Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting consisting of four graduate accounting courses (12 credit hours) selected from an approved list of existing offerings. The certificate is designed to provide flexibility, meet evolving professional requirements, and strengthen our accounting curriculum portfolio.
Students would select any four courses from the following list:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 5110 | Adv Manage Cost Acct for Exec | 3 |
| ACCT 5120 | Special Topics in Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 5200 | Accounting for Managerial Deci | 3 |
| ACCT 5210 | VITA Preparation and Coordinat | 3 |
| ACCT 5250 | Advanced Topics in Taxation | 3 |
| ACCT 5352 | Adv Fin Acct & Inter. Issues | 3 |
| ACCT 5440 | Government & Non-Profit Accounting for Executives | 3 |
| ACCT 5470 | Forensic & Investigative Acct | 3 |
| ACCT 5900 | Accounting Research/Internship | 3 |
| BLAW 5370 | Commercial law for Accountants 1 | 3 |
| Any other approved 5000 level accounting course offered in the College of Business | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
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Note that this course may not count toward the upper-level ACCT credit-hours requirements for the CPA Exam.
Rationale and CPA Alignment
Recent changes and clarifications in CPA licensure requirements across many jurisdictions emphasize completion of upper-level accounting coursework beyond the undergraduate major. This certificate provides accounting students with a structured and credentialed means to obtain additional advanced accounting credits necessary for CPA Exam eligibility, in contrast to enrolling in individual courses on an ad hoc basis. It is important to note, however, that the certificate alone does not fulfill all CPA requirements and must be supplemented with an accounting degree.
The certificate is particularly attractive to:
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Accounting majors completing the CPA requirement of thirty credit hours upper-level courses in accounting
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Graduates seeking CPA eligibility through advanced accounting coursework
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Working professionals pursuing targeted credentialing in accounting subfields
Non-Duplication Policy
To maintain academic rigor, students may not “double count” by counting graduate certificate courses that have some overlap with the undergraduate accounting courses already completed in the Accounting major. Specifically, students who have taken the following undergraduate courses may not apply the equivalent graduate counterparts toward this certificate:
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ACCT 4110 – Advanced Managerial Cost Accounting
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ACCT 4210 – Volunteer Income Tax Preparation
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ACCT 4250 – Taxation of Business Entities
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ACCT 4352 – Advanced Financial Accounting
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ACCT 4440 – Governmental and Non-Profit Accounting
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ACCT 4470 – Forensic Accounting
Implementation
Advising guidelines will ensure appropriate course selection and compliance with CPA-related objectives. Students are advised to contact one of the Accounting Faculty and/or their academic advisor for selecting the right combination of the courses and meeting the pre-requisite requirements.