Several CPA required courses must be taken at an accredited college or university, depending on the program and type of certified public accounting (CPA) work that an individual wishes to pursue. These courses must generally cover a variety of topics related to accounting and business management, but some specialties may require courses with a narrower focus. Some CPA required courses are available as electives, which means that the course itself is not required but that a certain number of units in a specific area of study must be successfully completed.
In most cases, an undergraduate accounting student must take at least 48 credit hours of basic accounting, finance, and business administration courses. A bachelor’s degree is required for accounting students. A bachelor’s degree in finance, business administration, or accounting, though it can be in any academic discipline, will speed up the process of becoming a CPA. Some states, such as California, mandate that students divide their 48 credit hours evenly between accounting and business administration courses, completing 24 credit hours of each. After completing the coursework, the student must pass the state’s CPA exam in order to obtain a CPA license.
Accounting fundamentals Introduction to Accounting Practices, which provides a foundation for the accounting field’s requirements, as well as intermediate and advanced accounting courses, are all required for CPAs. Analyzing financial statements, international accounting practices, accounting for management, and several CPA required courses on performing audits for various types of organizations are all required courses in the accounting segment.
The student must take an introductory business administration course that covers the fundamentals of profit, loss, capitalization, and other management issues as part of the required business courses. Business law, business ethics, and business finance are also required courses. Statistics for Business Applications may be required in some states. For example, before a candidate can sit for the CPA exam in Massachusetts, they must complete this course.
Qualifying electives in accounting and business make up the rest of the CPA requirements. Focus your electives on ancillary accounting coursework if you plan to use your CPA license to work for an established accounting firm. Focus your electives on business practices or a field related to the type of business you want to work for if you plan to work as an account for another type of company.