Minnesota provides a variety of different educational options for students who wish to enter the field of accountancy. Many of these are in line with requirements for licensure from the Minnesota Board of Accountancy. Students in large cities like Minneapolis, Duluth, St. Paul and Rochester can choose to study at several different universities and colleges, while students in more rural and remote corners of the state have a variety of online learning options available.
The information on this page can be used to help accounting students make more informed decisions about which accounting programs in Minnesota best fits their needs.
Quick facts about accounting schools in Minnesota
From the rural Fargo-Morehead area in the north to the Twin Cities region and south to Rochester, Minnesota has a wide variety of educational options for students who wish to pursue accounting careers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Institute of Education Sciences, there are 74 schools of accountancy in Minneapolis. Of those institutions:
- 32 offer certificates or diplomas
- 47 offer associate's and bachelor's degrees
- 7 offer graduate-level study paths
- 23 offer distance learning study
Top 5 metropolitan employment regions for accountants in Minnesota
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were 22,460 accountants and auditors working in Minnesota as of May 2013. The state's hourly median wage for accountants of $29.58 is slightly lower than the national median hourly wage of $31.29.
The top five metropolitan employment areas for accountants working in Minnesota in May of 2013, based on BLS numbers, were:
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: More than 78 percent of all accountants, or 17,600, are employed in the Twin Cities area. Annual median wages were $63,250
- Fargo, N.D.-Minnesota: More than 1,300 accountants work in the Fargo-Moorhead region at annual median wages of $52,500
- Duluth: Minnesota's fifth-largest city on the shores of Lake Superior was home to 710 accountants and auditors working at median yearly salaries of $58,680
- St. Cloud: St. Cloud is the largest employer of accountants in central Minnesota and was home to 640 accountants employed at median annual salaries of $60,070
- Rochester: Minnesota's third-largest city on the south fork of the Zumbro River employed 530 accountants at median yearly salaries of $56.050
Accounting programs in Minnesota
There are a total of 74 accounting schools in Minnesota offering degrees in accountancy according to NCES' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). According to IPEDS data, 70 institutions awarded accounting degrees to Minnesota students in the 2012-2013 academic year.
The top five accounting programs in Minnesota, ranked by IPEDS for number of degrees awarded, are as follows:
| School | Degrees Awarded (2012-2013) | 2012 Graduation Rate | About |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 242 | 53% | The accounting department at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Carlson School of Management offers several degree paths for students, including a Bachelor of Science in Business, Master of Accountancy and Master of Business Taxation and a doctoral degree program in business administration with concentration in accounting. The Carlson school of business was ranked 15th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for best undergraduate business program, and was the top-ranked school in the state in 2010 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. The five-campus University of Minnesota school system has an enrollment of 69,221, with more than 52,000 at the Twin Cities campus. |
| Metropolitan State University | 178 | 54% | The undergraduate accounting program at Metro State University is a popular choice for students in the greater this St. Paul-Minneapolis area, as well as for distance learners -- Metropolitan State University says it offers more online classes than all other state universities in Minneapolis combined. Students must submit a College of Management program declaration form to the school in order to be accepted into the accountancy program. |
| University of St. Thomas | 122 | 53% | University of St. Thomas is Minnesota's only private business college accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The 11-month Master of Science in Accountancy degree at UST's Opus College of Business is for student who have completed undergraduate studies in accounting. Early registration for the program is encouraged. University of St. Thomas had an enrollment of 10,229 students (3,995 at the graduate level) in fall of 2014. |
| Rasmussen College-Minnesota | 109 | 52% | Rasmussen's school of business offers many educational paths for Minnesota students, from nine-month certificate programs to bachelor's degrees in accounting. Rasmussen also has a variety of study options, including on-campus, online and blended coursework. Rasmussen has campus locations in Blaine, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove, Eagan, Lake Elmo/Woodbury, Mankato, Moorhead and St. Cloud. |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth | 99 | 52% | The Bachelor of Accountancy program at University of Minnesota-Duluth's Labovitz School of Business and Economics provides students with core competencies in accounting and business. Coursework combines study in financial and management accounting and accounting information systems with business law, taxation and auditing, business management and information systems. UMD had a total enrollment of 11,241 (9,239 at the undergraduate level) in 2013. |
The field of accountancy in Minnesota is expected to grow by 1,860 new jobs, or 7.2 percent, from 2012 through 2022, reports job-forecast website Projections Central. In contrast, National, job growth for accountants is expected to be 13 percent, or more than 166,000 new positions, the BLS reports.
Sources:
"Academic Program, Carlson School of Management," University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, December 2, 2014, http://carlsonschool.umn.edu/departments/accounting-department/academic-programs
"Accounting," Metropolitan State University, December 2, 2014, www.metrostate.edu/msweb/explore/col/index.html
"MS Degree in Accountancy," University of St. Thomas, December 2, 2014, http://www.stthomas.edu/business/msaccountancy/
"Start or Advance Your Accounting Career," Rasmussen College, December 2, 2014, www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/business/accounting/
"B.ACC. Degree Program," University of Minnesota-Duluth Labovitz School of Business and Economics, December 2, 2014, https://lsbe.d.umn.edu/bac.php
"Occupational Employment Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Query System," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2013, http://data.bls.gov/oes/datatype.do
"Georgia - May 2013 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, December 2, 2014, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ga.htm#13-0000
"NCES College Navigator," National Center for Educational Statistics, December 2, 2014, http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator