Accounting Pathway to CPA Certificate

Program: Certificate

Department of Accounting
Richard T. Doermer School of Business

Neff Hall 350 ~ 260-481-6471

Doermer School of Business Undergraduate Student Success Center

DSB 101 ~ 260-481-6472

The Accounting Pathway to CPA Certificate is offered through the Department of Accounting. Typically, students who pursue the certificate 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 Accounting Pathway to CPA Certificate 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 non-accounting business credits may be required.

Admission:

Admission to the certificate program is limited to holders of bachelor’s degrees awarded by institutions that were accredited at the baccalaureate level by the Higher Learning Commission (or comparable regional association) at the time the degree was granted.

To enroll in the program, you must first be formally admitted to Purdue University Fort Wayne. You must provide the Purdue Fort Wayne admissions office with official transcripts documenting completion of your bachelor’s degree.

You must meet the prerequisites for each course and earn a grade of C- or better in each course, while maintaining at least a 2.30 GPA in courses required for the certificate. You must complete at least 12 of the required 24-30 credits at Purdue Fort Wayne to be eligible to receive the certificate.

Department of Workforce Development (DWD) funding: Individuals who qualify for WIOA education and training funds through their local WorkOne office may receive tuition and supply fee financial assistance for this program. DWD may conduct interviews to monitor the implementation of the program – this could involve brief interviews with faculty, staff, and students.

Gainful Employment Disclosure:

Information regarding Consumer Information for this program can be found under the Student Information heading at: Consumer Information - Purdue Fort Wayne (pfw.edu)

College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs. The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings. Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program. That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?151102-Purdue-University-Fort-Wayne&fos_code=5203&fos_credential=3

Certificate Prerequisite

Students must complete the Accounting Skills for Professionals Certificate before enrolling inthe Pathway to CPA Certificate.

Accounting Requirements Credits: 12

BUS 31200 - Intermediate Accounting II Cr. 3.
BUS 42400 - Auditing And Assurance Services Cr. 3.

Business Elective Credits: 6

Choose two courses (6 credits) from the list of courses below. Check the pre-requisites carefully to make sure all the pre-requisites are met for the selected course.

BUS 42200 - Advanced Financial Accounting Cr. 3.
BUS 44100 - Special Topics In Assurance Services Cr. 3.
BUS 33100 - Taxation Of Business Entities Cr. 3.

Special Academic Regulations for Certificate Students

Certificate students are held to the same performance standards specified for students in undergraduate business programs.

Credits from your undergraduate degree MAY be used for some of these requirements.

Credits from the Accounting Skills for Professionals Certificate will all count towards meeting the current requirements to sit for the CPA Exam in Indiana, including have completed a total of 150 credit hours; 24 credit hours of accounting courses including: financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and managerial accounting; and at least 24 credit 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.

Total Credits: 12

Student Responsibility

You are responsible for ensuring that you satisfy all graduation requirements specified for each selected program. Thus, it is essential that you develop a thorough understanding of the required courses, academic policies, and procedures governing your academic career. If you cannot complete all program requirements by your stated graduation date but fail to remove those from your plan of study, the Registrar’s Office in consultation with your academic advisor will remove unmet pursuits from your plan of study. Changing curricular records during the graduation term of application may affect state or federal financial aid awards. All requests for exceptions to specific requirements must be made in writing and may be granted only by written approval from the appropriate chair or dean.