Industry Certifications and Licensures

To sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam in the United States, you typically need to fulfill certain qualifications, which may vary slightly depending on the state in which you plan to become licensed. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, you need approximately 30 additional hours of coursework, such as what you would complete during a Master’s in Professional Accounting, as well as other educational requirements that vary by state.

We recommend students consult their state’s Board of Accountancy for the most accurate and up-to-date information. See state CPA requirements here.

To sit for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam, you need to fulfill certain qualifications determined by the CFA Institute, including earning a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education/work experience, a minimum of four years of professional work experience in a related field, and be a) enrolled in the CFA Program and b) be a member of the CFA Institute. We recommend students consult CFA Institute for the most accurate and up-to-date information. See CFA requirements here.

To sit for the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam, you need to fulfill certain requirements set by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), including earning a bachelor’s degree. The CMA does not have specific work experience requirements to sit for the exam, however, there are additional employment requirements that you must meet within seven years of passing the exam in order to earn the CMA designation. See CMA requirements here.

NOTE: CSU Global’s Bachelor of Science in Accounting program is an Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Endorsed school. Our students are eligible to apply for IMA scholarships which cover exam fees for first-time exam takers, an exam review course, and three years of IMA membership.

As an Enrolled Agent (EA) with the IRS, you are able to represent taxpayers before the IRS, including preparing and filing tax returns, communicating with the IRS on behalf of clients, and handling tax matters and disputes. Earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting will prepare you academically to sit for the EA exam, however, students must pass all three sections of the EA exam and apply for enrollment with the IRS, including completing and submitting Form 23 Application for Enrollment to Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service, fingerprinting, and a background check. See Enrolled Agent requirements here.

The Financial Services Audit Certificate (FSAC) is a specialized certification offered by the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA). To sit for the FSAC exam, you must be an active member of the ACCA and have relevant experience in the financial services sector. Finally, you must complete a set of online learning modules determined by the ACCA. See Financial Services Audit Certificate requirements here.

To prepare for the Internal Audit Practitioner Exam, it is recommended that you successfully complete the course ACT450 Auditing, preferably in the later stages of your program. See Internal Audit Practitioner requirements here.

To prepare for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam, which is administered by The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), it is recommended that you obtain a bachelor’s degree, preferably in accounting, and have a minimum of two years of internal auditing experience or its equivalent. See Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) requirements here.

To prepare for the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) exam, students must obtain a bachelor’s degree, preferably in accounting, and have a minimum of two years of fraud-related experience. See Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) requirements here.

There are a number of requirements in order to prepare for the Chartered Global Management Accountant exam, but students must obtain a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minimum of three years of accounting experience or relevant work-based experience. See Chartered Global Management Accountant requirements here.

CSU Global’s course EMG300 will prepare you to take the following FEMA exams:

• IS-230.d – Fundamentals of Emergency Management
• IS-240.b – Leadership and Influence
• IS-242.b – Effective Communication
• IS-100.b – Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS-100
• IS-288 – the Role of Voluntary Organizations in Emergency Management

CSU Global’s course EMG325 will prepare you to take the following FEMA exams:

• IS-393 – An Introduction to Hazard Mitigation
• IS-318 – Mitigation Planning for Local and Tribal Communities
• IS-328 – Plan Review for Local Mitigation Plans
• IS-271.a – Anticipating Hazardous Weather & Community Risk, 2nd Edition
• IS-914 – Surveillance Awareness: What You Can Do

CSU Global’s course EMG375 will prepare you to take the following FEMA exams:

• IS-42 – Social Media in Emergency Management
• IS-505 – Religious and Cultural Literacy and Competency is Disaster
• IS-241.b – Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
• IS-700.a – National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
• IS-800.b – National Response Framework, An Introduction

CSU Global’s course EMG400 will prepare you to take the following FEMA exams:

• IS-632.a – Introduction to Debris Operations
• IS-2900 – National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) Overview
• IS-558 – Public Works and Disaster Recovery
• IS-634 – Introduction to FEMA’s Public Assistance Program
• IS-253.a – Overview of FEMA’s Environmental and Historic Preservation Review

CSU Global’s course EMG450 will prepare you to take the following FEMA exams:

• IS-120.a – An Introduction to Exercises
• IS-244.b – Developing and Managing Volunteers
• IS-235.c – Emergency Planning
• IS-130 – Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning
• IS-660 – Introduction to Public-Private Partnerships