Stetson University’s Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) program is earning recognition again in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Online Graduate Business Programs (excluding MBA) where it tied for 42 in the nation. Stetson tied for 93 in Online MBA and Graduate Business Programs specifically for the joint Master of Pharmacy/Master of Business Administration program (Pharma/M.B.A.).

Listed consistently as one of the South’s leading universities since the U.S. News survey of colleges and universities was first published in 1985, Stetson’s online graduate business programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), known as the ‘gold standard’ of business school accreditation. (The Lynn Business Center at Stetson University is pictured above.)

Because this year’s rankings were divided between programs offering M.B.A.s and those that exclude M.B.A.s, the rankings and data for 2015 are not analytically comparable to those from years past. Only 118 schools are ranked this year, compared with 225 the previous year.

Stetson’s online Accounting graduate program is one of 180 nationally recognized AACSB accounting accredited institutions worldwide.

“Our online Master of Accountancy program is now in its sixth year,” said Michael Bitter, Ph.D., Rinker Distinguished Professor of Accounting and chair of Stetson’s M.E. Rinker, Sr. Institute of Tax and Accountancy. “We are very proud of the quality of our program – our faculty, our students and our curriculum – and are pleased that we were one of the very first universities to offer top quality online graduate education in accounting to working professionals. Our program has helped students meet CPA examination requirements, enhance their knowledge and skills, attain promotions and compensation increases, advance in their field, and, in some cases, transition into accounting education.”

In Stetson’s joint Master of Pharmacy/Master of Business Administration (Pharma/M.B.A.) program, founded in 2010-2011, students earn both a Master of Business Administration degree from Stetson University and a Master of Pharmacy from the University of Florida. More information on Stetson’s Pharma/M.B.A. program can be found in the University Catalog.

U.S. News rankings are based on several key measures of quality including the following five general categories: Student Engagement; Admissions Selectivity; Peer Reputation; Faculty Credentials and Training; and Student Services and Technology.

“The Stetson distinction resides in the mindset of developing our students within an innovative, integrated, and intimate environment which changes lives in addition to career preparation,” School of Business Administration Dean Tom Schwarz said. “Our students are challenged and dared to lead significant lives that have an impact upon our communities. Our students are ready to lead, ready to work.”

Other graduate programs offered at Stetson University include programs in the Department of Education and the Department of Counselor Education, both part of Stetson’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Stetson College of Law offers graduate programs in Law, Advocacy, Elder Law, International Law, and a joint graduate program in Law and Business Administration.

Besides the online M.Acc. program and the Pharma/M.B.A. joint program, Stetson’s School of Business Administration also offers the M.Acc. program at the DeLand campus, and graduate programs in Business Administration, Executive Business Administration, and Law and Business Administration.

Stetson also ranked #27 by Accounting Degree Review, which recently published its first annual affordability rankings of online master’s degrees in accounting. The rankings comprise the top 30 most affordable online programs, based on tuition and fees of the whole program for an out-of-state student enrolling in the 2014-2015 academic year. Learn more about the rankings and view it here in its entirety.

Stetson’s School of Business Administration and the accounting program are both fully accredited at the undergraduate and graduate levels by the AACSB. Stetson University is one of a handful of elite business schools that has both business and accounting programs accredited by AACSB International.

Visit Stetson’s graduate programs website for more information.