I’m looking into being a CPA. What are the best steps to take to get this certification?

Hi Judith,

You are correct, to be eligible to take your CPA exam you will need to get 150 college credits. I recommend looking into schools that offer a 5-year Master's in Accounting program. This is the approach I took, and I enjoyed my experience. The additional year not only got me to 150 credits, but several of my classes were tailored to helping us pass the CPA exam. I took classes like Business Law, Government Accounting, and Auditing. However, I have friends that just did a regular 4 year business program, then took summer classes to reach the 150 requirement (might be a cheaper). Either way works!

Hi Judith

I have recruited for accountants for one of the Big 4 firms for a number of years but it was a while ago were accounting/tax professionals only needed a bachelor’s degree to sit for the exam and 2 years work experience to get licensed. Things have changed over the years and many firms are requiring a 5 year program, (150 hours) which some universities/colleges combine into an Undergraduate and Masters degree.

I went on Google and asked to for the current requirements to double check. The Accountancy Board of Ohio (https://acc.ohio.gov/CPA-Exam) lists the following requirements

·       150 semester college credits (225 quarter college credits).

·       30 semester college credits (45 quarter college credits) in accounting courses, OR 24 semester college credits (36 quarter college credits) in accounting courses above the introductory level. Accounting courses typically cover the areas of financial accounting, cost/managerial accounting, CPA auditing, and taxation.

·       24 semester college credits (36 quarter college credits) in business courses. Business courses acceptable include finance, management, economics, and marketing, as well as "business" courses designated as such by a college or university (business law, business communications, business statistics, etc.).

A candidate who has met the accounting and business course requirements but not the 150 semester credits may take the CPA Examination if the candidate achieves a score of 620 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).  Note:  Four (4) years of accounting experience will be required for CPA Certification if you were approved under the GMAT. Please consult the GMAT Information link for further information.

Note concerning accounting course requirement: One course in computer information systems, if begun prior to May 7, 2003, counts as an accounting course, providing the course has a computer programming course as a pre-requisite. However, courses in accounting information systems still count as accounting courses.

Note concerning business course requirement: One course in each of the following subject areas, if begun prior to May 7, 2003, will count as a business course: (1) English or speech, (2) Statistics, (3) Sociology or psychology, and (4) Ethics (taken in the philosophy department). Courses in the above subject areas specifically tailored for business (business communications, business statistics, business ethics) still count as business courses.

All first-time applicants are required to pay both an application fee and an examination fee upon submission of the first-time application. All re-examination candidates are required to pay both a registration fee and an examination fee at the time of registration.

You are able to apply for one or more sections of the Examination at a time; however, you are advised to only apply for a section of the Examination if you are ready to take it within the next six months.

There more is information out there that will tell you what people do in certain careers, other sites that might describe a typical day in the role, jobsites with openings and job descriptions as well as salary ranges for the positions, etc. YouTube may have videos explaining the same. If you look at multiple sites, look for consistencies in what they say. This should help you feel more comfortable that the information you are reading is accurate.

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach back out.

Carol