Please comment on the strengths of Accounting Major in UA

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>My son is interested in majoring in Accounting with minor or double major in Finance. His current career goal (who knows? he may change it :-:0) is to get CPA license and PhD. in Accounting so he can become a professor at somewhere. We have several questions about the Accounting/Finance majors at U of Alabama…</p>

<p>1) How is the overall strength of the Accounting/Finance program?
2) Are there any out of state internship for students in these majors?
3) Are there any study aboard programs?
4) What % of students continue to study for Masters and PhD after graduation?
5) Are courses taught by professors or TAs?
6) How many students are there in majoring in Accounting or Finance?
7) What % of freshmen return in their sophomore year?
8) What is the average class size? </p>

<p>If you could direct me to the right place for the information, that would be great.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>I don’t know a whole lot about the Culverhouse School of Accountancy, but I know it is very good…ranked 15th in the nation for public universities. [Culverhouse</a> School of Accountancy](<a href=“http://www.cba.ua.edu/accounting/]Culverhouse”>http://www.cba.ua.edu/accounting/). </p>

<p>I also know that Ernst & Young ($600k), and PriceWaterhouseCoopers ($ 1M) made huge donations recently to the School of Accountancy. </p>

<p>I know that UA doesn’t use T/As for teaching (lectures/instruction), but it does use T/As for labs and for doing some grading. My son was a T/A there for 2 profs. He just helped in the lab, took roll, proctored exams, graded tests, and helped students with questions while in the lab.</p>

<p>The Accountancy dept offers its own scholarships (which would be in addition to any awarded by the university).</p>

<p>From the Culverhouse School of Accountacy…</p>

<p>Why Choose Alabama?
The Culverhouse School of Accountancy is one of the oldest and most respected accounting programs in the United States. A degree from Alabama means access to:</p>

<p>Some of the nation’s top faculty
A huge network of alumni
Top firms, companies, and organizations
Great academic and career advising
The best preparation for a professional career<br>
Rankings
U.S. News and World Report ranks the Culverhouse School of Accountancy 15th in the nation among public institutions, while Public Accounting Report ranks the School’s undergraduate program No. 15 and its graduate programs No. 19.</p>

<p>These rankings reflect the career success and continuing support of alumni and friends of The School as well as the hard work of the faculty, staff, and students. During the recent capital campaign, 39 firms and 1,176 individuals with ties to accounting contributed or pledged. The number and size of the gifts demonstrate the commitment of alumni and friends to improving the quality and availability of accounting education. These gifts will facilitate curricular improvements, support scholarships for students, and help recruit and retain nationally ranked accounting faculty.</p>

<p>RE: Study Abroad programs…Oh yes…UA has all the Study Abroad programs. My own son will be studying at Oxford next summer.</p>

3

<p>If you’ve never been on the UA campus, you should visit. It’s amazing.</p>

<p>If you can’t visit soon, try the Virtual Tour… [Virtual</a> Campus Tour - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)</p>

<p>I recommend viewing in Full Screen…using your mouse to move around. Also click on the lower icons to view different parts of the campus.</p>

<p>If you’re interested in a campus visit, please see my thread about UA Campus Tour Tips…
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/789809-ua-campus-tour-tips-3-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/789809-ua-campus-tour-tips-3-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>mom2collegekids - I have been intrigued by many of your posts regarding UA. My wife and D are visiting on the 23d for University Days. UA is definitely in her top 5, and she wants to major in Business/MIS. Application process recently completed, so we are waiting to hear back. Recently did visit at BSC, and I don’t want her to be overwhelmed by the initial shock at size of the UA campus. I think it is worth 2 or 3 visits, so as to not try and do a whirlwind tour and miss the details. I believe this visit is on the Fri before a home game, so it will be good for her to see campus during that period.</p>

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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>Make sure your DD understands that the school is set up in a rather organized fashion. Many 100-200 level “core curriculum” (gen ed) classes are clustered around the quad and north of Gorgas library. So, freshmen and sophomores spend a lot of their time in a centralized area of campus.</p>

<p>Then, once a student is in upper division classes, a student often stays in one area of the campus where his “college” has its buildings. </p>

<p>Most kids have can get from one class to another on time. When my kid had a class in some further bldg, he just scheduled an open hour before the class and used that time to eat and get to that building. And a student who designs his schedule by looking at building locations isn’t criss-crossing campus all day long (a student usually only makes that mistake ONCE.) Scheduling Tip - no 8 am classes for freshmen unless they are natural early-risers… :slight_smile: My DS1 is a junior, and he hasn’t had an 8 am class yet! LOL </p>

<p>You’ll have fun going on University Day on a game weekend. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Are you in-state? If so, it will be easier for you to visit UA on more than one occasion. </p>

<p>If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the reply. We are in-state, and plan on visiting right after the new year, then probably again in spring at decision time. I have read some of your other posts about the Honors Colleges, which she really wants to get into, but she maxed out her ACT at 26 (ss27). She is taking SAT this Sat. so fingers crossed. Not sure of flexibility of HC with scores below published minimums.</p>

<p>I know campus is very large, so thanks for info on 1st 2 yrs vs 2nd.</p>

<p>More questions to follow I am sure. Thanks.</p>

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<p>Did I misunderstand? I thought you were visiting Oct 23…are you now not visiting until after the new year?</p>

<p>HC is firm about 28 minimum. But…</p>

<p>If she doesn’t get into honors (with ACT 28), she has the following options…</p>

<p>1) UA will let her join honors if she has a 3.3 GPA in college [Honors</a> College - Apply](<a href=“http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/index.php?page=apply]Honors”>http://honors.cbhp.ua.edu/index.php?page=apply)</p>

<p>“Current UA students with a 3.3 GPA or transfer students with a 3.3 GPA will be accepted into the UHP upon submission of their applications. Students will be notified of their acceptance via email.” </p>

<p>You may want to ask, but I think you can apply to honors after just one semester of good grades. This may have changed, so ask if you are interested.</p>

<p>BTW…has she taken the SAT? Some kids do better with the SAT, and Honors only looks at Math and CR (1250 SAT minimum M+CR). That might be easier for her to do. I don’t know which is the last SAT that UA will accept for honors admissions. I know that the last SAT for scholarships is Nov, but honors probably would take a later score. Ask the Honors Office.</p>

<p>2) She can apply to the Blount Undergraduate Initiative [Blount</a> Undergraduate Initiative](<a href=“http://www.as.ua.edu/blount/]Blount”>http://www.as.ua.edu/blount/)</p>

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<p>No misunderstanding -We are indeed visiting on the 23rd. We are also planning additional trips (have D spend weekend in dorm, sit in on more classes) as UA is still one of her top choices. She will be taking the SAT this Sat (10 Oct), so she may have better luck with that test format.</p>

<p>Will contact the HC to discuss options when the time comes. </p>

<p>Thanks again for sound advice.</p>

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<p>ArmyDad: If it’s any comfort, my son had no interest in a big school. In fact, the largest school he had visited until he toured UA was the U. of Maryland Baltimore County, which has about 10,000 students. What changed his mind about UA was the honors college. His largest class this semester is a 200-level political science class (60 students). He had one class with eight kids and two more with just 15 each (all honors classes). He said that UA’s size is not overwhelming – a student can adapt, and he went to a small, rural high school. He knows his classes will be larger next semester, but he has made an effort to know his classmates and professors.</p>

<p>When you go to University Days and tour, make sure you visit the libraries, Nott Hall (the home of the honors college), the buildings/departments that interest your child, and see if you can see a dorm. The living conditions were the best my son had seen, and he toured lots of schools. That helped him to decide to go to UA.</p>

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<p>momreads - thanks. Will make sure to hit the libraries. D is really wanting to get into Honors College, so if no home run on this weekends SAT, then will take mom2collegekids advice and try to transfer as able. We will definitely make sure to see some dorms, and we are working to get a weekend stay for her later in the year. Currently has strong interest in Business, so we will try to focus there as well during visit.</p>

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<p>^^^^</p>

<p>My kids have gone to smallish Catholic schools, so they were first in awe over the size of UA (which is really not THAT big - it’s not Penn St!!!). </p>

<p>But, they still fell in love with the campus and what the school had to offer. </p>

<p>There are many good thing about larger colleges, which smaller colleges usually can’t offer…</p>

<p>1) Several profs who teach the same course (this allows a kid to avoid a prof where “personalities” don’t mesh…LOL) In smaller schools, it can be hard (if not impossible) to avoid a prof you don’t like. </p>

<p>2) A greater variety of eating venues! Smaller colleges usually can’t offer that many choices of eating venues. Larger schools will have several dining halls with a large variety of offerings from ethnic to vegetarian. Large schools will also have many “brand name” eating venues on campus (Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Jamba Juice, Panda Express, etc), so it lessens campus food boredom. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>3) Fabulous rec centers. The larger colleges have rec centers that are unbelievable. You would think that you’re going to some pricey gym…marble floors, mosaics, newest equipment, climbing walls, juice/smoothie bars, lounges, indoor and outdoor pools, etc. UA’s outdoor pools have a water-park style lazy river and big water slide. Riverside honors res hall has a 'beach entry" style pool.</p>

<p>4) And last but certainly not least (should be #1 reason), larger colleges offer nearly every major, many minors, and virtually every foreign language (want to take Swahili, Turkish, Farsi, or some other exotic language? A major university will likely offer it). That means if a kid changes his major, he doesn’t have to change schools.</p>

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<p>Definitely visit the libraries…Gorgas is the 'main" library…but the newer Angelo Bruno library is the business library, and it is very nice, too. Pic of Bruno library… <a href=“http://www.law.ua.edu/prospective/tour/bruno_bash.jpg[/url]”>http://www.law.ua.edu/prospective/tour/bruno_bash.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>BTW…Angelo Bruno donated $4 million for the library; his family owned Bruno’s grocery stores. Angelo and his brother were killed in a plane crash shortly after making the donation. The library is a memorial to him and others killed in the crash. The Bruno family continues to be very generous to schools in Alabama. </p>

<p>Here is more info about the Angelo Bruno Business Library <a href=“http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://tour.ua.edu/images/bruno_bash.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tour.ua.edu/tourstops/bruno_bash.html&h=228&w=300&sz=28&tbnid=A-ZhF0BtlTi2pM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dangelo%2Bbruno%2Bbusiness%2Blibrary%2Bimages&usg=__vbck9KPJ2eYCfSIDiFyl4RBsLRI=&ei=_cXPSrHHKsnU8Qay9oj7Aw&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=2&ct=image&ved=0CBAQ9QEwAQ[/url]”>http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://tour.ua.edu/images/bruno_bash.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tour.ua.edu/tourstops/bruno_bash.html&h=228&w=300&sz=28&tbnid=A-ZhF0BtlTi2pM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dangelo%2Bbruno%2Bbusiness%2Blibrary%2Bimages&usg=__vbck9KPJ2eYCfSIDiFyl4RBsLRI=&ei=_cXPSrHHKsnU8Qay9oj7Aw&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=2&ct=image&ved=0CBAQ9QEwAQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I think UA has 5 libraries plus an annex building. The annex stores the infrequently needed books to free up space in the main libraries.</p>