One of my greatest influences for pursuing an accounting major was the wide variety of career opportunities it could provide in the future. During my first two years of undergraduate studies I had absolutely no idea where I would fit in the business world or if I actually wanted to work in business in general. My accounting degree gave me the ability to pursue a degree that would be useful no matter where my potential career path would lead. Even if I did not want to obtain my CPA license, I would have invaluable business knowledge that could be applied at most companies. However, as I progressed through the major it became apparent that I did sincerely enjoy accounting and I decided that I would spend the next few years working towards my
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I would soon find out that this was not a test as simple as the SAT and that there were multiple additional requirements varying by state in order to become a CPA. The initial requirement that stuck out to me was the 150 credit hours of education, which includes a baccalaureate degree. I would have to make the decision to gain an additional 30 credits during my four years at JMU, or I could apply for an accelerated masters program. Although none of the states currently require a master’s degree to obtain the extra credit hours, I decided to apply for George Mason’s program. According to the AICPA’s website, the 150 hour requirement has been instituted due to the significant increases in complexity of the accounting profession. This increased complexity stems from the proliferation of new federal and state regulations as well as from the technological advancements made over the past few years. The extra 30 credit hours requirement ensures that accounting professionals are equipped with a sufficient knowledge base for when they enter the workforce. The 150-hour requirement does not apply to CPAs who had already received their certification before this requirement was introduced. In addition to the 150-hour requirement, each state’s jurisdiction has a number of unique requirements that must be met in order to be licensed in the respective state. While many of these additional requirements are consistent from state to state, they must always be taken into consideration to ensure that one is meeting the requirements of that
I would soon find out that this was not a test as simple as the SAT and that there were multiple additional requirements varying by state in order to become a CPA. The initial requirement that stuck out to me was the 150 credit hours of education, which includes a baccalaureate degree. I would have to make the decision to gain an additional 30 credits during my four years at JMU, or I could apply for an accelerated masters program. Although none of the states currently require a master’s degree to obtain the extra credit hours, I decided to apply for George Mason’s program. According to the AICPA’s website, the 150 hour requirement has been instituted due to the significant increases in complexity of the accounting profession. This increased complexity stems from the proliferation of new federal and state regulations as well as from the technological advancements made over the past few years. The extra 30 credit hours requirement ensures that accounting professionals are equipped with a sufficient knowledge base for when they enter the workforce. The 150-hour requirement does not apply to CPAs who had already received their certification before this requirement was introduced. In addition to the 150-hour requirement, each state’s jurisdiction has a number of unique requirements that must be met in order to be licensed in the respective state. While many of these additional requirements are consistent from state to state, they must always be taken into consideration to ensure that one is meeting the requirements of that