The Public Accounting Report, a newsletter that annually ranks U.S. colleges with the best accounting programs, rated UA’s undergraduate program at Culverhouse School of Accountancy as No. 20 in the nation. The graduate program came in at No. 24 in the PAR Professors Survey. In addition, the Culverhouse School of Accountancy also placed No. 26 in “U.S. News and World Report.”

The 2011-2012 school year, however, is not the first in which UA received a high ranking. Throughout the thirty years since the Public Accounting Report began its survey, the CSA has consistently maintained a top thirty rating.

Mary Stone, director of the CSA, attributed this success to the dedication of the Culverhouse staff and students.

“The Culverhouse School of Accountancy is fortunate to have a dedicated network of alumni who are leaders in the accounting profession; bright, hard-working and personable students; a supportive college and central administration; generous donors; faculty who are up-to-date, communicate effectively and maintain high academic standards; and a knowledgeable staff available to answer questions and provide guidance,” Stone said.

“Being in the top twenty-five consistently is a major accomplishment,” J. Michael Hardin, dean of the Culverhouse College of Commerce, said in a statement on the school’s website. “In addition to being excellent teachers, our accounting faculty is known for its research and for its many contributions to accounting education.”

This year’s PAR ranking, which improved from No. 23 last year and in 2009, will potentially have a very positive effect on enrollment of accounting students at the university.

Richard Houston, director of the Master of Accountancy program, supports this claim as well as the notion that the ranking will give the University an advantage over competitors.

“Remarkably, the world of accounting professors is quite small and most people know what everyone else’s school is doing,” Houston said. “Consequently, it means a lot to be consistently ranked so high. It also is important to our constituents that we are ranked so high.

“For example, as director of the Master of Accountancy program, I have seen an increase in the number of applications from people from other schools, including many from throughout the U.S. Many cite our high rankings as driving their interest in UA.” Houston also said accounting students will have an increased advantage in career placement upon graduating.

“We had 100 percent placement at graduation this past year, and most years are the same,” Houston said. “Our students obtain jobs throughout the country, which is great given the large number of out of state students that UA attracts. We have a large number of accounting firms and corporations that recruit our students. We are a target school for the big accounting firms, which is not true of all schools.”

The CSA now looks forward to celebrating its success at the Accounting Honors Banquet on April 18, where more than 155 scholarships and awards will be given by the school’s donors.