Program: Certificate
Department of Accounting and Finance
Richard T. Doermer School of Business
Neff Hall Room 350 ~ 260-481-6471 ~ www.ipfw.edu/bms
The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting (P.B.A.) is offered by the Department of Accounting and Finance. Typically, students who pursue the P.B.A. are seeking an academic program of recognized quality that will help them prepare for careers in accounting. In combination with a bachelor’s degree earned at an appropriately accredited institution, the P.B.A. meets the current minimum accounting educational requirements to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accounting Examination in Indiana if students select the correct electives. Additional nonaccounting business credits may be required.
Admission Admission to the P.B.A. program is limited to holders of bachelor’s degrees awarded by institutions that were accredited at the baccalaureate level by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (or comparable regional association) at the time the degree was granted.
To enroll in the program, you must first be formally admitted to IPFW. You must provide the IPFW admissions office with official transcripts documenting completion of your bachelor’s degree.
Certificate Requirements Individuals interested in the P.B.A. program should check with either the department (Neff 350) or the school’s Student Success Center (Neff 366) for specific program requirements and further information.
Special Academic Regulations for P.B.A. Students
Performance Standards With the exception of the minimum GPA for retention, P.B.A. students are held to the performance standards specified for students in undergraduate business programs. See Business later in this part of the Bulletin.
Credits from your undergraduate degree MAY be used for some of these requirements. Online courses offered through Indiana University Bloomington Division of Continuing Studies will not count toward the PBA certificate. All coursework must be completed with a grade of C- or better.
Current requirements to sit for the CPA Exam in Indiana require that you have completed a total of 150 credit hours; 24 hours of accounting courses including: financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and managerial accounting; and at least 24 hours of business and/or economics courses that are not accounting courses.
The Doermer School of Business does not play any role in determining if you meet the requirements to sit for the CPA Exam. The state board of accountancy makes that determination. So, if you have any questions about your total number of hours completed or whether specific courses will meet the requirements, you must contact them. The NASBA website, www.nasba.org can be very helpful. At their website click on Exams, then CPA Exam, then choose Indiana. This site will give you all the current requirements for the state of Indiana as well as contact information.