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Licensing Requirements

The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license is one of the most highly respected credentials you can earn. CPAs have terrific career opportunities, established credibility and impressive compensation. Take your accounting degree one step further by becoming a CPA.

CPA Exam and Certification Requirements Brochure

Access this easy-to-follow brochure, which details the three major elements you’ll need in your pursuit to become a CPA: Education, Examination and Experience.

If you would like to order copies of the Uniform CPA Exam & Certification Requierments in Michigan Brochure, click on the order form

Education Overview

Former Michigan Governor John Engler signed into law Public Act 380 of 1998, also known as the Michigan Accountancy Act, which requires CPA licensure candidates after July 1, 2003, to have 150 semester hours of college education. Once enacted, the Michigan State Board of Accountancy established the following requirements that CPA candidates must comply with:

 

Out of the 150 semester hours, a CPA candidate must take 30 semester hours of accounting subjects, including:

  • Not more than six semester hours of taxation
  • Thirty-nine semester hours including:

  • A minimum of three semester hours, but not more than 12 semester hours, in at least five of the following areas: business law, economics, ethics, finance, management, marketing, taxation, statistics and business policy

Examination Overview

To earn your CPA license, you must pass the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. This exam is required of CPAs in all U.S. jurisdictions. The computerized exam is taken in four parts which cover the following topics:

  • Auditing & Attestation
  • Financial Accounting & Reporting
  • Regulation
  • Business Environment and Concepts

In Michigan, you do not have to wait until you have completed the 150 hours of academic credit to take the exam. You may take the exam while pursuing your education or work experience. However, in order to sit for examination, you must have completed the following academic requirements:

  • Received a baccalaureate degree from an educational institution recognized by the Michigan State Board of Accountancy (MSBA)
  • Completed 24 semester hours in accounting and 24 semester hours in business
  • Accounting courses must include: auditing, financial accounting, managerial accounting, accounting systems and controls, U.S. taxation and government/fund accounting.

Be sure to apply to take the exam as soon as you feel you are eligible and ready. It can take quite a while to process your application. Review the CPA Exam and Certification Requirements brochure for details about the CPA examination process.

Experience Overview

Practical experience demonstrates your ability to put your education into practice. As a CPA license applicant, you must have:

  • Completed one year (2,000 hours) of qualifying experience in a responsible audit position under the direction and supervision of a licensed CPA within a period of not less than one (1) year, but no more than five (5) calendar years.
  • There is no regulation describing when you must complete this experience requirement, before or after the CPA exam or education requirement, however, the firm or agency that you are working with may have their own requirements.
  • The experience must be earned in a CPA firm or governmental agency under the direction of a licensed CPA.