The University of Montana is celebrating a big win over the rest of the Big Sky Conference, but not necessarily the one sports fans are looking for. Associate Professor of Marketing Justin Angle explains.

"It was a big win," Angle said. "We were recently ranked, according to U.S. News and World Reports, as the top Business School in the Big Sky Conference. We have been tied the past two years for that distinction and I think it is a validation of the trajectory we have been on as far as really trying to create transformative student experience."

Angle likes to count the ways that the UM School of Business excels, but one area appears to be the clearest highlight.

"One of the things that makes us stand out is our exceptional success in accounting," Angle said. "We regularly significantly out perform the national average on our CPA exam pass rate in our Masters of Accountancy Program. The job placement levels in that program are outstanding both within the state and within the big accounting firms around the country and around the world."

Schools in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, California and Utah are among those bested by UM according to U.S. News and World Report. For the past two years the University of Idaho has managed to tie with the University of Montana for first place, but is now trailing.

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