<p>So, I’ve read that most Accountants that work with one of the Big 4 firms eventually end up leaving, one of the reasons being they’re given better job offers.</p>
<p>What type of job offer could be considered “better” than a Big 4 job after an Accountant has had some exposure in one of those firms?</p>
<p>What type of pay? Position? Lifestyle? Thanks to whomever can reply!</p>
<p>For a student who isn’t sure about accounting as a potential major where would be the best place for me to get exposure? Ideally, I would be wanting to work in the health care field with a Masters in Health Care Administration. I was always ok with math, never straight A’s, but I’ve been battling some concussions, and recently now my Dr wants me to get tested for learning disabilities that could’ve been masked by the concussion.</p>
<p>I am signed up to take my uni’s college algebra since the college algebra I took at the previous uni did not transfer over as it. I did ok in previous intro business course back in high school which involved an accounting project. I believe I got an A- on the accounting.</p>
<p>ValleyAccountant,</p>
<p>You said that someone who does not have a undergraduate degree in Business Admin but DOES have a Masters in Accounting is NOT eligible to take the CPA exam due to the new 2014 requirements? Why is this? I haven’t found anything that would suggest that. That was my plan after I graduate from my school with a B.S. in Biology.</p>
<p>If you’re gonna ask a question directed at one person, send a PM. If you want answers from anyone who knows (me) don’t direct your question at one person only.</p>
<p>BAGELZ, new Calif requirement calls for 24 acct + 24 busi + MSA or 20 (acct+busi) + 10 ethics. I think Valley means a MSA program itself MIGHT NOT meet 24+24+10, so for a non-busniess/acct major who didn’t take much busi/acct course in undergrad work, he/she might not be CPA licensing eligible just by completing the MSA program alone. </p>
<p>However, many MSA programs have some intro acct/busi pre-req as far as I know. And math is counted as business course. Most likely, you’ll have some acct/busi units when entering the MSA program. You have to count all your units to see if you need to go beyond the units requirement of your MSA degree.</p>
<p>Sorry about that Whatdidyou, I literally just started an account lol and it was mainly because what Valley said directly conflicted everything I had heard so far.</p>
<p>a_Mom thanks for the point of clarification. That makes a lot more sense. At first I was getting the idea he was saying that new 2014 CPA requirements REQUIRED a bachelors in business but they clearly do not. But it makes sense that a masters without a business background might lack some units specifically in the ethics area and some in the accounting or business area.</p>
<p>For me in particular, the only units I have to apply at the moment is one course in microeconomics and one course in introductory philosophy to apply to the ethics. I think the key to figuring out your eligibility is sitting down with an advisor and having them walk you through it.</p>
<p>NEVER EVER EVER TAKE YOUR SCHOOL ADVISERS WORD ON ANYTHING WITHOUT TALKING TO STATE THE BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY </p>
<p>CPA licensing is a state issue period</p>
<p>Education requirements are between two parties you and your state board of accountancy. Most professors do not keep up on licensing requirements and neither do most advisers. Don’t go by “what you hear” or “what your professor told you”.</p>
<p>Get everything in writing from the State board of accountancy. You can email them and they will give you a legit answer. If later on there is a conflict then you can use this communication and and have a legit argument. </p>
<p>Let me give you an example Baglez</p>
<p>[Master</a> of Accountancy](<a href=“Degrees & Courses”>Degrees & Courses) </p>
<p>This program only requires 9 units of foundation courses in accountancy. Then 36 units of accountancy. 9+36= 45 units add in your 8 units of economics and philosophy that brings you to 53 units. Meaning you could be deficient by 25 units Bagelz. </p>
<p>I never said “everyone who gets a masters degree and was not a business major will not be eligible”. I was just saying the situation can arise where the person posses a masters of accountancy and cannot meet the requirements. </p>
<p>Don’t trust what people say about this subject there are a few things that must be considered to evaluate the impact of the 2014 laws. The only way to know for sure is to contact your board of accountancy.</p>
<ol>
<li> The wording of the laws passed creating the 2014 requirements.</li>
<li> How the wording is interpreted</li>
<li> How the wording is applied</li>
</ol>
<p>These can be very different things. 10 units of “accounting ethics” would have been outrageous. No school in California has 3 accounting ethics courses.</p>
<p>I decided to contact both the director of the Masters program at SDSU (my top pick at the moment) and a rep from the California Board of Accountancy. The CBA directly stated the only changes being made were to actual licensure requirements and not for sitting for the exam and these were only the extra 20 accounting study units and 10 ethics study units. I went through the unit requirements for the SDSU program and it does seem that one could fall short of units in ethics or accounting if they do not coordinate their semesters. I just wanted to make sure their wasn’t something new to the 2014 requirements I was missing.</p>
<p>And also as a side question I will probably end up applying to the Masters Accounting programs at Cal Poly SLO, SDSU, and CSUF. Which of these three schools in terms of recruitment and curriculum is most likely the better choice?</p>
<p>And also Valley in your assessment you forget to the 20 units to the total you got before since a graduate degree in accounting in California under the 2014 requirements grants the 20 additional accounting units needed. That would bring you up to 73 units, still under.</p>
<p>So the units in your graduate degree would count toward the 24-24 and 20 since the units count towards the 24 and 24 and then merely possessing a masters degree fulfills the 20 unit requirement?</p>
<p>That doesn’t sound right to me but it is up to the state board of accountancy. This primarily doesn’t make sense since the units would be double counted. I doubt this is the case but go check.</p>
<p>The regulations are still pending and are updated through 8/2/2012.</p>
<p>I was skeptical of it but if you go on the CBA website and look at FAQ there is a question that asks if a Masters degree in Accounting fulfills the extra 20 accounting units required for licensure and the answer is it does fulfill those 20 units but it must be specifically a Masters in Accounting, Taxation, or Laws in Taxation and not an MBA or certificate or anything like that.</p>
<p>It would mean that the masters fulfills the 20 units but the question is whether or not the masters units can apply to both the 24 and 24 and the 20 at the same time. Obviously a masters fulfills the 20 units but does it also fulfill the 24 and 24 by double counting?</p>
<p>Anyways Bagelz why accounting and why now? Why on earth are you changing this late in the game to accounting? You better get ready for these questions from a CPA firm.</p>
<p>It answers that too. Next question asks if the units actually completed IN the program apply to the 24+24+10 units and the answer is yes, the units actually taken fulfill those and the M.S. itself fulfills the 20 extra needed. </p>
<p>To be honest its a lot of mixed reasons. My undergraduate curriculum in environmental science was very interesting to me and i did have somewhat of a passion for it but towards the end I realized I didn’t truly have the vigor to spend my whole life in the field plus always under pressure to seek employment for a less than lucrative major (which wasn’t helped by all the research I did that confirmed how bleak the market was for anything environmental).</p>
<p>I started to look into something much more practical and marketable for the real world and accounting caught me eye because I am a very analytical person, I love dealing with figures, and it seems like an overall secure job base. I am still also looking into law but that option doesn’t look like a good idea at this time.</p>
<p>First, just want to say I have been lurking this thread for a long time. So much useful info and tips in this thread, just want to thank all the regulars here for being a source of info for a lot of people that you probably don’t even realize.</p>
<p>Ok so my question, and this is just something I ask curiously. Is a major in Bus. Admin w/concentration Accounting considered the same thing as a major in accounting? I ask this because most schools have either of these options, but not both which leads me to believe they are mostly considered the same thing. Looking at curriculum for these majors always seem to look pretty comparable as well. The only different I can tell is that one Diploma will read Bus. Admin and one will read Accounting. I started wondering this when I was applying to Cal Poly SLO and Arizona State. Poly only offers the BS in Bus. Admin w/ Accounting concentration, while ASU had a BS in Accountancy, and I never got a clear answer from the counselors to what exactly was the difference.</p>
<p>hey all!</p>
<p>so, I have a rather scattered academic history from various universities. I suppose I should give the chronological story to make it easier to follow. I got my B.A. in Psychology in 2008 (3.5 GPA) with the plan on going to law school. I went to law school for one year, hated it and dropped out. I have since got a Masters in Marketing (3.58 GPA) in 2011, but to be honest, I did not enjoy that line of work. </p>
<p>Long story short, I did some soul searching and signed up for some classes in the summer to see what fields I would be interested in. Turns out that I quite liked the Accounting course that I took, so I am taking some business prerequisites this fall so that I can apply for a Masters of Accounting program. </p>
<p>I suppose my major concern is that I have appeared to scattered and unfocused with my studies. Is that going prevent me from getting a good accounting job? or once i’ve passed the CPA test, does that override any of your past mistakes?</p>
<p>thanks for your help.</p>
<p>Itsaholiday1,a lot sadly depends on your age. If you are under 35 by the time you are looking for a job, you shouldn’t have a problem if you have a strong accounting GPA. If you are over 35, you still should have some decent job prospects for most of the accounting firms and corporations other than the big 4.</p>
<p>@taxguy - well, I am 25 which is good. I’m a bit older then most college grads, but not old enough to have any proper experience in any one career.</p>
<p>Itsaholidar41, you are fine at age 25.</p>