CPA
Examination
The Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination is the examination that individuals must pass in order to qualify for licensure as a CPA. The examination is offered in a computer-based format at authorized test centers throughout the U.S.
Requirements to sit for the CPA examination vary by state -- a brief summary of the minimum educational requirements to sit for the CPA examination in Louisiana are:
- Have a baccalaureate degree
- Have at least 150 semester hours of qualifying college credit
- Have successfully completed 24 hours of specificy accounting courses and 24 hours of business courses (including an acceptable business law course)
The LSUS Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting is a 129-hour program. Although graduates who receive a B.S. in Accounting from LSUS will have completed all of the specific courses required to sit for the CPA examination under Louisiana rules, they may need as many as 21 additional semester hours of college credit to meet the 150-hour requirement. Two possible options for fulfilling this requirement
are 1) a double major in accounting and finance (or another business major), or 2)
completing the MBA degree. For further information regarding
the MBA option, please contact Dr. Bill Bigler at bill.bigler@lsus.edu.
The Louisiana State Board of Certified Public Accountants has the authority to determine who qualifies to take the CPA examination and who qualifies for licensure as a CPA. Those who are interested in the complete requirements to sit for the CPA exam and other information pertinent to Louisiana CPAs should visit the State Board website at www.cpaboard.state.la.
Note that a student who already has a baccaulaureate degree (in a major other than Accounting) does not actually have to obtain the Accounting degree -- he/she can qualify to sit for the CPA exam by taking only the specific courses needed to satisfy the State Board requirements.
Another useful website to visit for information about the CPA examination is
www.cpa-exam.org.
|
