Certificate in Accounting
OVERVIEW
The certificate will be comprised of the core set of accounting courses considered the minimal education necessary to prepare for a career, or graduate study, in accounting. It is designed to meet the needs of career changers who already possess an undergraduate degree in another field.
The undergraduate certificate program includes the foundation courses that are pre-requisite to graduate study in accounting; career changers who are interested in obtaining graduate education in accounting will be able to earn a certificate while meeting the accounting foundation requirements for graduate study. In addition, the certificate will allow individuals, who do not wish to incur the expense of pursuing, or do not qualify to pursue, a graduate degree, to demonstrate completion of the accounting core.
Career changers who already have completed an undergraduate course of study will have earned, at the completion of the certificate program, 136, or more, hours of the 150-hour requirement to sit for the CPA exam. Individuals who want to sit for the CPA exam should also take BUS 280 (Legal Environment of Business). Those who need additional credits to meet the 150-hour requirement and who do not wish to enter a graduate degree program, can take additional accounting electives and/or other business or undergraduate courses of interest to meet the credit hour requirement to sit for the CPA exam.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Admission to this certificate program requires the completion of a certificate application form. Admission will be limited to those with either: 1) an undergraduate degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.33, or 2) a masters level (or above) degree.
Non-matriculated students enrolled in this certificate program will not be eligible for financial aid.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The recommended application deadlines for the program are August 15th for the fall semester and January 1st for the spring semester; however, applications will be accepted after those dates.
COST
Tuition is set by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees. The current undertgraduate cost per credit hour is $253 (in-state). In addition to the University fees, the School of Business has a $67 per credit hour specialized accreditation fee. Visit the student accounts website for more tuition and fee information.
Courses & Requirements
The following Foundation Courses (six credits) are pre-requisites to one or more of the courses included in the Accounting Certificate.
Foundation Courses (6 Credit Hours)
- ACC 110 Financial Accounting Information for Decision Making (3 cr)
- ACC 211 Managerial Accounting Information for Decision Making (3 cr)
The certificate program will consist of 16 credit hours composed of six required core courses, all of which are existing USM School of Business courses. Courses must be taken in the order required by the pre-requisite structure in effect.
Required Courses for the Certificate (16 Credit Hours)
- ACC 221 The Financial Accounting Cycle (1 cr) *Certificate students may opt to test-out of ACC 221
- ACC 301 Financial Reporting I (3 cr)
- ACC 302 Financial Reporting II (3 cr)
- ACC 329 Accounting Information Systems (3 cr)
- ACC 410 Auditing and Assurance (3 cr)
- ACC 413 Concepts and Strategies of Taxation (3 cr)
Enrollment in specific courses is based on eligibility criteria and availability of space in the courses. Enrollment in some courses may be restricted or prohibited in any given semester due to high demand from degree students. Admission into the certificate program does not guarantee admission into any other USM program or enrollment in any specific course.
Certificate Requirements
Students must complete the required 16 credit hours within four years after the application date and must earn a minimum 2.33 cumulative GPA (with a minimum grade of C- in each course) to obtain the certificate. Students may be able to apply earned certificate course credit towards an undergraduate business degree at USM with an accounting major as long as a minimum 2.33 GPA for certificate program courses is earned.
Students who have completed required coursework elsewhere, prior to admission to the certificate program, may petition to substitute up to three credits (one course) of another 400-level ACC course for one of the required courses (a grade of C or better in the course taken elsewhere is required).
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