My SD is going to a school in the Midwest where she has a 5 year integrated program. It would meet the requirements to take the CPA exam. She wants to come live at home the last semester (she is one semester ‘up’ because of AP and dual enrollment classes).
Somewhere she got the idea she has to take the exam in the same state she gets her masters – I don’t see that requirement. Anyone can help me out with information?
You want to sit for the exam under the rules of the state you plan to practice in, because your license is issued at the state level. The state you’re physically present in, either for your education or for the exam, isn’t relevant.
Every state has its own rules for who’s eligible to sit for the exam and what other requirements for licensure exist.
Thanks… that makes sense. I noticed that some states have residency requirements-- how does that work? For example we live in the S Jersey suburb of Philadelphia so most people ‘practice’ in PA and live in NJ – but PA has a residency requirement
Yes, @allyphoe is correct. My S physically sat for the first part of the exam in Indiana (where he got his Masters) but took it for a NY license. He took the remaining 3 parts in NY. There was no issue when he applied for his NY license. He had a friend who took one part in CT for his NY license (as he lived close to CT and could get a preferable date scheduled there) and it was also a non-issue.
I don’t know about the PA residency requirement. Every state is a bit different so you need to look at the details. If your child has a job already set up in Philly then he/she might ask someone there. Another option might be to just get a NJ CPA license for now.
Does she want to transfer to a different college for her last semester? That would likely be impossible.
I’m not a PA practitioner, so I might be missing something, but the PA statutes (http://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/Accountancy/Documents/Applications%20and%20Forms/Acct%20Laws.pdf ) contain no residency requirement to be eligible to sit for the exam as a PA candidate. Per the Regs (http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter11/chap11toc.html), your character references must be PA residents.
PA also has reciprocity / substantial equivalency, so no residency requirement to be able to practice in PA.
Generally people will need to be licensed in the state they wish to work in. This is totally independent of where one studies accounting or even where one sits for the exam. I am under the impression that the taking of the exam is on-line electronic at a testing center. It is a national test and it does not matter where you take it.
It used to be that certain states had stricter requirements than others. For instance here in MA, you had to not get below a 50 on any part of the exam. So although you had to pass two sections for any to count (Practice used to count as two), you needed to get at least a 50 on both the law and the auditing section. Some states did not have this requirement. These things change and you need to consult your local state for the requirement. They also list pretty stringent rules what courses you need to take to full fill the education requirement. This too might vary from state to state. It would be best to cover the most stringent state requirements, even if you do not reside in that state, in order to lessen any reciprocity requirements in the future.
But to the title of the thread. Is she looking to change schools mid way thru the fifth year? So a change to another grad school? That is all going to depend on the school and whether they will accept any of the previous credits. Grad school is a cash cow for schools and they don’t always like to give credit for classes taken at other schools. their classes are special. hahah.
@MassDaD68 There can’t be that 50% requirement or having to pass two parts for it to count anymore (as it was in my day as well) – now instead of sitting for the entire exam over a couple of days, each of the four parts of the test are scheduled and taken independently. I think that is standard throughout the country. My S studied for one part and took that exam, then studied for the next part and took that exam etc.
Still I do agree that there are some quirks from state to state so everyone should check the details with the state board.
And if the OP wants to switch schools midway through the one year MS program that is almost certainly a bad idea. I thought the OP was going to finish the program a semester early and was concerned that he/she would have to stay in the state the MS program was to take the CPA exam (which is not the case). Perhaps the OP can clarify.
You could be right Happy1. I am just not sure of the requirements anymore. It has been a long time since I sat. One thing I did notice on the MA site was that they wished for the grad school to be a certified school. There were provisions if your school was not certified or accredited. I noticed lots of the MA state schools were not on the list. I find that very scary as it is directing the students into MA private schools. Not sure what is needed if you came out of a state school or if they would make you get another grad degree from one on the list. I definitely need to check this out before my son commits to a school Scary stuff having all these crazy regulations and not knowing it before you start. God save the student who is a first gen business major having to navigate all these wacky professional regulations just to land a job.
@MassDaD68 Yes she was thinking of switching (ie coming home to NJ and living at home the last semester)-- and yes the aspect of not getting credit and a cash cow is exactly our worry! (as the paying parents)
@happy1 – it is a bit of both. She will finish the traditional 4 years in 3.5 years because of extra AP credits, then she figured stay on campus the last spring semester, come home to NJ for the ‘final’ semester-- and yes I don’t think it is as easy as she thinks
@MassDaD68 I will send you a PM so not to get this tread off track…
I would encourage your D to finish out the program at the college in the fall and then come home and focus on the CPA exam for what would be the spring semester. It is a huge weight off to have the exam finished before starting work in the summer or fall.