According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a CPA—Certified Public Accountant—is "a trusted financial advisor who helps individuals, businesses, and other organizations plan and reach their financial goals." They surpass other accountants in education, experience, and the extent of opportunities available to them in the workplace.
The Bachelor of Accountancy program offered by the College of Business is designed to get you well on your way to becoming a CPA by fulfilling the majority of the coursework requirements for most state certification exams. The State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana has a number of educational requirements which we will help you to meet.
The educational requirements to sit for the CPA Examination in the State of Louisiana are as follows:
- Have a baccalaureate degree
- Have 150 semester hours of college credit earned as prescribed by Board Rules
- Have successfully completed 24 hours of specific accounting and 24 hours of business courses (including an acceptable business law course)
The specific 24 hours of accounting coursework that are required in the State of Louisiana are as follows:
- Intermediate Accounting - 6 hours
- Cost Accounting - 3 hours
- Income Tax - 3 hours
- Auditing - 3 hours
- Electives [from below] - 3 hours
- Advanced Financial Accounting
- Not-for-Profit (or Government) Accounting
- Not-for-Profit (or Government) Auditing
- Other Accounting - 6 hours, beyond principles level
In addition to the above accounting requirements, the Board requires 24 general business credits, including at least one Commercial Law course.
Our curriculum is designed to help you meet all of these educational and coursework requirements, as shown in the course comparison table below:
| Board Requirement** | Our Curriculum | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate Accounting | ACCT B205 - Corporate Accounting + Reporting I ACCT B206 - Corporate Accounting + Reporting II |
6 |
| Cost Accounting | ACCT B410 - Strategic Cost Management | 3 |
| Income Tax | ACCT B300 - Tax Accounting I | 3 |
| Auditing | ACCT B403 - Auditing + Assurance Services | 3 |
| Elective | ACCT B307 - Accounting for Public Sector Entities | 3 |
| Other | ACCT B340 - Accounting Information Systems ACCT B400 - Advanced Accounting ACCT B460 - International Accounting |
9 |
| Business | Business Core and Business Adjunct Courses | 36 |
| Commercial Law | LGST B200 - Business Law I [fulfills Board requirements] | 3 |
| 150 Total Credit Hours | Common Curriculum + Business Core / Adjunct + Accounting | 120* |
*You will need 30 additional hours of coursework to be qualified for the exam, but the Accounting and Business requirements are met by the B.Acc. program.
**If you intend to sit for the CPA Examination in another state, you will need to familiarize yourself with the unique educational requirements for that state.