Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 235 - DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND LICENSING › Division 06 - Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy › Rule 235.06.23-001 - CPA Exam test section structure and credit window

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
RULE 3
EXAMINATIONS
3.1 SEMESTER HOUR; ACCREDITED COLLEGES,
			 UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS; CREDIT FOR COURSES
(a) As used in these Rules, a "semester hour"
			 means the conventional college semester hour. Quarter hours may be converted to
			 semester hours by multiplying them by two-thirds.
(b) As used in these Rules, "accreditation"
			 refers to the process of quality control of the education process.
The applicant's degree must have been granted by a four-year
				degree-granting college or university that is accredited by one or more
				recognized accrediting agencies (including their predecessor or successor
				agencies). The Board recognizes the following six (6) accrediting
				agencies.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education;
New England Commission of Higher Education;
Higher Learning Commission;
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities;
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
				Colleges; and the WASC
Senior College and University Commission.
Colleges and Universities accredited by these associations are
				listed on the Council of Higher Education Accreditation's website.
(c) A candidate is considered as
			 graduating from an accredited educational institution if at the time the
			 educational institution grants the applicant's degree, it is accredited at the
			 appropriate level as outlined in these Rules.
(d) If an educational institution was not
			 accredited at the time an applicant's degree was received but is so accredited
			 at the time the application is filed with the Board, the institution will be
			 deemed to be accredited for the purpose of subsection (c), provided;
(1) the educational institution certifies
			 that the applicant's total educational program would qualify the applicant for
			 graduation with a baccalaureate degree during the time the institution has been
			 accredited; and
(2) the educational
			 institution furnishes the Board satisfactory proof, including college catalogue
			 course numbers and descriptions, that the pre-accrediting courses used to
			 qualify the applicant as an accounting major are substantially equivalent to
			 post-accrediting courses, and
(3)
			 the applicant has met the educational requirements outlined in Section
			 3.2.
(e) If an
			 applicant's degree was received at an accredited educational institution
			 pursuant to subsection (c) or (d), but the educational program which was used
			 to qualify the applicant as an accounting major included courses taken at
			 non-accredited institutions, either before or after graduation, such courses
			 will be deemed to have been taken at the accredited institution from which
			 applicant's degree was received, provided the accredited institution either -
(1) has accepted such courses by including
			 them in its official transcript; or
(2) has certified to the Board that it will
			 accept such courses for credit toward graduation.
(f) A graduate of a four-year degree-granting
			 college or university not accredited at the time applicant's degree was
			 received or at the time the application was filed will be deemed to be a
			 graduate of an accredited educational institution if -
(1) a credentials evaluation service that is
			 a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or one
			 approved by the Board certifies that the applicant's degree is equivalent to a
			 degree from an accredited educational institution defined in subsection (b);
			 or
(2)
(A) an accredited educational institution as
			 defined by subsection (b) accepts applicant's non-accredited baccalaureate
			 degree for admission to a graduate business degree program;
(B) the applicant satisfactorily completes at
			 least fifteen semester hours, or the equivalent, in post-baccalaureate
			 education at the accredited institution, of which at least nine semester hours,
			 or the equivalent, shall be in accounting; and
(C) the accredited educational institution
			 certifies that the applicant is in good standing for the continuation in the
			 graduate program, or has maintained a grade point average in these courses that
			 is necessary for graduation.
(g) The advanced subjects completed to
			 qualify under subsection (f)(2) may not be used to satisfy the requirements of
			 section (h).
(h) The accounting and
			 business concentration or equivalent shall consist of the semester hours
			 specified in Rule 3.2 below.