Accountants Careers: Chartered Accountants CPAs - Designations, Certifications and Credentialing

Most accountant and auditor positions require at least a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field. Beginning accounting and auditing positions in the Government, for example, usually require 4 years of college (including 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing) or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Some employers prefer applicants with a master's degree in accounting, or with a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.

Previous experience in accounting or auditing can help an applicant get a job. Many colleges offer students an opportunity to gain experience through summer or part-time internship programs conducted by public accounting or business firms. In addition, practical knowledge of computers and their applications in accounting and internal auditing is a great asset for jobseekers in the accounting field.

Professional recognition through certification or licensure provides a distinct advantage in the job market. CPAs are licensed by a State Board of Accountancy. The vast majority of States require CPA candidates to be college graduates, but a few States substitute a number of years of public accounting experience for a college degree.

As of early 2005, on the basis of recommendations made by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), 42 States and the District of Columbia required CPA candidates to complete 150 semester hours of college coursework-an additional 30 hours beyond the usual 4-year bachelor's degree. Another five States have adopted similar legislation that will become effective between 2006 and 2009. Colorado, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Vermont are the only States that do not require 150 semester hours. In response to this trend, many schools have altered their curricula accordingly, with most programs offering master's degrees as part of the 150 hours, so prospective accounting majors should carefully research accounting curricula and the requirements of any States in which they hope to become licensed.

All States use the four-part Uniform CPA Examination prepared by the AICPA. The 2-day CPA examination is rigorous, and only about one-quarter of those who take it each year pass every part they attempt. Candidates are not required to pass all four parts at once, but most States require candidates to pass at least two parts for partial credit and to complete all four sections within a certain period. The CPA exam is now computerized and is offered quarterly at various testing centers throughout the United States. Most States also require applicants for a CPA certificate to have some accounting experience.

Nearly all States require CPAs and other public accountants to complete a certain number of hours of continuing professional education before their licenses can be renewed. The professional associations representing accountants sponsor numerous courses, seminars, group study programs, and other forms of continuing education.

Accountants and auditors also can seek to obtain other forms of credentials from professional societies on a voluntary basis. Voluntary certification can attest to professional competence in a specialized field of accounting and auditing. It also can certify that a recognized level of professional competence has been achieved by accountants and auditors who have acquired some skills on the job, without the formal education or public accounting work experience needed to meet the rigorous standards required to take the CPA examination.

The AAFM American Academy http://www.aafm.us  confers the Certified Cost Accountant (CCA) or CCC Certified Cost Controller designation upon applicants who complete a bachelor's degree or who attain a minimum score or higher on AAFM  entrance exams. Applicants, who must have worked at least 2 years in management accounting, also must pass a exit examination, agree to meet continuing education requirements, and comply with standards of professional conduct. The CCA and CCC  exam provides an in-depth measure of competence in areas such as financial statement analysis, working-capital policy, capital structure, cost control, valuation issues, and risk management. The CCA and CCC  program is administered by the American Academy of Financial Management.

The AAFM also offers graduate designations and certifications to accredited degree holders, CPAs, or chartered accountants such as: Certified Budget Analyst,  Certified Valuation Manager, Certified Credit Analyst.

CVM - Certified Valuation Manager  - The Certified Valuation Manager program, is a specialist program designed as an elite accreditation for CPAs and other specialist business analyst who provide business valuation services. The program looks at financial statement analysis, security validation, applied equity analysis and stock valuation techniques, along with the concepts of synergistic valuation and other non-traditional valuation analysis methods. The program is divided into 2 parts, the first being valuation techniques, and the second being the application of those techniques to a series of case studies and real world valuations. Participants are assessed by the accuracy of their valuation on the collective case studies.

CMA - Chartered Mortgage Analyst  - The Mortgage Analyst designation is a retail mortgage products and lending specialist program that focuses on best practice credit approvals, products structure and collections for the mortgage business.

CCA - Certified Credit Analyst  The specialist Credit Risk and Credit Analyst designation, the CCA offers specialists in Credit approvals and loans approval a board certified designation. The CCA is also part of the core Risk Management program offered by AAFM.

Persons planning a career in accounting should have an aptitude for mathematics and be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures quickly. They must be able to clearly communicate the results of their work to clients and managers both verbally and in writing. Accountants and auditors must be good at working with people, as well as with business systems and computers. At a minimum, accountants should be familiar with basic accounting software packages. Because financial decisions are made on the basis of their statements and services, accountants and auditors should have high standards of integrity.

Capable accountants and auditors may advance rapidly; those having inadequate academic preparation may be assigned routine jobs and find promotion difficult. Many graduates of junior colleges or business or correspondence schools, as well as bookkeepers and accounting clerks who meet the education and experience requirements set by their employers, can obtain junior accounting positions and advance to positions with more responsibilities by demonstrating their accounting skills on the job.

Beginning public accountants usually start by assisting with work for several clients. They may advance to positions with more responsibility in 1 or 2 years and to senior positions within another few years. Those who excel may become supervisors, managers, or partners; open their own public accounting firm; or transfer to executive positions in management accounting or internal auditing in private firms.

Management accountants often start as cost accountants, junior internal auditors, or trainees for other accounting positions. As they rise through the organization, they may advance to accounting manager, chief cost accountant, budget director, or manager of internal auditing. Some become controllers, treasurers, financial vice presidents, chief financial officers, or corporation presidents. Many senior corporation executives have a background in accounting, internal auditing, or finance.

In general, public accountants, management accountants, and internal auditors have much occupational mobility. Practitioners often shift into management accounting or internal auditing from public accounting, or between internal auditing and management accounting. It is less common for accountants and auditors to move from either management accounting or internal auditing into public accounting.