Section 17-2503. EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

 

2503.1An applicant for licensure as a certified public accountant shall establish to the satisfaction of the Board that he or she:

 

(a)Holds a baccalaureate degree with a concentration in accounting conferred by a college or university recognized by the Board or holds that which the Board determines to be substantially the equivalent thereof; or

 

(b)Holds a baccalaureate degree acceptable to the Board supplemented with the equivalent of an accounting concentration including related courses in other areas of business administration; and

 

(c)For applicants receiving their baccalaureate degree after January 1, 2000, in addition to meeting the requirements of either subparagraphs (a) or (b) of this section, possesses one hundred fifty (150) semester hours of college education.

 

2503.2The college or university that conferred the degree relied upon by the applicant shall either have been accredited or licensed by the D.C. Education Licensure Commission or have been a member of a regional accrediting agency recognized by the Board when the applicant’s degree was awarded.

 

2503.3The following regional accrediting agencies shall be recognized by the Board:

 

(a)Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools;

 

(b)New England Association of Schools and Colleges;

 

(c)North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools;

 

(d)Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges;

 

(e)Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; and

 

(f)Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

 

2503.4The educational institution shall have been accredited in accordance with this section when the applicant’s degree was awarded.

 

2503.5A listing of the colleges and universities accredited by the regional accrediting agencies recognized by the Board is contained in the most recent edition of “Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education,” published by the American Council on Education.

 

2503.6If the educational institution that conferred the degree relied upon by the applicant in his or her application was not accredited when an applicant received the degree, but the institution was accredited when the applicant filed his or her application with the Board, the Board shall deem the institution to have been accredited for the purposes of this section if the educational institution does the following:

 

(a)Certifies that the applicant’s total educational program would qualify the applicant for graduation with a baccalaureate degree during the time the institution has been accredited; and

 

(b)Furnishes the Board satisfactory proof, including college catalogue course numbers and descriptions, that the pre-accrediting courses used to qualify the applicant as an accounting major can be matched with substantially equivalent post accrediting courses.

 

2503.7If an applicant’s degree was received from an accredited college or university as defined in this section, but the educational program used to qualify the applicant as an accounting major included courses taken either before or after graduation at a non-accredited institution(s), the courses shall be deemed to have been taken at the institution from which the applicant’s degree was received if either of the following requirements are met:

 

(a)The courses from the non-accredited institution have been included in the applicant’s official transcript; or

 

(b)The accredited degree-granting institution certifies to the Board that it accepted the courses from the non-accredited institution for credit toward graduation.

 

2503.8For the purposes of this chapter, a concentration in accounting, or the equivalent, shall consist of a minimum of three (3) semester hours in commercial law and a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours in accounting subjects. The accounting subjects shall include courses in financial accounting, auditing, cost accounting, and federal income taxes.

 

source

Final Rulemaking published at 51 DCR 4401 (April 30, 2004).