An independent accounting publication ranked Brigham Young University as No. 3 on a list of the nation's 50 best accounting undergraduate programs.

The list also included the University of Utah at 27th in the nation and Utah State University as 46th.

The Public Accounting Report, which calls itself, "the independent newsletter of the accounting profession since 1978," presented the list in a report based on findings from its 31st annual professor survey.

The report has ranked BYU as third in the nation for the past 18 years, according to the Mariott School of Business.

"We're honored with the continued recognition of our top-flight accounting programs," says Gary Cornia, Marriott School dean said after last year's report. "This ranking says a lot about the performance of our students and graduates as well as the faculty's focus on innovation."

The University of Utah ranked 30th on the list last year, and this is USU's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business's first time being on the list, according to a news release.

“We appreciate the recognition we have received from the Public Accounting Report,” said Larry Walther, the head of USU's School of Accountancy, “We take even more satisfaction, however, seeing our students excel once they enter the job market and effectively compete with graduates of top schools from around the country. Our professors and staff keep standards high because we believe in our students and their capacity to compete."

Walther said that there were 800 accounting undergraduate programs considered, which means USU is in the top six percent of programs.

The report also included a list of the top 50 accounting graduate programs. BYU and University of Utah ranked at third and 24th respectively for their graduate programs, but USU did not make the graduate program list.

According to a University of Utah press report, this is the first time the University of Utah's program has made it into the top 25 list for accounting graduate programs.

EMAIL: kardmore@deseretnews.com, Twitter: KatieArdmore