CPA Exam in Pennsylvania FAQs about Education and Experience Requirements

Education Requirement  Prior to January 1, 2012:  Bachelor’s or master’s degree and at least 24 semester credits in accounting subjects - or –  Completion of 150 semester credits of which 24 semester credits are in accounting subjects and 12 semester credits in accounting, auditing, and tax (150 credits encouraged but not required)

Effective January 1, 2012  In order to receive a CPA license under the 150-hour rule starting Jan :  120 credit hours are required to sit for the exam  Including 24 credit hours in accounting subjects  Must obtain 150 credit hours of education to receive certificate  Including 36 credit hours in accounting subjects

Work Experience  Prior to January 1, 2012:  Bachelor’s degree:  Need two years in public accounting  Including 800 hours at attest activity  Master’s degree:  Need one year in public accounting  Including 400 hours at attest activity  Must complete within 10 years of the application date  Effective January 1, 2012  One year in public accounting  Including 400 hours of attest activity  Must complete within 5 years of the application date

Work Experience  Effective January 1, 2012  One year in public accounting  Including 400 hours of attest activity  Must complete within 5 years of the application date  Must Be In One of Three Areas:  Public Accounting  Internal Audit reporting to Independent Board  Auditor with Federal/State/Local Government  All must be supervised by a current CPA

Partial Completion  To those who graduated before 2012:  The 150 hour education requirement does not apply if you have successfully completed one or more parts of the exam prior to December 31, 2011  For more information  See also

How can you satisfy the 150 hour under Pennsylvania requirements?  SJU Accounting Curriculum currently requires 42 courses. You could take eight additional 3-credit courses to bring you up to 150 credit hours. These credits do not have to be in accounting.  SJU currently offers a graduate option which is our professional MBA program. This curriculum entails taking an additional eleven courses, if you meet all of the MBA foundation requirements.  SJU currently offers a Masters of Science in Financial Services, which could also be utilized to satisfy the 150 hour requirement. The curriculum focuses heavily on finance and accounting related topics. Students interested in professional certification should consult the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy web site at Professional licensing is subject to jurisdiction-specific regulations. The NASBA web site provides easy links to state-by-state information and licensing requirements.