150-Hour Education Requirement for Licensure

For additional information on the 150-hour requirement for licensure, please contact Alice Steckenrider or Buck Winslow.

Q. When did the 150-hour education requirement for licensure take effect?

A. The 150-hour education requirement for licensure is effective for applications for licensure received after January 1, 2001.

Q. Did other requirements for licensure change?

A. Yes. All experience requirements for licensure were reduced by one year. The use of a Master's or more advanced degree for reduction of the experience requirement was eliminated for qualified applications received by the Board or postmarked after December 31, 2000.

Q. I passed all sections of the Uniform CPA Examination prior to December 31, 2000, but did not complete my work experience until after January 1, 2001. I have a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), but only have 27 hours of accounting. Will I have to complete the concentration in accounting (30 semester hours of accounting) before I apply for my certificate?

A. Pursuant to 21 NCAC 8F .0410(b), even if you have an MBA, you must have completed at least 30 semester hours of accounting before applying for your North Carolina CPA certificate.

Q. I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. Am I required to comply with the 150-hour education requirement?

A. You are required to comply with the 150-hour education requirement for licensure unless you graduated, completed the minimum work experience requirement, and submitted your qualified application for licensure to the Board prior to December 31, 2000.

Q. Am I required to complete 150 hours of college-level course work or obtain a Master's degree to apply to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination?

A. No. The 150-hour education requirement applies only to individuals applying for licensure.

Q. How can I tell if my coursework meets the education requirements for the exam and licensure?

A. The Board has developed a worksheet that will help you determine if your coursework meets the requirement. The Board staff will neither review nor approve your education in light of the 150-hour requirement unless the worksheet is submitted with a completed application for licensure.

Q. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and have passed the Uniform CPA Examination. I am employed as a cost accountant in industry and must have four years of work experience because a CPA does not supervise me. I did not complete my work experience requirement prior to December 31, 2000. I do not plan on obtaining an MBA or Master's degree in Accounting so I must complete an additional 30 semester hours of college course work to be eligible to apply for licensure after December 31, 2000. What courses am I required to take?

A. The 150 semester hours required for licensure must include a concentration in accounting, as defined by 21 NCAC 8A .0309, and other courses as required by the Board as follows: 24 semester hours of coursework which shall include one three-semester hour course from at least eight of the following ten fields of study:

Communications - this field of study will give an individual knowledge of oral and written communication skills. This field includes but is not limited to speech, business writing, public speaking, report writing, debate, technical writing, business communications and advanced writing skills coursework above basic introductory composition;

Computer technology - this field of study will give an individual knowledge of computer hardware and computer applications. This field includes but is not limited to information systems, electronic spreadsheet, database management, word processing, and programming;

Economics - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of the economic system. This field includes but is not limited to micro/macro economics, labor economics, managerial economics, resource and environmental economics, money and financial markets, and comparative economic systems;

Ethics - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of discipline which society has imposed on itself through laws, customs, moral standards, and rules of professional conduct. This field includes but is not limited to ethics, ethics of religion, business ethics, ethics of philosophy, and professional ethics [NOTE: Religion and philosophy courses are not automatically considered Ethics courses];

Finance - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of the financial practices of business. This field includes but is not limited to finance, banking and money, corporation finance, business finance, insurance, real estate, capital budgeting, and financial planning;

Humanities/social science - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of human values and choices and the human process. This field includes but is not limited to psychology, geography, sociology, leadership, anthropology, political science, criminal justice, and social welfare;

International environment - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of the international environment. This field includes but is not limited to international accounting, international business, foreign language, international trade, international finance, international marketing, foreign economy, and international organizations;

Law - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of the legal environment of business. This field includes but is not limited to business law, commercial law, regulatory law, professional regulations of the profession, and international law;

Management - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of the operation of business, This field includes but is not limited to personnel, marketing, human resources, production management, operations and business policy, human relations, organizational behavior, and quantitative methods for management; or

Statistics - this field of study will give an individual a knowledge of the application of statistical methodology. This field includes but is not limited to statistics, behavior research, business statistics, survey sampling, probability and statistical computing, and database management.

01/2006