<p>Response to #60
First you said my data “is so far gone” and now you side with a_mom just because she confirmed that the salary is right between the range in post #22? You say that the salary for accountants is $50k+, but you fail to recognize that most people don’t go into public accounting!</p>
<p>Which brings me to my original argument that the accounting degree provides little value considering the time, effort, and money that you need to put in as compared to nursing. I agree that it is wise to get your 150 hrs finished, but I also pointed out that you can become a registered nurse in as little as 2 years! Another point that is missing from this argument is that nurses get paid OT, while accountants don’t!!</p>
<p>to those that have always argued that “it doesn’t matter where you go to school, as long as you have a high GPA.”: how do you explain the 8% of College or university attended vs. just 5% of Grade point average?</p>
<p>before you start hammering me on internship exp plays a bigger role than the school you attend, let me just say that the quality of the internship that a student can obtain usually reflects the reputation of the school.</p>
<p>Yes, nursing can pay a lot starting with little school, but it has less upward mobility. Given the time you will work over a lifetime, the salary increases you can expect from 2 or 3 more years of school will pay itself off. Assuming of course that you are good at what you do, but an incompetent nurse will be on the streets just as fast.</p>
<p>I guess kind of going back to the original subject, what would be the best double major to reach those 150 credits. I know alot of people go for Accounting and Finance but is that reall neccessary? I would like to double with Criminology and Criminal Justice to go into forensic accounting or something along those lines later in my career but I feel like that might be looked down upon when applying for my first job. I am more interested in that then say Finance or another business major, and plus it should keep my GPA pretty high (I’ll admit it seems like an easy major after taking the intro classes) but I still have a gut feeling I may be better served doing something more Business related like Econ, Finance, or Information Sytems.</p>
<p>jkterp, you don’t need to double major to get to the 150. If you double major in accounting and something other than a business concentration, it will probably take more than 150 credits to get both, as there is not a lot of overlap in most schools in the business and liberal arts programs. If you double major in something like finance, at many schools it wouldn’t even require that many extra classes and therefore not make much of a dent in getting the 150. The 150 credits can include any subjects beyond the accounting requirements, so just take a one or two credit class each of your eight major semesters as an undergrad and enough inexpensive cc credit in summers to get the 150. My son had no AP credit but will have 94 credits when he begins the fall semester of his junior year by using this strategy. He also had ten credits thrown at him for doing well on a foreign language placement test.</p>
<p>Stupid question, but I just had an epiphany. When my wife transferred to a 4 year university from her community college, she had 97 units. Only 70 of those units transferred towards her upper division accounting major, but she still has those CC units just sitting there. When she gets 60+ more upper division and graduates next spring, does her 37 unused units that didn’t transfer count towards her CPA 150?</p>
<p>She has a luncheon today with the department head for the top 20 accounting students and will ask her directly, but I am dying to know.</p>
<p>jdnely, I think that’s a legitimate question. I want to know the answer too. Could you share the info when your wife hear back from her department head. By the way, do you mind to tell which state you’re in. The rules could be different from state to state.</p>
<p>We reside in California. Here we have 2 pathways to CPA, one requiring 150 units and one that doesn’t, the trick being the one that doesn’t is only valid here in CA and requires a few more years of work experience.</p>
<p>I will pass on what her department head says. I am worried that some technicality will say that it must be 30 units beyond a bachelor, units she must take after graduating, but that doesn’t make much sense to me.</p>
<p>It is 9:40 AM here, her luncheon ends around 1:00 pm, and I will report back here after that.</p>
<p>Yes, the credits should count. The main thing to consider is whether or not she has met the requirements for the CPA exam in your state. For example, most states have a requirement for total accounting hours, number of upper division accounting hours, and usually a business law course, along with a total number of business credits.</p>
<p>Well, she is attending San Diego State University in the accounting program so she will meet every requirement they have, and if those units count, then she is all set.</p>
<p>The SDSU accounting website says: “Accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. In 1982, The Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy was the first accredited accounting program in the state of California.”</p>
<p>jdnely, Californian here too! I just look over the CPA exam handbook from the Calif. board of accountancy. For exam requirement, all is needed is BS degree, 24 unit accounting & 24 units business. Of course, these units have to be certain subjects. For license requirement, 150 units are needed for pathway 2, it doesn’t say the extra 30 has to be upper, or at least I couldn’t find that wording.
<a href=“http://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/publications/exambk1.pdf[/url]”>http://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/publications/exambk1.pdf</a></p>
<p>Totally off subject, but California sounds pretty good right now you two! Up here in MN it was about 7 degrees when I left for work this morning!!</p>
<p>Current reading 63F. Yes, we’re spoiled, I couldn’t even stand when it was low 50s straight for a few day last month. It’s been the coldest winter! Do you guys even go outside if it’s not for going to work or getting your necessaries? :)</p>
<p>mom - the only good thing is that busy season is during winter, so I am in the office all day anyway! Other than that, the only thing that brings us crazy Minnesotans outside is hockey!</p>
<p>UPDATE - Her department head said that the units that didn’t transfer still count towards your CPA 150 requirement. She then went on to tell us about a bill signed back in oct 2009 that will change the req by 2014, and anyone prior to that will be grandfathered in. As far as I can tell, it simply removes pathway 1 of 120 units and forces everyone in the state to be 150 unit CPA’s. From what I read, it doesn’t seem to change the extra 30 units can be in anything rule, but we’ll see.</p>
<p>jdnely, thanks for the update. My daughter is going to college this fall, so she definitely needs the 30 extra units by the time graduating in 2014. Nice to get a confirm the 30 can be anything. Hope they don’t change that. Then she can take those underwater basket weaving courses in CC during summer :)</p>
<p>jdnely - I read it quickly, but here is what I got. What it means is that you are good to go under the old pathway so long as you sit for, and apply for licensing before the 2014 deadline. After that, it looks pretty similar to most other states, where the extra 30 credits can be in anything so long as you meet the total accounting and business credits needed to sit for the exam. So no masters or anything is necessary, and if you have some additional credits from CC those should be valid.</p>
I just look over the CPA exam handbook from the Calif. board of accountancy. For exam requirement, all is needed is BS degree, 24 unit accounting & 24 units business. Of course, these units have to be certain subjects. For license requirement, 150 units are needed for pathway 2, it doesn’t say the extra 30 has to be upper, or at least I couldn’t find that wording.