Information for CPA (Certified Public Accountant) Exam Candidates
For students working toward the CPA examination, Oakton is accredited with the Illinois Board of Examiners. Exam candidates with a master’s degree in accounting that is recognized by the Board of Examiners are immediately qualified to sit for the exam. CPA exam candidates without a master’s degree in accounting must successfully complete 150 hours of college/university credit, including a bachelor’s degree in any field. Within those 150 hours, there are some specific requirements:
(a) 30 semester hours in accounting. All accounting courses, with the exception of ACC 255, can be counted toward the 30 accounting hours required by the Illinois Board of Examiners.
(b) 24 semester credit hours of business courses (other than accounting). These business courses must include 3 credit hours of business ethics (BUS 107 or MGT 276) and 2 credit hours of business communication (embedded in MGT 118). For students that still need to satisfy the remaining business credits, Oakton recommends ECO 201, ECO 202, BUS 221, and BUS 222 because economics and business law are tested on the CPA exam.
For information about the CPA exam, visit www.ilboe.org. For more information concerning the program, course transferability, or the CPA exam, contact the department chair or visit www.oakton.edu/academics/list-of-programs/accounting.php.
37 Semester Credit Hours; Curriculum: 0006
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses for a Certificate | ||
| ACC 153 | Principles of Financial Accounting | 4 |
| ACC 154 | Principles of Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| ACC 241 | Intermediate Accounting I | 4 |
| ACC 242 | Intermediate Accounting II | 4 |
| ACC 244 | Income Tax Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 260 | Auditing | 3 |
| ACC 266 | Advanced Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 274 | Advanced Tax Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 280 | Data Analytics for Accounting | 3 |
| BUS 107 | Applied Business Ethics | 3 |
| or MGT 276 | Corporate Social Responsibility and Decision Making | |
| MGT 118 | Effective Management Communications | 3 |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
Note: Before students take courses needed to meet the requirements outlined above, it is strongly recommended that they send a list of courses in these areas that they already have, in addition to those they expect to take, to Board of Examiners for pre-approval. This pre-approval will be valid for three years. See www.ilboe.org for more information.
Professional Accounting - CPA Preparation Certificate Pathway
The following Pathway is recommended for students pursuing the Professional Accounting - CPA Preparation Certificate.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ACC 153 | Principles of Financial Accounting | 4 |
| MGT 118 | Effective Management Communications | 3 |
| BUS 107 or MGT 276 | Applied Business Ethics or Corporate Social Responsibility and Decision Making | 3 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ACC 154 | Principles of Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| ACC 241 | Intermediate Accounting I | 4 |
| ACC 260 | Auditing | 3 |
| Hours | 11 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| ACC 244 | Income Tax Accounting | 3 |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ACC 242 | Intermediate Accounting II | 4 |
| ACC 266 | Advanced Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 274 | Advanced Tax Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 280 | Data Analytics for Accounting | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
Note: Pathway is a recommended sequence of courses. Students should contact the department chair to discuss the course sequence as well as course prerequisites and recommendations.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of:
- Analyze financial accounting topics, utilizing the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Codification Database.
- Apply managerial accounting principles, including Microsoft Excel proficiency.
- Prepare and analyze individual, corporation, and partnership taxation, using the Research Institute of America's (RIA) research database.
- Verify accounting records through auditing, including cases.
- Synthesize business ethics cases appropriately.
- Prepare business memos in professional formatting as required by the CPA Exam.
- Execute data analytics tasks, encompassing data preparation, modeling, analysis, interpretation, and visualization.