Admissions to any undergraduate accounting program starts with admission to the college or university offering the degree. Once admitted to the university, some of the more competitive programs, like the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, admit you based on where you ranked in your high school class. Three-quarters of the open spots at McCombs are filled this way. Those not admitted in this fashion are admitted according to specific criteria: high standardized test scores, admissions essays, leadership characteristics and extracurricular activities. Other programs, like the one at BYU, do not admit students until their junior year in college. You complete a number of core business courses before admission is considered.
Admission to an accounting program at the master's level differs substantially from admission to most bachelor's programs. Rather than applying to the university, you apply directly to the business program. In most cases, you must meet several criteria. While a bachelor's degree in accounting can be helpful, it is not mandatory for admission to a master's program. Students come from a variety of backgrounds, and the admissions process can be competitive. Aside from having a bachelor's degree in any field, you must take the Graduate Management Admission Test. Scores range from 200 to 800; 720 or higher places students in the 96th to 99th percentile. In addition to test scores, you generally must have two years of full-time work experience and communicate to the admissions committee why you should be admitted to the program. You usually submit an essay first and are invited for an interview if you meet the criteria.
Admissions requirements for an accounting Ph.D. program are similar to those at the master's level. The primary difference is that students applying to the program pursue a specific field of research in accounting. For instance, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania emphasizes fields such as the impact of accounting on capital markets, how accounting affects business firms and how it affects leaders within firms. You should be able to justify your admission based on your intention to research in one of these fields. Some students are admitted to the Ph.D. program as part of their MBA education. Many of the top schools allow you to pursue the master's degree and the doctorate concurrently. Admissions to the Ph.D. program can be contingent upon successful completion of master's requirements. These vary by school.