[needcreds]

Hello forum,

I’m trying to sit for my CPA exams in Florida where I’ve met all the requirements to SIT for the CPA exam by the board except:

– three semester hours of upper division accounting

– three semester hours of business law

I’m taking care of these requirements in the summer as a non degree seeking student at a university and a community college, respectively. I have talked to the board and they agree that the courses I’m taking will count towards my requirements for sitting.

Now, in addition to these requirements for sitting, there are requirements for licensure. According to the Board, I need 12 more credits of upper division accounting to be licensed. At the university where I’m taking a upper division accounting course as a nondegree seeking student, I can take an additional course the next semester, bringing my required courses down to 9 credits of upper division accounting. Beyond this, I cannot take more upper division accounting courses there, because they are part of a graduate program only.

Should I leave these 9-12 additional credits for licensure for later after I finish my exams? Or is it a good idea to do these credits before I start taking the CPA exams? Should I take them as a nondegree student or must I apply for a masters program? If nondegree, what places can you recommend where I can take the remainder? I have taken most of the generic upper division accounting courses so I’m not even sure that there are any other upper division accounting courses I can take as a nondegree…

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

[Futile]

You don't have to do a masters to get the extra credits.

Check out UNA PAPP and LSU online ($$$). UWF ($$$$) also has an online (nondegree) certificate of accounting, but it has only 1-2 classes online each semester. There are nongeneric classes, like Governmental & Nonprofit Accounting, Taxation of Pass-Throughs, and etc. The undergrad fraud examination class is pretty interesting and online too.

I wouldn't recommend taking the exams first, but it really depends on you.

In Florida, you have 3 years from passing all of the exams to complete the licensure requirements or your exam scores expire. You won't be eligible for the 1 year work experience requirement until you are eligible to sit for the exam (after the business law and other accounting class you mentioned). Additionally, you're already going to be a student in the summer, so you might as well keep going another semester and finish school.

You could, if you wish, take the exams and go to school simultaneously. UNA PAPP uses CPAexcel, so it is like studying for the exams already.

CPA exam: Done!

Thank You, Lord.

[needcreds]

This is what I was thinking as well, about not having to do a masters.

I looked at the course offerings at UNA PAPP and LSU Online and will probably have to use UWF as well

Currently I have taken, according to the board:

– Taxation Accounting (3 credits)

– Auditing (3 credits)

– Financial accounting (9 credits)

– Cost & Managerial Accounting (3 credits)

– Accounting Information Systems (3 credits)

I was planning to take “Financial Accounting for Governmental and Nonprofit Organizations” at UCF to fill the 3 credits for sitting and then take “Advanced Issues in Financial Accounting” towards the 12 remaining credits for licensure. Am I correct in thinking that “Advanced Issues in Financial Accounting” is not a repeat of my coursework?

For the remaining coursework does this plan over two semesters look OK:

– AC 365P. (3) Financial Reporting III @ UNA PAPP (3 credits) (is this duplicate coursework?)

– AC465P. (3). Federal Income Taxation II @ UNA PAPP (3 credits)

– ACCT 4235 – Fraud Auditing and Forensic Accounting @ LSU Online (3 credits)

– ACG 5807 – Special Topics in Accounting @ UWF (3 credits)

– ACG 5990 – International Accounting @ UWF (3 credits)

Even if those doubtful courses are duplicates, the last 4 in the list should cover 12 credits, right?

[needcreds]

Here is a more detailed breakdown of my completed coursework, upper division accounting related, verified by the FL board:

– 3 credits in Taxation Accounting: BUSI-355 Introduction to Income Tax @ UBC

– 3 credits in Auditing: BUSI-455 Principles of Auditing @ UBC

– 9 credits in Financial Accounting: BUSI-353 Intermediate Financial Accounting I @ UBC, BUSI-450 Intermediate Financial Accounting II @ UBC, BUSI-453 Advanced Financial Accounting @ UBC

– 3 credits in Cost & Managerial Accounting: BUSI-354 Cost Accounting

– 3 credits in Accounting Information systems: BUSI-335 Management Information Systems (I had to appeal for this one)

It's my understanding that ACG 4803 – Advanced Issues in Financial Accounting @ UCF would be the same as my previously completed coursework BUSI-453 Advanced Financial Accounting @ UBC … Am I right in thinking this? If that's true the only course I can take at UCF I haven't taken is ACG 3501 – Financial Accounting for Governmental and Nonprofit Organizations and it will only count for sitting, not licensing requirements, a seperate issue

Moreover, is AC 365P. (3) Financial Reporting III @ UNA PAPP also the same as my previously completed coursework BUSI-453 Advanced Financial Accounting @ UBC ?

If that is the case then I am truly left with:

– AC465P. (3). Federal Income Taxation II @ UNA PAPP (3 credits)

– ACCT 4235 – Fraud Auditing and Forensic Accounting @ LSU Online (3 credits)

– ACG 5807 – Special Topics in Accounting @ UWF (3 credits)

– ACG 5990 – International Accounting @ UWF (3 credits)

As the only choices

Do you have any other ideas? Thanks in advance

[Futile]

Hmm. Sounds like the financial accounting classes might be duplicates. I'd compare the syllabi to see what topics the classes cover. If there's <40% overlap, you're probably safe. I know my business law classes had some overlap, but the Board didn't put up a stink and did accept both.

Do you not like tax? I took TAX5990 (pass-throughs) from UWF and it was okay. There's also an estate-trust tax class and tax research…I've avoided both of those, so can't speak for them.

CPA exam: Done!

Thank You, Lord.

[needcreds]

Oh that's a lot more lenient that I expected. How do you figure this <40% overlap number? Did the FL Board say that number specifically? If you're right about that, I could use those courses as separate credits, if the syllabus are different enough. I will have to dig them up and see if it's possible.

I was under the impression that “upper division accounting” courses would have to be strictly accounting related material. If taxation is allowed under that phrasing, then that opens a lot more doors! I'll have to revise the list of courses I had in mind across the different schools I was looking at.

Futile, thanks for all your input. I'm gonna do further research on courses and see what else I can find 🙂

[Futile]

I threw out 40% as a presumably reasonable amount. It's not something the Board said. 30% is probably more prudent. My second blaw had probably 20-30% overlap with my first, and they never said anything. I imagine if I was close to some threshold they'd have told me something. I thought I was taking AC 365 and AC 465 from UNA at the time I applied for the CPA exam, which have 20-40% overlap with other classes I've taken, but it seems not. I don't think the Board will hassle me, though. There just aren't that many separate accounting classes.

Tax is definitely acceptable.

CPA exam: Done!

Thank You, Lord.

[Futile]

Officially —

For the exam: “The accounting education program must include 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of upper division accounting to include coverage of taxation, auditing, cost/managerial, financial, and accounting information systems” – Rule 61H1-27.002

For licensure it's the same but 36 semester hours.

In that same rule it says classes are considered duplicate if they are “substantially equivalent”.

https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=8030065&type=1&file=61H1-27.002.doc

CPA exam: Done!

Thank You, Lord.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Guys,

Before you waste your money/time, I recommend you contact the DBPR and ask them about those classes.

CPA for life...

[needcreds]

Paranoid,

I agree. I will be double and triple checking the courses with DBPR over the phone just as I did with my Business Law 2 class I will start in a few days. The rules require 6 credits of business law, 3 of which can be lower division, and 3 of which must be upper division. I took Business Law (No I or II or III or any number) earlier on and they counted it as 3 credits for upper division, leaving me with what I believed 3 credits to be taken at lower division or more. I double checked with DBPR if Business Law 2 at a community college at a introductory level would be OK and redundantly asked them the question in various ways to get the same answer. It doesn't matter that the second class is at lower division level and that the first class was at upper division level.

I'll post what the DBPR thinks about the courses I listed for UNA PAPP, LSU Online, and UWF. But before I do that, I have to check if I can take more courses at other universities at a nondegree level. I would rather go in person than do it online, you see. I know UCF doesn't let me take 6000 level courses unless in their grad programs. Other universities might be more forgiving. I'm compiling a list to see what's possible and will report back soon with DBPR's thoughts on possibilities.

[Givemesleep]

If anyone has taken a UWF course on line and a UNA PAPP course can you contrast the differences in regard to difficulty and involvement with class participation, pace etc?

Reg 11/15/2011 - 80
Aud 02/28/2012 - 81
Bec 05/31/2012 - 78
Far 08/31/2012 - 83 Do you believe in Miracles, YES !!!

CPA License received 10/2012 !!
CFE License received 04/2013 !!
EA License received

Givemesleep

[Givemesleep]

If anyone has taken a UWF course on line and a UNA PAPP course can you contrast the differences in regard to difficulty and involvement with class participation, pace etc?

Reg 11/15/2011 - 80
Aud 02/28/2012 - 81
Bec 05/31/2012 - 78
Far 08/31/2012 - 83 Do you believe in Miracles, YES !!!

CPA License received 10/2012 !!
CFE License received 04/2013 !!
EA License received

Givemesleep

[Author]

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