Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Accountants And Auditors
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Babson, Quincy College, Bentley, and Northeastern.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Becker, UMass Boston, Bridgewater State, and Fitchburg State.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider College of Our Lady of the Elms.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Atlantic Union, Bunker Hill, BU, and UMass Boston.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Atlantic Union, Fitchburg State, Northern Essex Community College, and College of Our Lady of the Elms.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of BU, BC, Babson, and Gordon.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Lasell, Stonehill College, Gordon, and Bentley.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at BC, Northeastern, BU, and Babson.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at BC, Dean, Babson, and Northeastern.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Stonehill College, Atlantic Union, BC, and Merrimack College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Northeastern University • Boston, MA
Studying Accounting (completion in 1982)
• 5/8/2011
"I am happy with the school because I got a good job because of my Northeastern education. The Northeastern degree is respected in Massachusetts."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The coop experience is very good, when students are on coop it helps them decide if this is really a field they want to be in. The social environment is excellent. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Most companies like Northeastern graduates because by the time they graduate they have experience from the coop system. The coop system has made Northeastern graduates desirable. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The professors were good. The school has a coop system where each year for at least a quarter you are on coop getting training and paid. northeastern is on the quarter system. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The work load was just right. Not easy but not very hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It is a mix. The coop is hands on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Because of the quarter system you have to take your classes when they are scheduled. There is not a lot of flexibility. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The resources are excellent. If you need support and you go to the right places you will get what you need. |
| Social Life | 8 | The sports, nightlife and other social events are excellent. There are a lot of things to do in Boston. |
| Placement Services | 6 | You have to work hard to find your own job. Because Northeastern is so large there is not a lot of help. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | Northeastern is one of the biggest private schools in the United States. Northeastern does not have as much money donated from its graduates as much smaller schools do. |
Babson College • Babson Park, MA
Studying Accounting (completion in 2011)
• 9/3/2011
"It was a great experience with many support systems. The facilities are great and the faculty is very helpful."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Though the accounting program is not heard of often, it is growing rapidly. The connections to firms are also expanding as more alumni begin moving up the ranks in the firms. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Babson is not known for accounting but the program has very good ties to accounting firms which results in high placement percentages. The curriculum is good and thorough and will set students up to take the CPA. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The undergraduate program is very thorough. There are clubs which pull the Big 4 firms in to speak to the students. There are plenty of opportunities to network with the firms. The graduate program is intensive but very good. |
| Instruction | 9 | All professors have real world experiences as auditors or CFOs. They are up to date on current accounting issues and can share stories about their own careers. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The teachers expect a lot from the students but also understand that students are busy. The homework is average in difficulty but the time frame in which students are expected to learn is sometimes shorter than average. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The entrepreneurial program is very hands on, but the classic classes, especially accounting, are very book oriented. Because entrepreneurial classes are required, every student gets a fair mix of hands on versus book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The more advanced classes have fewer offerings but they are flexible in time. Some are in the afternoon while others are in the evening. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Babson is a small school with excellent resources. Because there are so few students it is very easy to access professors and seek help from peers. |
| Social Life | 8 | Though it is a small school it is close in proximity to Boston. There are also many events on campus on the weekends and many extra curricular clubs to join. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Almost all students find a job before they graduate. By December if a student is still looking for a job professors begin reaching out to alumni for help. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Many alumni who work at big or small firms still have contact with the professors. Frequently alumni stop by at recruiting events or club meetings to socialize and give advice. |
Suffolk University • Boston, MA
Studying Political Science (completion in 2008)
• 9/24/2011
"I received a great education from passionate professors. I was able to undergo great self-discovery there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It may not be a great place to go for accounting. For paralegals, it would be a great source of knowledge. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Suffolk is known for a government/political science program. Many of our professors are actively involved in politics, etc. |
| Program Quality | 10 | My school is geared towards government/political science majors. The faculty and staff are very knowledgeable and passionate. |
| Instruction | 10 | The professors are excellent. Most are well-educated and very knowledgeable. |
| How Difficult | 10 | The professors expected a lot from their students. You had to learn the material to do well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We were often going to different historical sights throughout the city. We also were required to do a lot of reading. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The weekend options were extremely limited. They had summer courses, but they were very expensive. There were no online options. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The law library is one of the best in the state. Our undergraduate library recently underwent a significant and excellent makeover. |
| Social Life | 5 | There was no real "campus" or athletic teams, so school spirit wasn't very significant. I am not sure there were many organized social events, either. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I don't think there is a job placement service. I never used career services assistance. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I am not very knowledgeable about our alumni network. It doesn't interest me much. |
Western New England College • Springfield, MA
Studying Accounting (completion in 1998)
• 12/12/2011
"The college prepared me for the CPA exam, I passed all sections on my first attempt. There were several preparatory sessions held during my last year of college and the school supported our studies."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | For the money involved, the college has an excellent reputation in providing knowledgeable accounting majors. The school is a go to for local and national accounting firms looking to hire entry level auditors. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school has recently opened a Law School and with the position I am in now, I encounter graduates of the law school and am impressed with their abilities. As I attend various career and business conferences, I usually meet other graduates of the accounting school as well as interacting with partners of several major accounting firms who have graduated from the school. |
| Program Quality | 9 | For my Master's, WNEC had an exceptional program, Controllership; Advanced Accounting and Taxation were taught by PhD's who had been in the field for many years and were either CPA's or CPA and JJd. |
| Instruction | 9 | The Master's program in Accounting was fairly new, so the school had established a team to study the curriculum of various colleges across the country. They also picked professors that had recently published so the material taught was at the level of expanding industry knowledge. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The college had an aggressive plan to increase the size of the Business School and to do that it was made very clear that only the best students would be accepted. The area has approximately 12 other colleges so the competition for maintaining high standards was very strong, as well as for students who had to excel in the courses to be marketable in the local businesses. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Accounting degrees require a great deal of detailed knowledge and the school concentrated on technical aspects of the field. One of the courses was an internship that had to accomplished in an accounting environment. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Many of the core courses were scheduled for both the day and evening school. The accounting labs were also scheduled for Saturdays which were a big help to students who worked during the week. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The college had a new library complements of a wealthy graduate of the school who made a large donation. The school provides excellent resources for advanced technology for learning. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was an office campus student who worked full time and did not participate in extracurricular activities. There were an abundance of activities for the on campus students and the school encouraged participation. |
| Placement Services | 7 | My first position after graduation was arranged by the placement services. To receive a position with a major pharmaceutical firm from a pool of graduates of twelve colleges within a twenty five mile radius speaks very highly of the placement office. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I receive numerous newsletters and phone calls from various alumni inviting me to the chapter meetings and dinners. Unfortunately, I am out of state and am not able to attend. |
Boston University • Boston, MA
Studying Finance (completion in 2006)
• 3/11/2012
"I had fun and I learned a lot. It was a good experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I had fun and it was a really respected school. I think that's the best of both worlds. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | It's certainly one of the better schools out there in terms of reputation. There are, however, many better schools, so I wouldn't rate it as a 10. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Boston University had a solid business undergrad program that really stressed looking at the various concentrations as part of a bigger system. Also, the work was often very team focused, so that has helped a lot. |
| Instruction | 9 | The teachers were very intelligent, had real world experience and were, for the most part, very approachable. I especially appreciated this aspect. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The work was difficult in both scope and complexity. One of the semesters specifically focused on creating a new business across multiple classes within a team setting. Specific topics were also delved into more deeply apart from this setting as well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Both methods were employed well. Both methods worked as a result. Real life cases and group exercises are always good for that. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Classes were for the most part pretty flexible. However, one of the semesters you had a completely assigned schedule as you were completing a big group project. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Everything was new for the business school portion. Some of the other facilities were showing their age. The campus had a few really nice new libraries. Professors could be accessed easily at a variety of locations. |
| Social Life | 8 | The school had a social experience blended in with Boston. It had its own culture too though, and that was good. |
| Placement Services | 7 | They helped me find the job I have held for the past 6 years and I have enjoyed it. I just didn't see much other support from them to other people I knew. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The alumni association reaches out to people and they do so well. I have not participated too much in the network though. |
University Of Massachusetts Boston • Boston, MA
Studying Business Management (completion in 1984)
• 3/13/2012
"Overall, I was very satisfied with the school. Given the cost of tuition, I felt it was a very good value for the money. I very much enjoyed my experience there and feel my education has served me well in my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, I would recommend the school. The quality if the instructors was superior, the price was right, and it was an environment of people that wanted to learn and also had to work to support their education. I liked that most of us were peers in that respect. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | At the time I attended the school, it had a very good reputation as a state school. The instructors were well versed in the subject matter. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I am satisfied with the education I received. I feel that I received a broad education. However, much of what I do is self taught. |
| Instruction | 8 | I feel that the quality of instruction was quite good. Classes were challenging and instructors were available to assist with questions and gave extra help when needed. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I did not find the program particularly difficult. As a student who had taken some time off between high school and college and then again between colleges, I was a bit older and recognized the importance of an education. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was no hands on training. All learning took place through book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Working two part time jobs while I was attending school full time was challenging. I did not have difficulty scheduling classes or having the courses available I needed in order to graduate. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The facilities were modern and well equipped. I often used the computer resources and library. There was ample room and equipment. |
| Social Life | 5 | As a commuter school, the social aspect was different. Most friends I made also were working, so there was not a lot of on campus socializing. I do have fond memories of the on campus pub, though. |
| Placement Services | I never used the school's job placement of career services assistance. I cannot provide a rating. | |
| Alumni Network | This is difficult for me to rate. I have not used the alumni network. |
University Of Massachusetts • Lowell, MA
Studying Business Administration (completion in 2009)
• 3/28/2012
"For the money that I paid, it was worth it. If I had more funds to spend on school, I would have gone to a different school that really had an accounting degree program."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, but I would warn them that they will need to plan on going somewhere else for their masters. It would be a good start to their career. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I am really not sure what UML's reputation for accounting is. I do know that I will need to go on for my masters. |
| Program Quality | 5 | They only offered limited courses in accounting. I believed that my degree would be in accounting, but once I graduated, I found out that it was only a concentration in accounting. |
| Instruction | 4 | Some of the professors were really great and knowledgeable, teaching what you needed to know. But a few were outdated (limited computer knowledge) and one that only was teaching to make himself feel better. He was not a teacher, but someone who took every quiz/test that was from the book and not what I really needed to learn. |
| How Difficult | 4 | As long as you did the reading, the material was really easy. There was a lot of busy work for core classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It varied a lot by professor and class. Some classes were nothing but book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | All the business programs were only offered during the day. Some of the core, ie English, classes were offered online at the time I was there. It was hard to work and go to school. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | Some of the professors were there a lot of the time when you needed them. Some only came in for the class that they were teaching. The computer rooms and library were open late most days. |
| Social Life | I did not participate in any of these activities. I commuted to school and was an older student, so going to parties was not a priority. | |
| Placement Services | 2 | The people at the career center are nice, but not very helpful. You are on you own if you really want to find a good job. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | All the alumni network wants is for me to donate money. The career center is not very helpful. |
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