[Tcohle]

I graduated with 123 credits. I have ALL the necessary accounting and business courses required to register for a CPA license (I confirmed this with the State Board of Accountancy in PA).

So basically I want to take the easiest and cheapest online classes possible to get to 150 fast. There’s a community college near me that offers 50% off tuition if you’re in the county.

There are classes like psychology 101 and ACC 150 which is like a legal accounting type class.

Any suggestions from those in the same situation?

This is all pending I (crossing my fingers) pass the REG exam I just took.

FAR- 5/11/15 76!!
AUD-10/31/15 63, 84!
REG-7/12/16 72
BEC-8/31/15 75!! Perfect Score!

Wiley CPAExcel Platinum
Ninja 10 pt combo for FAR/AUD/BEC

[So FAR So Good]

Be careful not to waste your money and time. I believe most states will not allow you to take community college or TOEFL courses if you can't roll those courses INTO your degree. If you still hadn't graduated and took them, they would likely count, but since you've achieved your degree I believe most states only allow either another degree or higher education credits (courses to obtain an MS degree, for example).

F - 91 (6/5/2016)
A - 7/30/2016
R - 10/8/2016
B - 12/10/2016

[Meg267]

I would take classes that could benefit you. No point in wasting money on classes that won’t be of any use to you.

Personally, the university I attended had the 150 credit program, but it wasn’t a Master’s degree. I took every accounting class the university offered. The next classes I looked for were Management classes. Next, I only needed one or two more classes, so I chose Marketing. I strictly chose Marketing because I enjoyed them and the professor. So long story short, I have my 150 credits (I think it ended up being like 156 total), and I have three bachelor degrees in 4 years. It looks pretty impressive in job interviews. It sets me apart from others a little more, especially due to the management degree.

[komatk2]

Just take whatever classes that interest you, if you're not trying to get another degree. I did the same thing and it worked out fine. As long as the credits are valid you'll be fine.

[melody_pinaycpa]

@Tcohle – I also need 24.5 credits. I'm thinking of doing CLEP exams once I'm settled with the new job.

FAR (Apr 2015) - 88
AUD (July 2015) - 86
BEC (Oct 2015) - 82
REG - 73, 70, retake Sept 2016

[So FAR So Good]

Whoops, I think I said TOEFL courses when I really meant CLEP. Be very careful taking CLEP courses as credits! Many states require those CLEP course credits to be part of your degree, which would mean you'd have to either have taken them prior to graduating or have a university that is willing to alter your transcript to include them.

F - 91 (6/5/2016)
A - 7/30/2016
R - 10/8/2016
B - 12/10/2016

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same predicament where I need 16 credits to reach the 150 mark. I'm currently taking an online IT course (Intro to Computer Networking) as I think accountants today need to know more and more about technology.

[Anonymous]

Either do CLEPS, or take whatever cheap classes you can find that interest you. Doesn't have to add to your resume at this point; just has to interest you. If I'd had a convenient local community college like the one we had where I moved from, I would've taken the opportunity to take classes like sign language which have always interested me but have never fit into an academic program. Or history – I've never liked history, but was homeschooled so never had a history teacher; I figure I just need to find a history professor who loves history, take history from him/her, and they can help me learn to like it more.

For what it's worth, in my years on this forum I haven't heard of the rule that So FAR So Good references, so I'm guessing it's only very very rare states that have it (likely the state that So FAR is in, but not many others). Definitely something to check on for your state, but chances are good that you'll be fine.

But…quickest, cheapest, and most convenient is CLEP tests. This is how I got my 150 (or most of it). Also FEMA credits, but those are kinda shady and getting harder and harder to get credit for, so I mention them only in passing. CLEP tests are about $100 each, give 3-6 credits each, are produced by the people who do the AP testing for highschool, and are recommended for credit by the American Council on Education. They don't officially give credit themselves, but are accepted for credit many places. So, to get credit for them, you have to transfer them to a college that accepts them. My alma mater, TESU, offers a credit banking service that works great for this since they exactly match the ACE recommendations (some schools differ from them) and it's just a couple hundred dollars to bank up to 60 credits: https://www.tesu.edu/documents/NondegreeServiceApp.pdf Your alma mater may accept your credits without fees as a alum, though, so worth checking with them first. For more info, use the search bar on here to look up posts about CLEP; I've posted extensively about them, but gotta work a 14-hour day today and take a test for my MBA class first, so I gotta get off of here and get testing. 🙂 P. S. REA guides are the best books for CLEP studying, hands-down.

[stozzo88]

I did CLEP exams for my final 8 credits (thanks lilla for the advice). I highly suggest that route. Just make sure your state accepts them and they don't duplicate classes you've already taken. Once you've taken all your cleps have tesu put them on a transcript for you ($300 for their transcript service). I took three cleps and built a transcript for half the price of one class anywhere else.

Cheers

FAR- 1-18-2016- 82
BEC- 2-22-2016- 81
REG- 4-11-2016- 84
AUD- 5-17-2016- 86

[LonelyRonPaul]

I would be careful about the courses you pick. I can only speak for Florida, but here I am required to obtain a certain number of those credits in upper division general business (39) and upper division accounting (36). I suppose it wouldn't matter much what you take if you really just want to stay in your state, but it might be good to get a general idea of the 150 requirements for other states as well in case you move states in the future. It is causing me a PITA right now because I literally have ONE upper division accounting class that I won't be able to do at my school since I'm running out of classes to take and I will probably have to go to another school to take that last class.

FAR - 78, 5/7/16
AUD - 87, 7/16/16
BEC - 8/27/16
REG - 12/3/16

[bucknell39]

Did you pass any part of the CPA exam before 12/31/11? I believe you are grandfathered in from the 150 hour requirement in PA if you passed at least one section of the CPA exam no matter if you lost that credit.

[Anonymous]

I know this isn't really the advice you're looking for…but do you have any interest whatsoever in getting your masters? Would your employer pay for part or all of it? I know that once you have CPA behind your name that's really all that matters, but I personally really like that I have a masters degree in addition to that. While having a CPA separates you from non-CPA accountants, I feel like a masters and CPA can maybe give you a little edge over other CPAs. It's also just another accomplishment to add to your name.

My masters program was not bad at all – 10 classes that met once a week (or online) for seven weeks. You could literally knock it out in less than a year if you were committed to it. The classes were no harder than my undergraduate accounting courses. It was rather pricey (mainly because it was a private university), but my employer paid 100%, including books, so I wasn't out a dime. Looking back I'm really glad I chose that route just because it's one more thing to add to my name even if I don't receive a tangible benefit from it.

Just a thought, for what it's worth!

[aaronmo]

I graduated with a BA in liberal arts…so all of my accounting courses were done afterwards. I took classes at 4 different schools…3 community colleges and one on line 4 year program. Looking back, I wish I'd spent more money, taken a few extra classes and ended up with a masters.

You need 27 credits…if it were me, I'd look at cheaper programs like Holy Family, Thomas Edison State College, or whatever else you find…spend a few extra bucks…and get a masters out of it.

[aaronmo]

If you want just credits…take classes that stress critical thinking…literature…philosophy…history…they help with analytical ability, writing…etc. I think our society's de-emphasis on liberal arts is an indictment of our values.

[ultrarunner]

@aaronmo, I am a liberal arts major too. I think my liberal arts discipline helped me prepare for the CPA exams. I took all my accounting/business classes at 2 different community colleges. Like Aaron and @Allie530 said, I wish I'd had Masters. Some Masters schools are heavily recruited by accounting firms. Anyway, I am starting Masters (Taxation) in January. It is never too late to go back to school.

FAR 72,67,79 (Roger+Wiley test bank)11/15
AUD 80 (Roger)10/15
BEC 80 (Roger)4/16
REG 63,78 (Roger+Ninja MCQs)5/16

[Author]

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