Becoming a CPA in Iowa
150 hours: CPA candidates do not need 150 hours to sit for the CPA exam in Iowa, but must complete 150 hours to actually receive the CPA license from the Iowa Accountancy Examining Board.
See http://www.iacpa.org/students/default.htm for more information.
CPA candidates who have completed a baccalaureate degree, the Post Graduate Accounting Certificate, and any additional courses needed for CPA preparation will most likely have completed at least 150 credit hours.
Course distribution: The candidate must have at least a baccalaureate degree or post-baccalaureate program in combination with the degree (such as the Simpson Accounting Certificate) which includes:
• At least 24 semester hours in upper level accounting including courses covering the subjects of financial accounting (intermediate level or above), auditing, taxation, and management accounting. This requirement is met through the accounting certificate program.
• At least 24 hours in business-related courses. We recommend the following in addition to the certificate: Acct 251 Principles of Accounting I, Acct 252 Principles of Accounting II, Econ 101 Macroeconomics, Econ 102 Microeconomics, Magt 231 Business Law I, Magt 232 Business Law II, Econ 339 Corporation Finance, Econ/Math 201 Elementary Statistics,
Field experience: One year of qualifying experience in the field in an accounting or finance position is required for licensure. See rules. http://www.iacpa.org/sig/iaaadminrules_4.asp
Courses required for accounting certificate:
___ Acct 341 Intermediate Accounting I, 3
___ Acct 342 Intermediate Accounting II, 3
___ Acct 343 Intermediate Accounting III, 3
___ Acct 353 Cost Accounting, 3
___ Acct 354 Individual Income Tax, 3
___ Acct 356 Advanced Accounting, 3
___ Acct 358 Auditing, 3
___ One Accounting 300-level elective (either Acct 355 or Acct 359) , 3
Total hours for certificate, 24