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| Becker Professional Education | |
|---|---|
| Name | Becker Professional Education |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Professional certification preparation |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Products | Test preparation courses, review materials, continuing professional education |
| Parent | Huron Consulting Group (formerly Adtalem Global Education; later acquisitions) |
Becker Professional Education is a provider of professional certification review courses and continuing professional development materials, primarily known for its offerings for the Certified Public Accountant qualification. The organization operates in North America and internationally, delivering instructor-led classes, digital courseware, and practice assessments tailored for licensure and credentialing exams. Becker’s services intersect with professional associations, regulatory bodies, and higher education institutions.
Becker traces origins to the mid-20th century, developing preparatory courses for accounting licensure amid postwar expansions in professional credentialing and higher education. Its growth paralleled transformations in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants environment and shifts in state board examination formats. Through acquisitions and corporate restructuring, Becker became associated with larger education and consulting conglomerates including companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange and entities engaged in global professional services. Strategic decisions during the late 20th and early 21st centuries reflected trends in distance learning similar to those affecting firms such as Kaplan, Inc., The Princeton Review, and McGraw-Hill Education.
Becker’s flagship offering is a comprehensive review course aimed at candidates for the Certified Public Accountant examination administered by state boards such as the California Board of Accountancy and the New York State Board of Public Accountancy. Course components typically include live lectures, on-demand video, adaptive practice questions, and simulated exams modeled on formats used by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and testing vendors similar to Prometric and Pearson VUE. Beyond CPA review, Becker provides materials supporting candidates for credentials and certifications associated with organizations like the Institute of Management Accountants, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and certification tracks in finance comparable to offerings tied to the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute. Corporate training and continuing professional education offerings align with standards promoted by bodies such as the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and professional societies in accounting and finance.
Instructional design at Becker emphasizes outcome-based learning, mastery assessment, and spaced repetition strategies paralleling research endorsed by universities like Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The platform integrates learning management capabilities similar to those in systems used by Blackboard Inc. and Moodle, and leverages analytics approaches analogous to tools from Tableau Software and SAS Institute to track candidate progress. Multimedia production values reflect practices common in online education providers such as Coursera, edX, and Udacity. Adaptations for mobile delivery mirror trends set by technology firms including Apple Inc. and Google LLC.
In the professional test-preparation market, Becker competes with established firms such as Gleim Publications, Surgent CPA Review, Roger CPA Review, and divisions of conglomerates like Kaplan, Inc.. Market dynamics are influenced by regulatory changes in licensure frameworks overseen by entities such as the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and by changes in higher education credentialing exemplified by initiatives from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Competitive advantages often cited include brand recognition among applicants from institutions like the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Michigan. Partnerships and pricing strategies reflect parallels with corporate approaches used by firms like Wiley and McGraw-Hill Education.
Becker aligns course content with requirements set by exam administrators and professional bodies such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and state boards including the Florida Board of Accountancy. Institutional partnerships include collaborations with universities and colleges—including programs at institutions like DePaul University, Northeastern University, and Ohio State University—for joint delivery, credit recognition, or bundled offerings. Corporate alliances and licensing arrangements have linked Becker to major consulting and education companies whose operations intersect with standards and continuing education frameworks promoted by organizations such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Federation of Accountants.
Over its history Becker has been part of larger corporate groups and has undergone ownership changes reflecting consolidation in the education sector. Parent and investor relationships connected Becker to publicly traded companies and private equity entities active on markets such as the NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange. Executive leadership and governance structures have included professionals with experience at firms like Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PwC, and KPMG, reflecting the firm’s market orientation toward accounting and professional services. Strategic transactions placed Becker within portfolios alongside businesses focused on workforce development and professional credentialing.
Alumni and users of Becker’s programs include candidates who went on to hold positions at major employers such as Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and public sector roles at agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and United States Department of the Treasury. Graduates from partner institutions including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and New York University have cited Becker in alumni career narratives. Outcome metrics have been compared to pass-rate statistics maintained by state boards and professional associations like the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and research on licensure outcomes published by organizations such as the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.
Category:Test preparation Category:Professional certification