| CPA courses start with a four year degree in | | | | you. |
| accounting or a related field that usually includes 24 | | | | Once you have completed your CPA courses, |
| hours of auditing or accounting. Once that education | | | | you’ll take a 2-day exam that comes in four parts. |
| has been completed, people can become certified and | | | | Most states allow you to pass each part individually, |
| licensed by the AICPA, or the American Institute of | | | | giving you the advantage in the event that you |
| Certified Public Accountants. This is going to be the | | | | don’t pass one section or another. You will only |
| critical part of your career, because without licensure | | | | have to retake the section that you failed in most |
| and certification, you essentially cannot practice as a | | | | cases, before your license is granted. After the test, |
| CPA. 42 states and the District of Columbia now | | | | you will get your CPA license, but that’s not where |
| require the recommended standards of the AICPA for | | | | it ends. Many states require CPA courses as |
| their CPA candidates. That includes 150 semester | | | | continuing education throughout the lifetime of your |
| hours of course work, which is 30 hours past a | | | | career in order to keep your certification valid and |
| four-year degree. | | | | current. |
| Fortunately, there are training providers and programs | | | | Like the original courses that you took, you can find |
| that will allow you to take the necessary CPA courses | | | | CPA courses suitable for continuing education online, in |
| beyond college requirements so that you can get your | | | | a typical classroom, or even in the seminar format |
| CPA license when you want it. You can find seminars, | | | | depending on which type of learning you prefer. It’s |
| lab classes, typical classroom courses, and even online | | | | critical that you are able to be a quick thinker and learn |
| courses that will teach you everything and anything | | | | how to analyze and interpret data quickly. CPA |
| that you need to know about becoming a CPA so | | | | careers are about so much more than math, and |
| that you can make up that other 30 hours of training | | | | you’ll learn everything that you need to know in |
| before you take your exam. Not everyone learns the | | | | your CPA courses, including a little math. Just take the |
| same, so don’t think that you have to take a | | | | time to check out your options and find what works |
| certain type of course or another. The options are | | | | for you. |
| there so that you can choose what works best for | | | | |