USF’s School of Accounting is now ranked among other top schools, including Stanford and Cornell universities.

According to the Public Accounting Report (PAR) Annual Survey of Accounting Professors, USF’s doctoral program ranks as No. 25 in the country.

“The PAR does this survey every year, and it gives a perception of different accounting schools around the country,” said Stephanie Bryant, associate professor of accounting. “This report is very influential. It is a widely read and cited report.”

According to the PAR, 1,557 accounting professors from around the nation voted to rank different schools.

The survey was not intended to be scientific, the report stated. Instead, for undergraduate and graduate programs, it sought to measure accounting professors’ perceptions of graduate and undergraduate accounting programs and looked at which programs consistently graduate students “capable of someday reaching partner status.”

The method for ranking Ph.D. programs is different. The survey measured which schools turn out the best professors — a measurement that directly translates to program ranking. This means the USF program is held in high regard for creating professors.

“This is really huge for our image and shows that we have a great reputation among top schools,” Bryant said. “Our national reputation is based on providing professors for Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and passing on our expertise in this area.”

AIS is the blending of accounting and technology, she said. It is used to determine if the systems used by certified public accountants are working properly.

Junior biology major Shelby McNemar said she is excited about USF’s ranking.

“Even though I’m a biology major, it’s great to see that USF does well in many different academic areas,” she said. “What’s good for one part of USF is good for all of us Bulls.”

The only other Florida university with a top-ranked doctoral program was Florida State University, at No. 23.

The PAR includes two more lists that rank the top 25 undergraduate and graduate programs. While state universities UF and FSU were ranked on those lists, USF was not.