Section 2.07 - Education, Experience and Other Requirements for Issuance of Certificate as Certified Public Accountant(1)Formal Application. An applicant for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant who has passed the examination set by the Board shall file with the Board a formal application for such certificate, accompanied by payment of the required fee. A form for application may be obtained from the offices of the Board. An applicant must also submit an official certification of completion of 150 semester of education hours to the Board's designated exam administrator or an official transcript from colleges or universities as provided in 252 CMR 2.07(2)(a), experience letter(s) from employer(s) as provided in 252 CMR 2.07(2)(b), and three letters from employers, business associates or clients attesting to the applicant's character and fitness. A recent un-mounted passport-size photograph must also be attached to that application.(2)Education and Experience Requirements. An applicant for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant who sat for the CBT prior to or with 120 hours of education and who has successfully passed the examination, and qualifies otherwise in the opinion of the Board, shall receive a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant upon satisfying the Board that the applicant has successfully met the 150 hour education requirement. All candidates shall submit official transcripts from colleges or universities as provided in 252 CMR 2.07(2)(a) or shall submit an Academic Evaluation for Certification Report from the Board or its designee. (a)Education Requirements. A candidate for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant shall Complete 150 semester hours (225-quarter hours) of college or university education to include a bachelor's degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution. For the purposes of determining equivalence of quarter hours, 41/2-quarter hours will equal three credit hours. The Board will review successful completion of three-quarter hour courses; provided that the accounting and business course requirements total 36-quarter hours each. The candidate must have completed the 150-hour education requirement for eligibility for a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant in accordance with one of the following four provisions:
1. Earned a graduate degree in accounting from a program at a nationally or regionally accredited college or university that is further accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Programs not accredited by AACSB must be approved by the Board or an Educators Credential Committee appointed by the Board upon a written request from such college or university. The Educators Credential Committee will consist of at least three accounting educators selected by the Board from the faculty of nationally or regionally accredited educational institutions located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;2. Earned a graduate degree in accounting, business administration or law from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university. This degree must include 30 semester hours (45-quarter hours) of accounting at the undergraduate level, or 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) of accounting at the graduate level. The accounting credits shall include coverage in financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting. In addition, the degree must include or be supplemented by, 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) of business courses (other than accounting courses) at the undergraduate level or 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) at the graduate level, or an equivalent combination thereof; or3. Earned at least a bachelor's degree from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university. This degree must include or be supplemented by 30 semester hours (45-quarter hours) of accounting courses. The accounting credits shall include coverage in financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting. In addition, the degree must include, or be supplemented by, 24 semester hours (36-quarter hours) of business courses other than accounting courses. These business courses shall include coverage in the areas of business law, information systems, finance, and coverage in at least one of the areas of economics, business organizations, professional ethics, and/or business communication.(b)Experience Requirements. 1. All applicants for a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant shall obtain experience providing any type of services or advice using accounting attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax and consulting skills.2. Experience shall consist of: a. full or part-time employment in public accounting that extends over a period of no less than a year and no more than three years and includes no fewer than 2,000 hours of performance of services described in 252 CMR 2.07(1).b. full or part-time employment in non-public accounting that extends over a period of no less than three years and no more than nine years and includes no fewer than 2,000 hours of performance of services described in 252 CMR 2.07(1). Acceptable experience shall include employment in industry, government, academia or nonprofit. The Board shall look at such factors as the complexity and diversity of the work.3. Applicants for the certificate and license privileges must document the experience requirement by submitting to the Board a letter or statement from each licensee under whom the experience was obtained over the most recent period of the applicant's experience of the length required. All statements must describe the type and exact dates of the applicant's experience by a current licensee (at the time experience was obtained), including a partner, shareholder or member of such public accounting firm, government supervisor or CPA supervisor of non-public experience shall attest to that experience, under the pains and penalties of perjury.(3)Exceptions to Education and Experience Requirements. A candidate who sat for the paper based examination without complying with the educational requirements of 252 CMR 2.07(2)(a) 1. through 3. may qualify for issuance of a Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant and a full reporting license if the applicant meets the education and experience requirements that were in existence at the time the candidate first sat for the examination in some prior year, or obtains the education requirements of 252 CMR 2.07(2)(a) l. through 3.(4)Calculation of Full-time Experience. The Board will provide credit for full-time experience as a practicing public accountant only if such full-time experience extends over an uninterrupted period of two months or more with a minimum of 35 hours worked per week in conformity with 252 CMR 2.07(2)(b)2. The Board will provide credit for part-time experience only if such part-time experience extends over an uninterrupted period of two months or more with a minimum of 20 hours worked per week in conformity with 252 CMR 2.07(2)(b)2., such credit to be granted only for experience in public accounting calculated on the basis of hours actually devoted to such qualifying part-time experience. For this purpose, sickness and legal holidays do not interrupt what would otherwise be uninterrupted service. The Board will provide credit for: (a) full-time experience in the government or non-public accounting equivalent described in 252 CMR 2.07(5), only if such full-time experience extends over an uninterrupted period of 12 months or more with a minimum of 35 hours worked per week in conformity with 252CMR2.07(2)(b)2.;or(b) part-time experience only if each part-time experience extends over an uninterrupted period of 12 months, with a minimum of 20 hours per week, calculated on the basis of hours actually devoted to such qualifying part-time experience.(5)Government/Non-public Accounting Experience. (a) The Board, in its discretion, may grant credit of one year of requisite experience for nonpublic accounting work or non-audit government work under the direct supervision of a Certified Public Accountant, for every three full years of service in a position having a responsibility level above entry-level, provided that, in the opinion of the Board, such experience is substantially equivalent to that of public accounting practice.(b) The Board, in its discretion, may grant credit for field audit work, including the direct supervision of field audit work, with the United States Government or any agency or subdivision of the Commonwealth with a demonstrated emphasis on the expression of opinions on financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, the review of and report on internal controls, the application of varied auditing procedures, the preparation of audit working papers for account examinations, the planning of auditing work programs, the preparation of written explanations and comments on examination findings and the preparation and analysis of financial statements. The experience required by this clause, as approved by the board, shall be considered work experience on the same basis as experience in public accounting practices; provided, however, that adherence to the standard of independence is strictly applied.(6)Waiving Requirements Before Examination. Applicants who qualify in other respects may sit for the examination before satisfying the experience requirements of 252 CMR 2.07(2)(b).(7)Rejection of Application. If an application for a certificate is rejected by the Board for insufficient experience or other cause, the applicant, at any later time, may request the Board to reconsider the application if the deficiencies have been removed.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1339, eff. 5/19/2017.