The Student CPA

It’s been quite a wile since I filed my last blog post. While I do really enjoy almost any activity that stimulates the intellect, just over three months ago, I determined that my brain cells could seriously benefit from an extended break from most intellectually driven activities before I embarked  in my graduate studies in accounting. As a matter of fact, in less than a week I will be starting the completion of my masters degree in accounting at the University of West Georgia. While I pursue my graduate degree in accounting, I will be simultaneously employed as a Graduate Assistant in one of the university’s academic departments. In one of my previous blog posts entitled Graduate Business School Admissions: The Waiting Game, I explained how important it was for me to obtain a graduate assistantship as it enables me to optimally minimize my out of pocket expenses. In a later post, I will be sharing further details regarding my journey to an admission into a master’s degree in accounting. While I was away from the blogosphere, I did make the extra effort to add additional features to the website. Indeed, The Student CPA weblog now features a “Sample Accounting Tests” page as well as a “Forum” page. The former comes to complement the already very popular “Accounting Lecture Notes” page while the latter offers a discussion and collaboration platform for anybody either enrolled in an accounting course or preparing for any of the accounting professional certifications. I am really excited at the idea of resuming my blogging activities. I will make every effort to improve upon what has already been accomplished so far. You can expect the same high levels of candor and thoroughness that have become the hallmark of almost each and every post or page published on The Student CPA weblog. Continue reading Glad to Be Back in Business

I recently came across two very interesting posts: Are New Graduates Getting Squeezed by the 150 Hour CPA Requirement? by Francine McKenna at re: The auditors and Are We Asking for Future Problems? by Dr. David Albrecht at The Summa. In both articles, the authors spoke about how the 150-hour credit CPA education requirement is somehow pushing new accounting college graduates to seek a Master of Accounting as a mean to fulfill that requirement. Most importantly, they both make a pertinent remark when they point out that new accounting college graduates have little to nothing to gain in rushing to obtain a Master of Accounting. When you stop and think about it, she relatively has a valid point. Of all the business and accounting courses that constitute the required body of knowledge to be prepared for the CPA exam, Corporate and Estate Taxation and occasionally Government and Non Profit Accounting are the only two classes that are not included in the required curriculum of a typical bachelor’s degree in accounting. This entails that the gap between the standard curriculum of a bachelor’s degree in accounting and the CPA’s candidate body of knowledge is no wider than six credit hours of accounting courses.  Anything beyond those six credit hours is inconsequential as it relates to having the proper training to give the CPA exam. Continue reading Are All Masters of Accounting Created Equal?