Any CPAs here? (credit, degrees, degree, business)

[katestar]

I have a bachelors with a double major in Economics and Finance. I will be completing my MBA this December (2011). Starting January 2012 I would like to start taking courses that I am missing (mostly accounting) to qualify to sit for the CPA exam. My main question is whether I need a Bachelor's in Accounting to qualify to sit for the exam. I know each state is different, but I looked at CA, CT, and FLA and everywhere it says just bachelor's degree. Are some states different? My co-workers says that I do need a BA/BS in Accounting. So confused.

[bande1102]

Every state is different--some require a Bachelor's in accounting and others don't. Some have very specific courses and experience requirements and others don't. Some states have residency requirements, others don't. Becker's site has a state drop-down to see each state's requirements.
Becker CPA Exam Review

While you don't necessarily need a degree in accounting to qualify to sit for the exam, you need an accounting background/coursework to pass it.

[Mtaylo24]

most states require the accounting hours, not the actual degree

[katestar]

Thanks. I can't find a university close to me or online that accepts students for second bachelor's degrees.

Thanks for the link also.

[truckingbronco]

If you don't want to pursue another degree, just get the required accounting courses from a local school or online so you meet the requirements. UCLA and LSU Exention (both online) offer dirt cheap credits to help meet the 150hrs and/or accounting courses.

E-mail your state board before you register for any classes just to be sure.

[e_cuyler]

That would be a good way to do it, especially for someone that probably already has the business hours.

In my case I pursued a graduate degree, but I had absolutely no business/accounting background at all.

[skeet09]

Originally Posted by truckingbronco

If you don't want to pursue another degree, just get the required accounting courses from a local school or online so you meet the requirements. UCLA and LSU Exention (both online) offer dirt cheap credits to help meet the 150hrs and/or accounting courses.

E-mail your state board before you register for any classes just to be sure.

^^ This right here!
I'm doing my classes online with Southern Oregon at $760/class. It's called a Post Bachelor's Certificate in Accounting. Check with your state board to verify. My bachelor's degree is in business.

[katestar]

Thanks everyone. I am considering UCLA extention to get the courses that I need. My CPA co-workers keeps insisting that I need a BA or BS in Accounting to be able to sit for the exam. I don't think this is true...

[e_cuyler]

They're wrong at least in most states. There are a ton of people who have a bachelor's in something else and decided to go into accounting. It would be a huge burden to force these people to get a second bachelor's degree, which many schools don't allow or at the very least don't provide financial aid for.

When people are starting out with no accounting or business courses, the amount of credit hours they need are equivalent to a degree, which is why a lot of them [like me] end up going to graduate school.

My bachelor's was in English. There was another guy in my program who had a degree in Biblical Studies. Both of us ended up working for the Big Four, with varying degrees of success. But we did both sit for and pass the CPA exam, and at least one of us got a CPA license.

[Ron.]

Originally Posted by Mtaylo24

most states require the accounting hours, not the actual degree