Thank you for your interest in the Accountancy Program at Northern Illinois University. Professors across the nation have once again rated Northern Illinois University's accountancy program among the elite in the nation. The Public Accounting Report's 27th Annual Professor's Survey published in 2008, ranked NIU's Accountancy program 13th in the United States and one of only four non-Ph.D. programs in the top 15. Inclusion in the rankings places NIU in some highly regarded company including six Big Ten schools (including Illinois) and Notre Dame. Our programs were ranked 23rd in the 2008 Annual America's Best Colleges edition of U.S. News and World Report.
In addition, NIU accountancy students' performance on the CPA exam has ranked among the best in the nation for three decades. In January 2009, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy released pass rates for candidates taking the CPA exam in 2007. NIU Department of Accountancy graduate students placed 12th in the country (out of more than 900 institutions). NIU is the only Illinois university to have student performance ranked in the top twenty nationally. In addition, our students placed second in the country on the auditing section of the CPA exam (with a 90 percent pass rate). NIU accountancy graduate students placed 24th in the nation in 2006, and 9th best in 2004.
Each year our students find jobs with the best accounting firms and companies in the nation.
Our alumni continue to excel in their careers, with many becoming well-known executives and leaders in their chosen fields. So, if you are interested in joining the accountancy profession and want to provide yourself with the opportunity to excel, Northern Illinois University is the choice you should make.
The Department of Accountancy offers a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree, a Master of Science in Accountancy degree, and a Master of Science in Taxation degree. Our undergraduate students have always been able to secure rewarding jobs when they leave our program, and will continue to do so in the future. Many students are now planning to stay at NIU for an additional year and receive their masters degree so that they will have earned at least 150 semester hours of course credit, which is a necessary requirement to sit for the Certified Public Accounting exam.
We consider our students to be our most important product. While we also generate research that helps accountancy professionals perform their jobs better and provide service to the academic and professional communities, our main priority is educating students. We continuously revise our curriculum to incorporate the changes that are occurring rapidly in the business world. We structure our courses to insure that students can develop the communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills that they will need to reach their full potential.
Our faculty are known worldwide for their textbooks and teaching excellence. Our faculty members have won numerous teaching awards, and have held many prestigious offices in professional accountancy organizations. At NIU, our faculty members continuously interact with students to provide a mentoring relationship that helps students mature into business professionals.
On behalf of the faculty, we look forward to working with you as you continue your academic career.
Jim Young, Chair
Crowe Horwath Professor of Accounting