<p>Do you HAVE TO have a masters in accounting(or accounting science? which one exactly?) to take the CPA exam? Are you not eligible to take the exam if you only have the MBA degree?</p>
<p>Also, are you required to major in accounting for undergrad to get into masters in accounting? Or are there just specific majors that are acceptable?</p>
<p>Many schools allow you to major in anything and then get a master's of accounting degree. But they usually require at least prerequisite courses (like intro to accounting courses, maybe basic tax courses) met. Some schools have degrees that require a major in accounting. For example, UIUC has 2 kinds of degrees, an MAS (master of accountancy science) and MSA (master of science in accounting). The MSA is for people from other majors, while the MAS is more advanced work, requiring someone to major in accounting and thus requiring a lot of background knowledge. UIUC is a great program at the undergraduate and graduate levels. You should check them out for more info. In fact, you should check out many other schools' policies on this matter as well.</p>
<p>If you take the right courses in the MBA program, you can use those credits to meet the 150 needed to sit for the CPA exam. However, the master's in tax/accounting is a more specialized degree and might be better if you want to focus on accounting alone and advance your career specifically for accounting. An MBA is a broad curriculum that's good if you're thinking about pursuing other careers. Because of this broadness, many accounting firms like to see MS degrees more than MBA's, because an MBA often means you have a good chance of leaving their firm to go on to management consulting or something. Then again, many firms think it's a good accomplishment in the business world. In fact, some of the most highly sought-after business professionals are ones with MBAs + CPAs. But yes, you can use it for the CPA exam.</p>
<p>It depends on the state; however, you generally don't even need a business/accounting undergraduate degree (you can take the exam with a B.A.), though you'll be required to take extra courses and whatnot. </p>
<p>I'll be taking the exam next year with an undergraduate business degree. You do not need an masters degree in accounting, but you do have to take certain courses (the Intermediate sequence, Auditing, etc.). Do an internet search and you should be able to find a site that tells you specifically what you need for your state to qualify.</p>
<p>A lot of my friends got their CPAs without a graduate degree. They were working at accounting firms first, then took the exam and if they passed them all at once got a nice fat bonus :)</p>