Sacramento State’s College of Business Administration has cracked U.S. News and World Report’s Top 100 Best Online Graduate Business Programs for its Master of Science in Accountancy (MsA) program (csus.edu/cba/graduate/msa).

The program was ranked No. 70 in the nation by the publication, the first time it has made the Top 100 list – ahead of some noted institutions such as Texas A&M and the University of Massachusetts.

Sac State’s MsA program has its roots in 1970, has adapted to student needs over the years to offer degrees in taxation, and eventually has become an online program. It’s open to students around the world, providing them a transferable MsA – one of the main paths to becoming a certified public accountant.

While many similar programs are staffed by adjuncts on contract, Sac State’s MsA program is taught by its own professors, 80 percent of whom are tenure-track faculty.

“This is one of the distinguishing strengths of this program and one that makes it superior to many offered throughout the country,” says Professor Terence Pitre, the University’s new MsA director.

The program welcomes a cohort of 30 to 40 students each semester and currently has about 67 students enrolled, along with about a dozen participating professors.

U.S. News and World Report uses a number of criteria in the rankings, such as student engagement, the faculty’s credentials, and how the program incorporates diverse online learning technologies to allow greater flexibility for the student.

“Obtaining this ranking signifies that Sacramento State truly offers one of the best graduate business education opportunities in the U.S.A.,” Pitre says.

A complete list of the universities is available at usnews.com/education/online-education/mba/business-rankings.

For more information on the College of Business Administration’s programs, visit csus.edu/cba or call (916) 278-6578. – Craig Koscho