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California CPA licensure education requirements & the Cal Poly Pomona Accounting Program. Dr. Bob Hurt, C.F.E. Professor of Accounting rlhurt@csupomona.edu. Outline. General principles California CPA licensure process Educational requirements overview Total number of units
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California CPA licensure education requirements & the Cal Poly Pomona Accounting Program Dr. Bob Hurt, C.F.E. Professor of Accounting rlhurt@csupomona.edu
Outline • General principles • California CPA licensure process • Educational requirements overview • Total number of units • Distribution of units • Additional information For a video that explains these slides, please visit my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/rlhurt1959
General principles (1 of 2) • The California Board of Accountancy is the final decision maker with respect to interpreting the licensure requirements. • This presentation focuses on the: • Cal Poly Pomona accounting program in the 2013 / 2014 (and similar) academic years. • California CPA licensure requirements from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016. • No course can be double counted, but an individual course can be split up between areas.
General principles (2 of 2) • Most education requirements are stated in terms of semester units. • For quarter system campuses, the California Board of Accountancy will convert the quarter units to semester units. • Semester X 2 / 3 = Quarter. For example, 9 semester units = 6 quarter units.
California cpa licensure process (1 of 3) • Two license types • Attest: able to sign audit opinions • General: not able to sign audit opinions • Three basic components • Education • Exam • Experience
California cpa licensure process (2 of 3) • Education • Requirements to sit for the CPA exam • Bachelor’s degree • 24 semester units of accounting subjects • 24 semester units of business-related subjects • Requirements for CPA licensure • All of the above PLUS • 20 semester units of accounting study • 15 quarter units of ethics study • Important notes • The accounting & ethics study requirements may be met as part of the bachelor’s degree or after the bachelor’s degree. • The accounting study requirements can be met with an appropriate master’s degree, but a master’s degree is not a requirement.
California cpa licensure process (3 of 3) • Exam • Uniform CPA exam • Information available from many sources including: • AICPA • California Society of CPAs • Experience • One year working under a licensed CPA • Must include a minimum number of hours in auditing for the attest license
Educational requirements overview • Two considerations • Total number of units • Subject areas of units • To sit for the CPA exam • Bachelor’s degree (180 quarter units at Cal Poly Pomona) • 24 semester units of accounting (met with the degree) • 24 semester units of business-related subjects (met with the degree) • To get licensed • 225 quarter units including the bachelor’s degree • Extra 45 units (225 – 180) referred to generically as the “fifth year” • Fifth year must comprise • 20 semester units of accounting • 15 quarter units of ethics
Total number of units • Required for licensure: 225. • Built into your degree: 180. • Deficiency: 45. • Alternatives • “Courses not used” in your degree progress report • Courses you took at a community college but did not transfer to Cal Poly Pomona • Courses you take after you graduate • Master’s degree • Community college • Other college-level coursework
Distribution of units (1 of 6) • Required to sit for the exam • Accounting subjects, 24 semester units (Group 1) • Business-related subjects, 24 semester units (Group 2) • Required for licensure • Accounting study, 20 semester units(Group 3) • Ethics study, 15 quarter units (Group 4) • Accounting & ethics study may be taken as part of the bachelor’s and / or after the bachelor’s.
Distribution of units (6 of 6) • The additional units (3 semester / 4.5 quarter) may come from any combination of: • Accounting • Business related • Foreign language • Courses with the words “culture / cultural / ethnic” in the title • Real estate • Engineering • Architecture • Potential sources • General education • Courses not used
Additional information • California Board of Accountancy www.dca.ca.gov/cba/ • California Society of CPAs www.calcpa.org • These slides are available at Dr. Hurt’s web site: www.csupomona.edu/~rlhurt