Careers in Accounting

360° of Opportunity

If you are thinking of a career in business, take a look at accounting. Why accounting? It's simple. Accountants are at the center of business operations of all kinds.

• They work with businesses to develop business and information systems strategies.
  
• They help investors by analyzing mergers and acquisitions.
• They enable government to develop new measures of economic efficiency.
• They assist boards of directors by implementing corporate controls.
• They work with all types of organizations to measure and communicate financial results.

Some accountants go into public accounting and become partners in accounting firms. Others, go into corporations as internal auditors, managerial accountants, tax planners, and information systems consultants.

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Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA)

Most students pursuing a career in accounting will find it beneficial to obtain a CPA and/or a CMA license. To become a CPA and/or a CMA, one must meet eligibility requirements and pass rigorous examinations.

Students should note that having a BBA in Accounting will not, by itself, necessarily qualify you to become a CPA and sit for the CPA exam. 

CPA

A CPA license is required for those entering public accounting.  Plan ahead and apply at least 3 months before taking the exam even though the official websites estimate a shorter processing time.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) administers the The Uniform CPA Examination, and maintains a separate website on the CPA examination and certification.

To become licensed as a CPA in Wisconsin, contact the State of Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Licensing.  The site provides information about educational requirements.  This licensing board is the final authority on all licensing matters, they use CPA Exam Services at 1-800-cpa-exam to determine if students are eligible to sit for the exam (more specifically, determining the validity of a student's 150 hours - such as whether or not to count Retro credits towards the 150 hours).  There might be a problem with counting specific courses (such as AIS 100 and AIS 211) in the total credit count and students are encouraged to seek resolution with the licensing authorities when planning their curriculum.  

Here is a link to a site for information about specific courses required for the CPA exam (note:  The “Education” box on the website brings information into the text box that describes course information if you scroll down a bit.) (NOTE:  THIS WEB SITE CAN ALSO BE USED TO FIND OUT INFORMATION ON ILLINOIS AND MINNESOTA REQUIREMENTS): 

http://www.nasba.org/nasbaweb/NASBAWeb.nsf/wpecer?openform&stateabbrev=WI

The following websites also provide useful general information about the CPA exam:

http://www.cpa-exam.org/

http://www.nasba.org/862571B900737CED/0/C6799A5DECB096D0862571B9007442B1/$file/WIFT&IA.pdf

The following link provides information about the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing as well as the Accounting Examining Board: 

http://drl.wi.gov/boards/acc/code/codebook.htm

The following link described Wisconsin’s educational requirements for eligibility for sitting for the CPA exam:

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/code/accy/accy007.pdf

CMA

The Institute of Management Accountants administers the Certified Management Accountant licensing process.

Other licensing opportunities exist -- check out the American Accounting Association Superlink Site for more information.

Additional Information

Many on-line sites have detailed information about accounting licenses.