Fisher School again recognized for program quality in PAR rankings
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Fisher School of Accounting’s undergraduate (10th), master’s (11th) and doctoral (16th) programs all finished in the top 20 among U.S. public accounting programs in Public Accounting Report’s (PAR) 34th Annual Survey of Accounting Professors.
Fisher’s standing in the PAR rankings is even more notable considering its faculty size. Among public programs with medium-size faculty—16 to 21 full-time accounting professors—Fisher’s undergraduate and master’s programs both ranked fourth in the nation.
“Fisher faculty, staff, students, and alumni are always pleased at our recognition as a high-quality program by our peers around the nation,” said Dr. Gary McGill, J. Roy Duggan Professor and Director of the Fisher School. “Our history of continuous improvement has served us well.”
PAR also publishes rankings where professors’ votes for the institutions where they are employed are not counted. In those rankings, Fisher’s undergraduate program ranks ninth and its master’s program is seventh.
Fisher also maintained its dominance in Florida as it once again was the state’s top-ranked school. Fisher was the only Florida school to appear in the top 20 of PAR’s undergraduate, master’s and doctoral rankings.
CPA exam performance and career placement in 2014 displayed the quality of Fisher’s students. Fisher first-time CPA exam candidates—both undergraduate and graduate—scored an overall passing rate of 82.9 percent for all parts of the CPA exam attempted during 2014. (The average overall pass rate for first-time candidates nationwide was 55%). Fisher’s pass rate ranked sixth in the nation among 254 large academic institutions (defined as having at least 60 candidates) and eighth nationally among all 776 academic institutions (defined as having at least 10 candidates).
Additionally, 98 percent of Fisher’s graduates seeking employment accepted jobs by graduation, including positions at the world’s top international public accounting firms.
Public Accounting Report’s (PAR) 34th Annual Survey of Accounting Professors is the nation’s only survey that allows accounting professors to rank the nation’s best accounting programs. Approximately 1,000 accounting professors from nearly 200 U.S. colleges and universities participated in the 2015 survey resulting in the largest response rate in the survey’s history.
As a professional school in a major public research university, the Fisher School is committed to scholarly research, teaching, and service to advance knowledge and prepare future leaders for business, professional and academic careers. The Fisher School serves business and accounting professionals and educators through innovative and high-quality teaching and research with a focus on providing the education necessary for successful careers in leadership positions. The Fisher School promotes the understanding and practice of accounting and business through its research, teaching and service.
Public Accounting Report’s 34thAnnual Survey of Accounting Professors
(Fisher School of Accounting)
Undergraduate
• Among publics: 10th
• Overall: 13th
Undergraduate (Among programs with 16 to 21 full-time faculty)
• Among publics: 4th
• Overall: 4th
Master’s
• Among publics: 11th
• Overall: 14th
Master’s (Among programs with 16 to 21 full-time faculty)
• Among publics: 4th
• Overall: 4th
Doctoral
• Among publics: 16th
• Overall: 21st
