Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 252 CMR - BOARD OF REGISTRATION IN PUBLIC ACCOUNTANCY › Title 252 CMR 2.00 - Requirements for Certification › Section 2.07 - Education, Experience and Other Requirements for Issuance of Certificate as Certified Public Accountant

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
Formal Application
. An applicant for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant who has passed the examination set by the Board shall file with the Board a formal application for such certificate, accompanied by payment of the required fee. A form for application may be obtained from the offices of the Board. An applicant must also submit an official certification of completion of 150 semester of education hours to the Board's designated exam administrator or an official transcript from colleges or universities as provided in 252 CMR 2.07(2)(a), experience letter(s) from employer(s) as provided in 252 CMR 2.07(2)(b), and three letters from employers, business associates or clients attesting to the applicant's character and fitness. A recent un-mounted passport-size photograph must also be attached to that application.
(2)
Education and Experience Requirements
. An applicant for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant who sat for the CBT prior to or with 120 hours of education and who has successfully passed the examination, and qualifies otherwise in the opinion of the Board, shall receive a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant upon satisfying the Board that the applicant has successfully met the 150 hour education requirement. All candidates shall submit official transcripts from colleges or universities as provided in 252 CMR 2.07(2)(a) or shall submit an Academic Evaluation for Certification Report from the Board or its designee.
(a)
Education Requirements
. A candidate for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant shall Complete 150 semester hours (225-quarter hours) of college or university education to include a bachelor's degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution. For the purposes of determining equivalence of quarter hours, 4½-quarter hours will equal three credit hours. The Board will review successful completion of three-quarter hour courses; provided that the accounting and business course requirements total 36-quarter hours each.
The candidate must have completed the 150-hour education requirement for eligibility for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant in accordance with one of the following four provisions:
1. Earned a graduate degree in accounting from a program at a nationally or regionally accredited college or university that is further accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Programs not accredited by AACSB must be approved by the Board or an Educators Credential Committee appointed by the Board upon a written request from such college or university. The Educators Credential Committee will consist of at least three accounting educators selected by the Board from the faculty of nationally or regionally accredited educational institutions located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
2. Earned a graduate degree in accounting, business administration or law from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university. This degree must include 30 semester hours (45-quarter hours) of accounting at the undergraduate level, or 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) of accounting at the graduate level. The accounting credits shall include coverage in financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting. In addition, the degree must include or be supplemented by, 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) of business courses (other than accounting courses) at the undergraduate level or 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) at the graduate level, or an equivalent combination thereof; or
3. Earned at least a bachelor's degree from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university. This degree must include or be supplemented by 30 semester hours (45-quarter hours) of accounting courses. The accounting credits shall include coverage in financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting. In addition, the degree must include, or be supplemented by, 24 semester hours (36-quarter hours) of business courses other than accounting courses. These business courses shall include coverage in the areas of business law, information systems, finance, and coverage in at least one of the areas of economics, business organizations, professional ethics, and/or business communication.