MAcc Highlights

MAcc Program Highlights

• The MAcc program was ranked twenty-fifth in the nation by the Public Accounting Reporting in 2010.


• A recent study, Accounting Program Research Rankings by Topical Area and Methodology, ranked the School of Accounting as #27 in financial accounting research, #29 in accounting information systems research, and 19th overall for combined research topics over the last six years.


• MAcc student Libby Biittner was chosen for a one-year Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) internship. She is one of nine chosen in 2010. Six students from the program have participated in this program over the last eight years.


• Alumnus Johanna Nielsen was named National CPA of the year by American Woman's Society of Certified Public Accountants (AWSCPA) in 2009.


• Our Beta Alpha Psi chapter achieved Gold Status for 2010 and is very active in the recruiting process.  


• Our students are recruited by the Big Four, Grant Thornton, regional and local firms as well as in industry, government, and the non-profit sector—both locally and nationally.


• Employment of our MAcc students at graduation was over 98% for May 2011 graduates.

Faculty and School of Accounting Highlights

• The School of Accounting is separately accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business. 

• Dr. Christine Botosan won both the Competitive Manuscript and the Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature from the AAA. She has also won numerous teaching awards. Her research has been presented before Congress and to the FASB.


• Dr. Martha Eining served a year as the first Grant Thornton National Academic Fellow. She has also won teaching and service awards from the school, the Utah Assocation of Certified Public Accountants (UACPA), and the information systems section of the AAA.


• Dr. Marlene Plumlee and Dr. David Plumlee each served a year as an SEC Academic Fellow. Dr. Marlene Plumlee received a grant from the IRS to start our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, where students get an opportunity to present before the IRS in cases where taxes are in dispute.

Curriculum Highlights

• We offer an International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) class, one of few in the country. We also offer classes on financial reporting and financial statement analysis, which helps students go beyond their core classes in understanding financial information and financial statements.


• Our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provide hands-on opportunities for both undergraduate and MAcc students to work with clients and argue before the IRS.


• We now offer a part-time evening MAcc program for those in auditing and accounting information systems. This program allows students to complete the MAcc program at night, in five semesters. The MAcc Fast Track Admissions program encourages our best undergraduate students to apply.


• The MAcc program includes a one-week intensive course that highlights accounting professionalism and team building. The students spend one day doing an intensive service project that they organize and complete.


• We offer a fraud and forensics class in which students get to act as expert witness in a real courtroom with lawyers and a presiding judge.