Hi, i want to ask your opinion about the best business liberal art colleges in America. I made research and realized that quit few LACs teach business?
And if you have any idea about best LACs in Accounting and Product Management, please recommend! Thank you
You may want to start with the [AACSB accreditation list](Search Accredited Schools | AACSB) for business and accounting and then decide which schools you like, if you desire to study an actual business major. Babson is probably the best known small school emphasizing business.
However, some schools without actual business majors do have “business-flavored” electives (e.g. managerial economics, corporate finance, industrial organization, etc.) in economics and other social studies departments. Claremont McKenna College may be an example, based on its economics department’s course offerings (see http://catalog.claremontmckenna.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=6&ent_oid=310 and http://catalog.claremontmckenna.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=6&ent_oid=311 ).
I can’t compare and contrast with other programs, but in my area Bellarmine and Transylvania stand out. I am a partner in a regional accounting firm, and we hire a lot of Bellarmine grads in particular (proximity of campus to local office). I have found that their students are usually well-prepared, on par with the top students coming out of the our state flagships.
Very few LACs have business schools. A few that I know of offhand are Muhlenberg, URichmond, and Bucknell (I’m not sure Bucknell has a straight accounting program). Babson is a business undergraduate college which is the size of a typical LAC so you might look into that as well.
Didn’t you post this also on the “College Search and Selection” forum?
Bentley University in Watham, Massachusetts.
For accounting I think it would be hard to beat Wake Forest. Year in and year out they have the highest first time pass rate on the CPA exam of any college and virtually all their graduates get offers from the Big 4 accounting firms.
Wake Forest and Bentley are mid-sized universities and small universities not LACs. Bentley is similar to Babson in that it is a business-oriented school.
The OP asked about “business liberal art colleges” which to me is, although not strictly an oxymoron, somewhat ambiguous. So while Bentley and Wake Forest may not be LACs, I suspect that they may fall within the spectrum of schools that the OP is seeking.
I don’t know much about Bently but I mention Wake Forest because while it is called a University it has many of the attributes of a LAC in that it is undergraduate focused, is small, has small classes taught by professors. If those are the attributes of an LAC the writer is looking for I wouldn’t be scared away because it is called a University. One thing schools like Wake are doing to keep their focus on liberal arts is limiting the number of students allowed in the Business school. You have to apply during your Sophmore year and in order to get admitted you have to have a good academic record.
Wake Forest is a fine school but it is absolutely a mid-sized university and not a LAC. A LAC has many other attributes including a small school size, no graduate students etc. I have one child that went to a mid-sized university and another who is currently at a LAC – they are both great but there is a difference.
OP – Please let us know if you want to widen the search to include mid-sized universities (which like Wake typically have small classes taught by professors) because then the list of schools offering accounting would change/increase dramatically.
On the West Coast, St. Mary’s College of California is a LAC that offers a BS in Accounting. CTCL with 2,900 students. Bay Area location.
OP, do you mean liberal arts colleges that are focused solely or primarily on business-related fields, or do you just mean LACs that have a business major? If you mean the former, Babson and Bentley are really the only ones I can think of. The latter gives you more flexibility.
My son just finished his freshman year at Wake. Wake may technically be a “university” but it functions very much like a LAC. Wake has small class sizes, its primary focus is on undergraduate education, there are close personal relationships between professors and students, and its overall curriculum is designed to promote “broad general knowledge” and to “develop general intellectual capacities.”
edited to add… the accounting program at Wake is amazing.
@juillet : well I mean the latter. Actually U am interested in finance, business (not quite many LACs teach it), finance and accouting. I have not decided which two of these majors im gonnay study so I just try my best to find LACs that cover as many as possible 
@happy1 well actually Im gonna apply for LACs only bc my financial contribution is limited. (I can only contribute 10.000$) i think LACs are a little bit more generous than NU. But if you recommend some mid-size LACs that have generous financial aid for itn’ students I would be very grateful
Do not make assumptions about the financial aid generosity of LACs versus non-LACs. Use the net price calculator on each school’s web site to check what kind of net price after financial aid it is likely to offer you.
However, if you are an international student, financial aid availability at US schools is much lower than for US citizens and permanent residents. (If the net price calculator does not ask for your citizenship or residency status, it may not be accurate if you are an international student.)
Stetson University outside Orlando has a good accounting/finance program and offers good aid packages.
Bigger school but one that might fit that is very good is Miami of Ohio.
I would not assume that LACs are more generous than universities. I have never compiled a list of which schools that have aid for international students as I am a US citizen. If money is the only issue, I suggest you do some research and expand your universe. You should also look into schools in your home country which may be more affordable.
Dickinson College has an Intl Business major and Skidmore is one of the few LACs that have a BS in business. I agree with #17 about LACs not necessarily being the best option for an international student. You should find the schools that fit you best, as there are aid options everywhere depending on your situation. Lehigh is another mid-sized university that comes to mind, it has a separate business school but it’s only about 4-5,000 students.