CPA

The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the best known of the professional certifications and is the goal of many of our accounting and assurance graduates.  Generally, Virginia Tech first time undergraduate CPA exam takers pass approximately 66% of the sections they take, which is well above the national average.

Students planning to take the CPA Exam in Virginia are required to have a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration or equivalent and at least 120 semester credit hours.  An accounting concentration or equivalent is comprised of 24 semester credit hours of upper-level accounting coursework (including auditing, cost/managerial accounting, financial accounting, and taxation) and 24 semester credit hours of business coursework.  150 semester credit hours are ultimately required for CPA licensure.  The best preparation is to obtain a master’s degree.  The serious CPA exam candidate should take a reputable CPA review course.  Students who plan to take the CPA Exam and/or be licensed as CPAs in states other than Virginia should be aware that some states have education requirements that differ from Virginia.  Students should also be aware that state education requirements may change due to the adoption of the new CPA licensure model effective January 2024.  Students should obtain education requirement information to sit for the CPA Exam and become licensed from the state board of accountancy in the state of interest and take the necessary steps to meet those requirements.

The This Way to the CPA site summarizes licensure requirements by state.