Best Accountant programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment
Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others.
30 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,125 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,590 in Missouri across about 28,000 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in Missouri that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Missouri page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accountingmain feeder CIP 52.0301In Missouri → | 1,053 | 93.6% | 30 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 2 | Taxationmain feeder CIP 52.1601In Missouri → | 46 | 4.1% | 2 | — | — |
| 3 | Accounting and Computer Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.1601In Missouri → | 12 | 1.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 4 | Accounting and Financemain feeder CIP 52.0304In Missouri → | 11 | 1.0% | 3 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 5 | Accounting and Business/Managementmain feeder CIP 52.0305In Missouri → | 2 | 0.2% | 1 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 6 | CIP 43.0405In Missouri → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
Top 25 schools in Missouri
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 17 of the 30 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO Public · 3 feeder programs | 194 | Accounting | $65,057 | 75% | — | 78% |
| 2 | Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO Public · 4 feeder programs | 172 | Accounting | $49,634 | 58% | — | 91% |
| 3 | University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 97 | Accounting | $55,615 | 57% | — | 63% |
| 4 | Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 77 | Accounting | $61,237 | 66% | $24,921 | 95% |
| 5 | University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 77 | Accounting | $54,357 | 55% | — | 72% |
| 6 | Columbia College Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Accounting | $46,905 | 42% | $23,247 | — |
| 7 | Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Accounting | $46,842 | 49% | $17,436 | 57% |
| 8 | Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Accounting | $63,153 | 80% | $24,886 | 75% |
| 9 | Truman State University Kirksville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Accounting | $59,919 | 69% | — | 84% |
| 10 | Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Accounting | — | 54% | — | 86% |
| 11 | Park University Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 37 | Accounting | $50,801 | 38% | $16,013 | — |
| 12 | Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Accounting | $53,737 | 58% | — | 74% |
| 13 | University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Accounting | $56,565 | 54% | — | 64% |
| 14 | Central Methodist University - College of Graduate and Extended Studies Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Accounting | $45,023 | 0% | $14,535 | 88% |
| 15 | Culver - Stockton College Canton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Accounting | $49,004 | 39% | $21,269 | 99% |
| 16 | College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Accounting | — | 64% | $8,360 | 12% |
| 17 | Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Accounting | $47,202 | 39% | — | — |
| 18 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Accounting | — | 94% | $14,126 | 12% |
| 19 | Drury University Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Accounting | — | 62% | $20,482 | 58% |
| 20 | Missouri Baptist University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Accounting | $45,681 | 48% | $25,407 | 69% |
| 21 | Westminster College Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Accounting | — | 55% | $25,185 | 79% |
| 22 | Lincoln University Jefferson City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Accounting | — | 21% | — | — |
| 23 | Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Accounting | $45,023 | 51% | $25,582 | 57% |
| 24 | William Jewell College Liberty, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Accounting | — | 68% | $14,072 | 38% |
| 25 | William Woods University Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Accounting | — | 47% | $22,203 | 71% |
All 30 schools in Missouri
Every school in Missouri with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia | Public | 194 | 3 |
| Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield | Public | 172 | 4 |
| University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis | Public | 97 | 2 |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis | Private not-for-profit | 77 | 1 |
| University of Missouri - Kansas City | Kansas City | Public | 77 | 1 |
| Columbia College | Columbia | Private not-for-profit | 63 | 1 |
| Lindenwood University | Saint Charles | Private not-for-profit | 55 | 1 |
| Saint Louis University | Saint Louis | Private not-for-profit | 55 | 1 |
| Truman State University | Kirksville | Public | 55 | 1 |
| Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville | Public | 37 | 1 |
| Park University | Parkville | Private not-for-profit | 37 | 2 |
| Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau | Public | 37 | 1 |
| University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg | Public | 34 | 1 |
| Central Methodist University - College of Graduate and Extended Studies | Fayette | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Culver - Stockton College | Canton | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
What accountants and auditors earn in Missouri
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $83,680. Missouri pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Missouri
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Accountants and Auditors page.
How to become a Accountant
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Missouri
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Accountants and Auditors7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.1601Accounting and Computer Science
- 43.0405Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation
- 52.0301Accounting
- 52.0303Auditing
- 52.0304Accounting and Finance
- 52.0305Accounting and Business/Management
- 52.1601Taxation
Common questions
Answers for people weighing accountants and auditors programs in Missouri.
What degree do you need to become an Accountant?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Accounting, which awarded 1,053 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 93.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Accountant?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Accounting and Related Services, Taxation, Accounting and Computer Science, Security Science and Technology. Together they graduate about 1,125 people a year in Missouri.
How much do accountants and auditors earn in Missouri?+
The median is $76,590 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.5% below the U.S. median of $83,680. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for accountants and auditors growing?+
BLS projects a +4.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 124,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Missouri?+
30 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do accountants and auditors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Auditor, Accountant, Financial Auditor, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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