An empowering partnership
Nearly two decades ago, the University of Missouri (Mizzou) forged a deep, strategic partnership with Becker. Today, that partnership is stronger than ever. For Mizzou, it is an investment that focuses resources on getting students across the finish line of the CPA Exam. That investment has paid off - Mizzou enjoys some of the highest pass and placement rates in the country.1 "You need an integrative experience, you need an integrative tool," said Vairam Arunachalam, director, School of Accountancy. "And the Becker review course provides that opportunity. When I say integrative, what I mean is you bring it all together and say, 'Here's the structure. Here's how you're going to be tested. Here's how you're going to succeed."
The partnership delivers real value to students. Mizzou students experience high pass and placement rates, which are a powerful draw to prospective students and their families.1 "Parents see this as an investment for their family and their child," said Arunachalam. "They have two questions: What are their career prospects? And how is my child going to be successful?" Thanks to their productive partnership with Becker, Mizzou has great answers for both.
"Our curriculum coupled with the Becker program, leads to an exceptionally high number of students who achieve a high level of success."1
Shannon Ferguson
Director, 150-Hour Master of Accountancy Program
Adaptability and innovation
As the director of the 150-Hour Master of Accountancy Program and a graduate of the program, Shannon Ferguson knows the value of adaptability for the ever-evolving CPA Exam. "So much has changed about the CPA Exam, and Becker is always on the cutting edge and pivoting to the needs of students," she said. "Becker isn't resting on the success rates we're seeing; we're realizing how the needs of students are changing continually and innovating to be a real-time resource for them."
Placement success
Mizzou reports that their students achieve about a 95% placement rate.1 As Ferguson put it, "Firms simply want to hire our students." When firms hire Mizzou students, they know they won't have to worry about the CPA Exam being a distraction. For students, it means a jump-start on their peers. "They know they can go to New York, they can go to Chicago, they can go to St. Louis, wherever they want," said Arunachalam. "We tell them, 'You get to write a ticket for yourself,' and that's very true. It's not an exaggeration."
Results
Mizzou achieved the #2 spot in the Accounting Today CPA Success Index, which tracks how likely students are to pass their CPA Exam within 18 months of graduating.2 Kristen Hockman, associate teaching professor and head of the CPA Exam Review course, attributes the success to two things: "The fact that we are so successful speaks to the strength of our program, as well as the strength of the Becker products that we are using."
To learn more about our partnership programs, contact Amy Johnson, Becker's senior national university program manager at ajohnson@becker.com or visit becker.com/university-partnerships.
Download the full case study here.
Results are reported by the University of Missouri.
1 Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business at University of Missouri website. Retrieved December 22, 2021 from https://business.missouri.edu/departments-faculty/school-accountancy
2 Mizzou's score on the CPA Success Index means that 97.6% of their students can expect to pass the exam within 18 months. They ranked in the #2 spot in Accounting Today's report in February 2021. Davis, Charles, Lindquist, Timothy, & Ugrin, Joseph. "Truman State takes top spot among college accounting programs." Accounting Today, 3 Feb. 2021.
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