CPA = Grad school?

<p>I'm a bit confused about the 150 credit hour requirement for the CPA exam. Does it mean that you have to get a Master's to qualify for the test?</p>

<p>Not necessarily. However, you will at a minimum have to take some graduate level accounting courses.</p>

<p>So, what do recent graduates with a bachelor's in accounting do to completed the requirement? Attend graduate school as a non-marticulated student?</p>

<p>My understanding is that some go for a 5 yr MPA degree (1 extra yr to get masters), some go for a Masters, and some just take the necessary amount of classes.</p>

<p>Most states have requirements of 150 credit hours including somewhere around 15-30 accounting hours. Since most college programs require 120 hours to graduate, a lot of people do an extra year with a Masters in accounting to fulfill that 150 hour requirement. But there are quite a few people who take a lot of classes during their undergrad of take intense summers and fill those hours without a masters.</p>

<p>So, to answer your question, no masters needed, but 150 college credits hours need to come from somewhere somehow. (NY used to be the only state that required 120, but starting in 2009 will be 150 just like the other 29 states)</p>