Earlier this year, Monmouth College’s senior accounting majors took the Master Field Test in Business exam (MFT) prepared by Educational Testing Services (ETS), and the results reflected very highly on the college’s accounting and business program, according to accounting professor Frank Gersich. The senior class average of 159.0 placed them in the top 20 percent of institutions that administer this exam nationwide (the national mean was 152.1).

The exam measures a student’s understanding of the common body of knowledge for business as defined by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business.

"The vast majority of students who take the exam attend public universities with more extensive course requirements in business and related fields," said MC accounting professor Frank Gersich, who added that the MFT exam is administered as part of the accounting department’s annual assessment of student learning.

The overall scores are reported on a scale of 120 to 200 points, and seven of Monmouth’s 12 were at or above the average national score. All 12 students are currently enrolled in Gersich’s senior capstone course, "Contemporary Issues in Accounting," and at least 10 of the 12 will be embarking on accounting careers following graduation this May.

The dozen students are Kat Anderson of Dow, Jennifer Carter of Marseilles, Kelly Compton of Oneida, Kari Eklund of Gilson, Katrina Gosney of Monmouth, Heidi Norton of Monmouth, Jill O’Bryant of Lewistown, Amy Polillo of Knoxville, Ashley Stansell of Knoxville, Melinda Todd of Monmouth, Carly Wolf of Peoria and Ashley Yeast of Sciota.

ETS also reported separate assessment indicators for eight subject fields, Gersich explained. These are designed to provide curricular feedback on data subfields within the business common body of knowledge. Monmouth’s results on these indicators include ranking in the 95th percentile in accounting and in the 90th percentile in both economics and quantitative business analysis.

"Overall, we are quite pleased with several of our subject field results," said Gersich. "The philosophy of the departments is to provide a blend of ‘big picture’ and detailed analysis of individual issues. In the accounting, business and economics courses, our majors are expected to understand the effects of decisions on individuals, entities and the economy as a whole. The feedback from the exam indicates that our accounting graduates will compete effectively with students from other schools."