The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin topped the nation for best professors in the latest edition of The Princeton Review’s annual guide to business schools. The faculty members in the Department of Accounting are well respected for their accomplishments. They incorporate their experiences and cutting-edge research into the innovative curriculum they design. Here are just a few examples.

Urton Anderson, former chair of the Accounting Department and the Clark W. Thompson, Jr. Professor of Accounting Education, has been appointed Academic Accounting Fellow for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Anderson will serve as the primary advisor to the SEC on accounting and auditing. The Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA) looks to the Academic Fellow as a research resource for the SEC staff. more…

Lillian Mills, chair of the Accounting Department and Wilton E. and Catherine A. Thomas Professor in Accounting, served as President-Elect of the American Taxation Association (ATA), a section of the American Accounting Association. Professor Mills held a position with the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council, worked with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis, and is a former trustee of the National Tax Association. more…

Michael Granof, the Ernst & Young Distinguished Centennial Professor of Accounting, has been appointed to the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) for a five-year term that runs until June 30, 2014. The appointment was made by the Secretary of the Treasury, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Comptroller General of the United States. more…

He also was appointed to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) by the Financial Accounting Foundation Board of Trustees. His term extends until June 30, 2015. more…

Michael Clement, associate professor of accounting, was one of five winners of the Ernst & Young Inclusive Excellence Award for Accounting and Business School Faculty. The award was announced August 2 at the Ernst & Young faculty reception during the American Accounting Association‘s annual meeting in New York City. The panel of judges from Ernst & Young and academia selected Clement from more than 250 nominations received for 63 faculty members and honored him for his commitment to diversity and inclusiveness at UT Austin. more…

Lisa Koonce, who holds the Deloitte & Touche Endowed Chair in Accounting, gained university-wide attention in 2007 when she was named to The University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Last summer, news of her classroom prowess gained Texas-sized proportions when she was named one of 73 professors from among all U.T. System academic institutions to receive the inaugural Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. more…

William Kinney, the Charles & Elizabeth Prothro Regents Chair in Business and Price Waterhouse Fellow in Auditing, lent his expertise to a U.S. Treasury Department committee on the auditing profession in Washington D.C. Professor Kinney has been a member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Advisory Council, editor of The Accounting Review and editorial board member of Accounting Horizons. more…

Eric Hirst, John Arch White Professor of Business and associate dean for graduate programs, was chosen to receive the 2011 American Accounting Association Distinguished Contributions to Accounting Literature Award for his publication, “Comprehensive Income Reporting and Analysts’ Valuation Judgments.” Instituted in 2010, the award recognizes contributions to accounting literature published within the last 5-15 years. Criteria include uniqueness and magnitude of the contribution to accounting education, originality and innovativeness of research content, clarity and organization of the exposition and finally, soundness and appropriateness of methodology. more…

As a prospective student, you most likely have questions about our MPA courses, such as:

• How challenging are the courses?
• Is IFRS covered?
• How are the courses structured (team projects, case studies, etc.)?
• Do professors grade on a curve?

A great way to get the “inside scoop” is through the student blog in which our current students share their experiences as they progress through the MPA program. Students describe the nature of MPA courses and provide words of advice in the following blog posts:

• Tips for success and Teamwork
• A Rise in the Fall (balancing coursework and employment recruiting)
• Tax Research and Intermediate Accounting
• School: The To-Do List that Never Ends

I would encourage all prospective students to read the blog regularly and send comments and questions to the bloggers. They would love to hear from you!