Choosing where to receive your college education is tricky in general, especially when factoring in pricing, location, as well as other important considerations. Below, we will be listing a few of the larger institutions, as well as some other important factors to consider when choosing an accounting school in Texas:

The University of Texas

The University of Texas (UT) has a few main campuses whose business, finance or accounting schools offer an accounting program, namely Arlington, Austin, El Paso, San Antonio, Tyler, Permian Basin, Rio Grande Valley and Dallas. They are all accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC), while some are also accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The best of these programs is considered to be the UT at Austin’s McCombs School of Business accountancy program.

UT Austin website: https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/faculty-and-research/departments/accounting/

UT Dallas website: https://accounting.utdallas.edu/

Texas A&M University

The Texas A&M University’s (A&M) accounting programs are offered by their Mays Business School. All of the programs are accredited by both the SACSCC and the AACSB. There is an International branch, a Central Texas branch and a Corpus Christi branch, in addition to the main branch.

Website: https://mays.tamu.edu/department-of-accounting/

Baylor University

Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business offers a few accountancy and business bachelor’s degree and master’s programs that are accredited by both the SACSCC and the AACSB. It is located in Waco, TX and is a private, not-for-profit institution.

Website: https://www.baylor.edu/business/accounting/

University of Dallas

University of Dallas’ Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business bachelors and masters accounting degree programs are accredited by both the AACSB and the SACSCC. It is located in Irving, TX, despite its name and is a private, not-for-profit institution.

Website: https://udallas.edu/cob/academics/accounting-programs.php

University of Houston

The University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business campus is another public university that is located in Texas. Its C.T. Bauer College of Business’s accounting programs are accredited by the SACSCC and the AACSB.

Website: https://www.bauer.uh.edu/departments/accy/

Southern Methodist University

Another Christian, not-for-profit institution, the MSU is located in Dallas, TX and its accounting programs are run through its Cox School of Business. Its degrees are accredited by the SACSCC.

Website: https://www.smu.edu/cox/Learning-Culture/Academic-Departments/Accounting

El Centro College

Located in Dallas, TX, El Centro College is a public institution that is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE.)

Website: https://www.dallascollege.edu/cd/credit/accounting/ecc/pages/default.aspx

Texas Lutheran University

Texas Lutheran University (TLU) offers a few business and accountancy degree options that would satisfy the educational requirements of the state board. The institution is accredited by both the SACSCC and the AACSB. As it sounds, this is a Christian university, as well as a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

Website: https://www.tlu.edu/programs/business-administration/accounting

Texas Tech University

Located in Lubbock, TX, Texas Tech is a public university whose Rawl’s College of Business Administration campus offers a few accounting and business degree options. It is accredited by the AACSB and the SASCC.

Website: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/rawlsbusiness/about/accounting/

University of North Texas

Located in Denton, TX, the University of North Texas’ College of Business offers a few Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting, including the option for a doctorate. It is accredited by the SACSCC and the AACSB.

Website: https://www.unt.edu/academics/undergrad/accounting

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Accounting School in Texas

  • Does the institution offer opportunities for networking for internships and job opportunities?
    • For instance, UT, A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor and others are usually visited by recruiters from the Big Four.
  • Do they have a good tutoring system and approachable professors?
  • Is the course-load manageable?
  • What are the accounting and financial students average pass rates and grades like relative to the rest of the state’s?
  • Are there student organizations for accounting students?

Other Basics to Bear in Mind When Choosing an Accounting School in Texas

When planning on attending an accounting school to earn a degree in Accounting, it is a good idea to verify that their program meets the state board’s CPA educational requirements, including both the course requirements and the institutional requirements in case you choose to pursue a CPA license at a later date. Alternatively, it is advisable to attend on of them because they will be more favored by potential employers when the credentials appear on your resume than if you were to go to a non-regionally accredited institution, as the chances are the potential employer would not have heard of them.

For the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy this means completing 30 semester hours of accounting in the upper division, 21 semester hours of business courses and three semester hours of an ethics course from a regionally accredited college or university.