Goshen College accounting program ranked 12th best in the nation and 3rd best in Indiana
Goshen College’s accounting program continues to rank as the #1 accounting program among private, Christian liberal arts colleges in Indiana.
Based on the results of the Certified Public Accountant exam that all accounting graduates take, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) recently ranked the Goshen College accounting program as the 12th best program in the nation in the small program category and the 3rd best program in Indiana for bachelor’s degree candidates (behind Notre Dame and Purdue University-Calumet).
The ranking is based on exam passing rates according to program size, which is determined by the number of individuals taking the exam, not the size of the school. There are 257 schools in the small program category.
Both the Indiana and national average pass rates for 2014 were less than 50 percent, while Goshen College’s overall pass rate for bachelor’s degree candidates was 63.6 percent. Goshen College is the only Mennonite college accounting program to be included in the results.
Goshen’s passing rate was also higher than any school in Arkansas, Alabama, Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.
Nearly 100 percent of graduates in the Goshen College program get jobs in accounting, with many students having offers prior to graduation and the rest finding jobs within a few months after graduating, according to Professor of Accounting Michelle Horning.
“It is unusual for a school our size to have as many accounting firms and companies come to campus to interview and recruit students,” said Horning. “Three of the top ten accounting firms in the nation actively recruit students from Goshen College by coming to campus. Additionally, a handful of local and regional firms of various sizes recruit on campus.”
Goshen’s program has a unique element that gives graduates some of the best preparation: a required, full-time, paid internship built into the accounting curriculum.
“This hands-on experience prepares students for a full-time position, often with the firm they interned with,” she said. “The interdisciplinary general education curriculum, especially the international experience, coupled with a strong accounting curriculum gives students an edge when they are looking for employment. Many firms tell us that there is ‘something different’ about Goshen College students, that they are ‘mature, confident and competent.’”