Legit shot at accounting degree leading to CPA from online school?

Trying to do some due diligence here...

Is there any hope of becoming a CPA (specifically in Georgia) with an Accounting degree gained from an online school? (RA school, certainly)

Any recommendations on the school choice, if it is a reasonable option?

Online is the best option for me due to job and family responsibilities. Being able to get that degree and work towards a career change into accounting from IT work (where almost all my experience is, other than bookkeeping work that my wife and I do on the side) could change our lives, but we can't afford the time/resource investment it would take for me to be driving to and sitting in a brick-and-mortar traditional school to finish it. I have the will and determination, will the rest add up for me?

 

Check out http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19406 .

 

Thanks. I had done some searches and somehow missed that one.

 

I especially wanted to direct you to Decimon's post, where he gives you a link to a clickable map of state-by-state requirements for the CPA exam.

 

The important thing I was looking for there was a list of colleges that they would (at least likely) accept the education requirement from. I am satisfied that the prominent legitimate online colleges are on the "code list" for Georgia.

This definitely had more information regarding the Georgia requirements than I was able to find previously. The information I found before was incredibly vague and basically useless.

 

If you click thru to the Georgia FAQ:

http://www.sos.state.ga.us/plb/faqs/22%20faqs.htm

20-3-.08(1)(c) PRESENTED to the Board evidence that the candidate has received a baccalaureate degree or completed the requirements thereforE, conferred by a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization recognized by the Board, with a concentration in accounting or what the board determines to be the substantial equivalent of an accounting concentration, or with a nonaccounting concentration supplemented by what the Board determines to be the substantial equivalent of an accounting concentration, including related courses in other areas of business administration; and after January 1, 1998, any person who has not previously sat for the uniform written examination for the certificate of certified public accountant must have completed a total of 150 semester hours or 225 quarter hours of college education, including a baccalaureate degree awarded by a college or university accredited by either a national or regional accrediting organization recognized by the board.

So basically any RA school will do. If they check it like they do in my home state, they'll go to the CHEA site to check the accreditation. It refers to National Accreditation, but since that is not allowed in my state, don't want to comment on that.

Best case is to pick you college, then call the State and see if it will be acceptable (get it in writing if possible)

 

Try Excelsior, Tesc or COSC with CLEP exams, and, accounting and business courses from LSU. LSU has every single accounting course you need online or by correspondence study. You're not going to do it any cheaper.

With your IT background, consider the ICCP CCP exam - you can get a ton of cheap credit that will apply toward a business degree.

I qualified for the CPA exam years (actually decades now) ago doing this at Excelsior's predecessor (USNY). ]

 

I never thought much about those certifications. I guess I should. I could even get my current employer to pay for them. . They used to talk about them all the time and I just shrugged it off. Not too smart in my youth, and now I'm older with nothing to prove my knowledge other than my word.

I was just looking at those LSU independent study courses and I love that concept AND price. I am not going to beat that anywhere. It is an even better deal if I can get my employer to reimburse the course and text expenses, which I will hopefully be confiming later this week.

Thanks for the help. I do appreciate it.