Hi. I finished my BS (Individualized Studies) at COSC last year. I relied heavily on military credits, and I was able to use management classes with foreign language classes to get my concentration proposal approved. However, I am interested now in accounting and finance. I have not taken any formal classes on these subjects, though I have done a lot of reading and learning on my own. Those subjects have always been a personal interest of mine. After a lot of thought, I decided that I'm not interested in going for an MBA or MS-Acc. right now. I may consider it in the future. Right now I am thinking about working toward a second BS in accounting. However, I am unclear on a couple of things. 1 - I know most states have a 150 semester hour requirement to sit for the CPA exam. Does this mean that 150 hours must be accepted & applied toward the accounting degree? Or does it just mean that I have to have transcripts showing 150 hours to my name (whether they are applied toward the accounting degree or not)? 2 - Would an accounting certificate (in conjunction with my current BS) get me the same type of accounting job as a second bachelor's degree? My goal is to do accounting work within a government system. 3 - Is it difficult to find entry level accounting jobs these days (considering that most states also have experience requirements for the CPA exam)? In that case, is it really necessary to become a CPA at all? I am considering the accounting program at National University http://www.nu.edu/ although any suggestions on DL programs are welcome. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this for me!
The recommendations - not the law - regarding the 150-hour requirement can be found on the AICPA Web site. CPA exams (in most states) will require any Bachelor's degree, including 24 s.h. of accounting classes (beyond the basic 6 s.h. introductory classes) and 24 s.h. of business classes, plus any additional classes to total at least 150 s.h. By the time you take the additional accounting and business classes, you will have more than satisfied the 150-hour requirement. Likely not. Every unique combination of credential and institution has different weight and impact with the persons reviewing resumes. Would you be as qualified? Yes. Will you have the same marketability as a fresh-faced holder of a brand new B.S./Acc? No. In the case of the government job, however, you might have better luck. Here is a vacancy announcement for an governmental accountancy position. If you look at the 'QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED' section after the 'OR,' you will see what boils down to Bachelor's degree including 24 s.h. of accounting. In government jobs, and speaking vicariously from my in-laws' experiences, you start out a bit modestly compared to a private sector worker but you can advance. And the benefits are sweet. You have doubtlessly seen the earlier thread concerning private versus public accounting. They are two different styles of working and yield different levels of compensation. However, in the case of a degree unrelated to accounting with the recommended number of business and accounting classes subsequently taken, you will probably want to get a public (CPA) or private (CMA, CIA) certification once you've put the time in as an entry-level accounting clerk for a few years. After four years or so, the combination of experience plus an industry certification will help overcome any reservations over your non-accounting Bachelor. The industry push is toward a Master's in Accountancy as the entry-level requirement for public certification. You might well plan on getting one if you intend to wholeheartedly engage accountancy as your career.
Find state by state requirements here: http://www.nasba.org/nasbaweb.nsf/da560a9116dea9c38625699f0056c3a9/63a7b14696d08606862569f3005939a1?OpenDocument If you have an undergraduate degree in Accounting, you can get a MBA or any other MS and be equally qualified under 150 hour rules to sit for the exam. Who is an accounting firm to argue if you have a MBA rather than a MAcc if you've alreay passed the exam? If you choose the MBA it might serve you better down the road. At least that's my plan
I wonder if there are many Associate's-degree-only CPA's out there, and how they have fared in the workplace.
CPA requirements It would be interesting to know if anyone here knows an accountant, who took the 15-years-of-work-experience route to becoming a CPA in New York. As Vincey37 pointed out recently, Vermont seems to have the easiest CPA requirements.
