Top Midwest Accounting Program at Drury University

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Established in 1873, Drury University is a private university located in Springfield, Missouri. With an annual enrollment of around 1,600 full-time students, the school is small, helping to create an excellent environment for learning and job placement. It’s clearly working, too, with US News & World Report ranking Drury in the top 10 for schools in the Midwest and at #1 for overall value. When our team at The Accounting Path had a chance to visit Drury in person, we found a school with a beautiful campus, keen professors, and engaged students.

Offered through Drury’s Breech School of Business, the accounting program is known for academic results, great job opportunities, and strong placement rates. The strength of Drury’s academics comes from its small class sizes and real-world approach. With small accounting classes, students get lots of opportunities to ask questions and build relationships with both their classmates and professors. Through its real-world projects, Drury’s accounting students have the chance to run a free tax service for low income and senior citizen taxpayers, help local nonprofits with accounting procedures and annual reports, and complete internal control reviews for real organizations. The outcome of these small classes and practical teaching styles is an exceptionally high CPA-exam pass rate, clearly showing that Drury offers a superior accounting program.

CPA Exam Pass Rates at Drury (2012 – 2014)

2012

2013

2014

National average

Drury

National average

Drury

National average

Drury

FAR

47%

63%

48%

100%

46%

89%

BEC

53%

75%

56%

100%

55%

100%

REG

48%

50%

48%

100%

48%

83%

AUD

47%

63%

45%

100%

49%

33%

Beyond its academics, Drury has also created a strong culture within its alumni, who help place students in their future roles. Whether it’s working for a Big 4 such as Deloitte or PwC, moving into a more specialized role at a smaller accounting firm, or going into private industry, Drury uses its intimate knowledge of each of its students to place them in the right careers. Due to this strong network, you’ll find Drury accounting students everywhere: at BKD in Kansas City (where much of the Transactions group is Drury alumni), in Fortune 500 industry rotations (such as at ONEOK in Tulsa), or working with multigenerational firms like Elliott, Robinson & Company right in Springfield. No matter where you want to go, the hard-working faculty at Drury are committed to helping you get there.

Demand for Drury accounting grads is so strong that Drury’s Career Planning and Placement office reports a placement rate of 95-96%, however, the accounting school notes that these rates are calculated at graduation. For the few students that haven’t already accepted an offer at graduation, the faculty remains involved and supportive until they can find a suitable accounting position.

So academics, opportunities, and job placement are all strong in Drury’s favor. What about living in Springfield? Well, the news is good. Springfield is affordable for students while still offering great restaurants, cafes, and access to the outdoors. Whether you want to spend time at The Coffee Ethic (Missouri’s #1 coffee shop), escape to Table Rock Lake, or head up to super-trendy Kansas City (#3 in America’s Best Cities for Foodies), Springfield is in the heart of it all.

With all of this and more, anyone thinking about an accounting degree should consider Drury. For more information on Drury, visit their website.

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