Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 61H1-27.002 - Concentrations in Accounting and Business
(1) For purposes of Section
473.306, F.S., if application
for the Uniform CPA Examination was made prior to August 2, 1983, an applicant
must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with
a major in accounting, or its equivalent, with a concentration in accounting
and business subjects. A concentration in accounting and business is defined as
an educational program that includes at least 18 semester hours or 27 quarter
hours, or the equivalent, in accounting education above elementary (principles
of) accounting and 27 semester or 40 quarter hours, or the equivalent, in
general business education. In order to meet the provisions of Section
473.306, F.S., the application
must have been filed, completed and approved and show on its face that all
educational and other requirements were met prior to August 2, 1983.
(2) For purposes of Section
473.308, F.S., if application
for licensure is made after August 1, 1983, an applicant must have at least 150
semester hours or 225 quarter hours of college education, including a
baccalaureate degree or higher conferred by an accredited college or university
with a major in accounting, or its equivalent. The applicant's total education
program shall include a concentration in accounting and business as follows:
(a) 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in
accounting education at the upper division level which shall include coverage
of the following topics:
1. Auditing
2. Financial accounting
3. Taxation
4. Cost and managerial accounting or
accounting data analytics.
Of these courses, the applicant must complete 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of financial accounting based upon United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of taxation for accounting standards based upon United States federal and state laws. Not more than 3 semester or 4 quarter hours may be internship programs which may be applied to the 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in accounting (internship courses must be taken in conjunction with other traditional coursework at an institution and must appear on the transcript). Further, any remaining internship credit if otherwise acceptable would be applied to the general business requirement;
(b) 36 semester or 54 quarter hours in
general business education which shall include not less than the equivalent of
3 semester or 4 quarter hours in business law courses based upon United States
federal and state laws. Vocational and clerical type courses will not count
either toward the accounting requirement set forth in subsection
61H1-27.002(2),
F.A.C., or this general business education requirement. Specialized industry
courses will be acceptable as general business courses but not as accounting
courses unless as defined in subsection
61H1-27.002(2),
F.A.C., and they have an accounting prefix, further such courses in order to
qualify must be certified by the chairman of the school or college's accounting
department as qualifying for general business credit. Written or oral
communication courses will qualify for the general business requirement if they
have a business or accounting prefix or if they are reflected in the catalog in
the school or college as relating directly to the school or college's business
or accounting requirements.
(3) To be eligible to take the licensure
examination, an applicant shall have completed 120 semester or 180 quarter
hours as follows:
(a) 24 semester or 36
quarter hours in accounting education at the upper division level which shall
include coverage of the following topics:
1.
Auditing
2. Financial
accounting
3. Taxation
4. Cost and managerial accounting or
accounting data analytics.
Of these courses, the applicant must complete 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of financial accounting based upon United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of taxation for accounting standards based upon United States federal and state laws. Not more than 3 semester or 4 quarter hours may be internship programs which may be applied to the 24 semester or 36 quarter hours in accounting (internship courses must be taken in conjunction with other traditional coursework at an institution and must appear on the transcript). Further, any remaining internship credit if otherwise acceptable would be applied to the general business requirement;
(b) 24 semester or 36 quarter hours in
general business education which shall include not less than the equivalent of
3 semester or 4 quarter hours in business law courses based upon United States
federal and state laws. Vocational and clerical type courses will not count
either toward the accounting requirement set forth in subsection
61H1-27.002(2),
F.A.C., or this general business education requirement. Specialized industry
courses will be acceptable as general business courses but not as accounting
courses unless as defined in subsection
61H1-27.002(2),
F.A.C., and they have an accounting prefix; further such courses in order to
qualify must be certified by the chairman of the school or college's accounting
department as qualifying for general business credit. Written or oral
communication courses will qualify for the general business requirement if they
have a business or accounting prefix or if they are reflected in the catalog in
the school or college as relating directly to the school or college's business
or accounting requirements.
(4) For purposes of this rule, upper division
accounting hours other than elementary above the minimum requirement may be
substituted for general business hours. Elementary accounting subjects shall
not be accepted as general business education. Elementary accounting subjects
include principles of financial and managerial accounting courses even if they
are covered in a three course sequence, are titled "introductory,"
"fundamentals" or "principles" and even if they are offered at the graduate
level. All accounting courses and not less than 21 semester or 32 quarter hours
of general business courses must be at the upper division level. For the
purpose of paragraph 61H1-27.002(2)(b),
F.A.C., all general business courses, including accounting courses in excess of
the 36 hours required, must be taken at the upper division level, except for
Introductory Macro and Micro Economics, Business Law, Introductory Statistics,
Introduction to Computer Information Systems, and any written or oral
communication course described in paragraph
61H1-27.002(2)(b),
F.A.C. Lower level general business courses, other than those listed above,
posted to transcripts after August 31, 1989 will not count. Standardized tests,
such as CLEP, are not acceptable for accounting or general business courses;
however, advanced placement (AP) courses will be counted if the applicant has
been granted college credit for those AP courses by their degree-granting
institution.
(a) Upper division, as used in
Rule 61H1-27.002, F.A.C., means
courses above the prinicipal introductory level.
(b) If an applicant has taken a course at the
lower division at a senior institution, and that institution has reclassified
the course to the upper division at the time of application to Florida, the
course will be deemed upper division for the purpose of Rule
61H1-27.002,
F.A.C.
(5) Re-applicants
whose original application for the CPA examination was approved prior to August
2, 1983, may elect to satisfy subsection
61H1-27.002(1),
F.A.C.
(6) For purposes of
subsection 61H1-27.002(2),
F.A.C., and Section 473.306, F.S., a baccalaureate
degree will not be considered as meeting the statutory requirement for a major
in accounting or its equivalent unless all credit hours accepted by the college
or university as part of the degree requirement are listed as courses in the
catalogues of all institutions attended.
(7) If an applicant takes duplicate courses,
only one of these courses will be counted. For purposes of this rule, all CPA
Examination Review courses will be deemed to be duplicate courses.
(a) Courses will be considered duplicated if
they cover a substantially equivalent professional area of knowledge even if
separated by a span of time and even if some of the professional, technical
and/or legal issues have been changed or modified.
(b) Regarding CPA Review courses, by
definition these courses cover material already studied. Accordingly, no
exception will be made to consider a CPA Review course non-duplicative,
regardless of statements by applicants, professors, or academic administrators
that additional topics are covered or the material covered only superficially
in prior courses is covered in more detail in a "review"
course.
(8) Individuals
who are currently licensed in good standing, with at least five (5) years of
work experience in the practice of public accountancy in the United States are
exempt from the requirements in subsections
61H1-27.002(1)
-(3), which are in excess of a baccalaureate degree or higher conferred by an
accredited college or university with a major in accounting or its equivalent.
All experience that is used as a basis for waiving the requirements in excess
of a baccalaureate degree must be while licensed by another state or territory
in the United States. This experience shall include providing any type of
service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, compilation,
management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills. This
experience shall be verified by a licensed certified public accountant in good
standing with a state or territory of the United States. Individuals performing
the certification must be licensed and in good standing both during the
applicant's work experience and at the time of verification.
(9) Individuals who are currently licensed in
good standing, with at least five (5) years of work experience in the practice
of public accountancy or its equivalent in countries approved by the
International Qualifications Appraisal Board of the National Association of
State Boards of Accountancy (IQAB) and whose educational degrees are from
accredited institutions as set forth in subsection
61H1-27.001(1),
F.A.C., shall be deemed to have met the requirements set forth in subsections
61H1-27.002(1)
-(3), F.A.C. All experience that is used as a basis for waiving the
requirements in subsections
61H1-27.002(1)
-(3) must be while licensed by another state or territory in the United States
or while licensed in the practice of public accounting or its equivalent in a
foreign country that the IQAB has determined has licensure standards that are
substantially equivalent to the those in the United States. This experience
shall include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of
accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax,
or consulting skills. This experience shall be verified by a licensed certified
public accountant in good standing with a state or territory of the United
States or a chartered accountant in good standing recognized by the IQAB, both
during the applicant's work experience and at the time of
verification.
Notes
Rulemaking Authority 473.304, 473.306(3), 473.308(3) FS. Law Implemented 473.306(2), (3), 473.308(3), (8) FS.
New 12-4-79, Amended 2-3-81, 8-1-83, 3-21-84, 6-10-84, 6-5-85, 10-28-85, Formerly 21A-27.02, Amended 5-22-88, 3-21-89, 5-20-91, 12-2-92, Formerly 21A-27.002, Amended 11-2-95, 11-3-97, 1-31-05, 5-24-07, 11-30-08, 12-21-09, 12-2-14, 7-11-16, 2-13-18, 7-29-18, 2-3-20, 1-12-21, 5-14-23, 10-26-23.
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