-credit MSA program was created in 1999 and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It provides the additional accounting credit hours to complete the educational requirements needed to earn a CPA license. Over the last few years, several UConn MSA alumni have won the coveted Elijah Watt Sells Award, from the American Institute of CPAs, presented to those who score among the best in the nation on their first attempt at their CPA exams.
