Public Accounting Option

Berea offers excellent preparation for students interested in sitting for the CPA exam.  We have many graduates who pass the CPA exam soon after graduation.  Our graduates work in public accounting for large, Big Four firms as well as smaller firms.  Some take positions in the industry, government, and nonprofit sectors in a variety of accounting and finance related positions such as financial accounting, cost accounting, budgeting, investment analysts, tax advisory, internal audit, and the like.  Our accounting graduates are very competitive in the job market.

To be eligible for certification, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) requires passing the CPA exam, and obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree.  The AICPA specifies the Bachelor’s Degree program must include 39 semester hours in business/economics of which 27 must be in accounting, and 150 hours overall. In order to accommodate the 150 hour requirement, Berea College permits its accounting students to stay an extra term or two beyond the regular four years if they need to in order to accumulate the necessary 150 hours to become certified.  Many students, through careful planning and close consultation with their advisor, complete the necessary 150 hours within the normal four years, while others stay for an extra term, or rarely, two terms.  Our program is designed to allow students to be fully eligible and well prepared to sit for the CPA exam and become certified.