Your Path to CPA Licensure

Refocus or jump start your career through our accounting program at Dalton State College's C. Lamar & Ann Wright School of Business.

All States Currently Require completion of at least 150 credit hours, including a number of upper level accounting courses, plus successful completion of the CPA exam, before applicants can earn a CPA license.

For more information about our accounting program, please contact Dr. Jamie Connors, Associate Dean, at 706.272.2455 or jconnors@daltonstate.edu.

The “Wright Way” to Become an Accountant – The Path to the CPA

At Dalton State’s Wright School of Business, we can help you refocus, or jump start your career through our accounting program. While we offer a traditional Bachelor of Business Administration degree (BBA) in Accounting, we also help students with any degree transition to the field of accounting. If any of these scenarios sound like you, we can help:

1. Do you have a bachelor’s degree in accounting and need a few extra courses to meet the 150-hour qualification for the CPA exam?
2. Do you have a bachelor’s degree in another business discipline and would like to qualify and sit for the CPA exam?
3. Do you have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than business and would like to qualify and sit for the CPA exam?

It is never too late to consider a career in the fast-growing accounting field.

All states currently require completion of at least 150 credit hours, including a number of upper level accounting courses, plus successful completion of the CPA exam, before applicants can earn a CPA license. Each state sets the specific requirements for eligibility (e.g., specific courses, ethics requirements, experience requirements, etc.). Dalton State Wright School of Business offers classes that cover all four sections of the CPA exam. Auditing and Attestation (AUD)• Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)• Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)• Regulation (REG). So, it is easy to complete the remainder of the 150 credit hours beyond the BBA in Accounting’s 121 credit hours at DSC's Wright School of Business.

Students and graduates of the Dalton State College Accounting program know how committed we are to our students and their success. We have a supportive and committed learning environment with faculty dedicated to your success at all levels. Moreover, aspiring CPA’s are sure to be pleased to learn that Dalton State College has been recently ranked nationally as one of the best schools for return on investment ("ROI").

Summer CPA Prep Course – Business Law & Regulations for Accountants & Business Professionals (REG)

Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) are in-demand in public, private, and non-profit environments. CPAs record and report financial data, interpret and understand state and federal tax laws and their effects on business decisions, audit financial statements, and gather and use data for planning and control.

CPA's become experts in how a business actually works.  While the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degrees are very valuable and sought after, the CPA is an actual license, affording commensurate rights and responsibilities.

Dalton State College offers students the opportunity to obtain the 150 credits required for licensure in an efficient and cost-effective way. Each upper division accounting class offered in the C. Lamar and Ann Wright School of Business (WSOB) prepares students for four different sections of the CPA Exam: Business Environment & Concepts, Regulation, Financial Accounting and Reporting, and Auditing. WSOB courses offer support that includes:

Business Environment & Concepts	Regulation
Cost Accounting	Tax 1
Accounting Information Systems	Tax 2
Micro & Macro Economics (non-accounting classes)	Regulation (combination of business law & tax)
Financial Accounting and Reporting	Auditing
Intermediate Accounting I	Accounting Information Systems
Intermediate Accounting II	Auditing
Intermediate Accounting III	Forensic Accounting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) course reviews a CPAs role within the business environment, and covers topics related to a variety of business areas from operations to corporate governance. It is important for CPAs to understand the external business environment, whether they work internally within a company or externally for a public accounting firm.

After completing ten accounting and eight business core courses (which are all offered as part of the DSC WSOB core curriculum), any DSC college course will count towards the 150 credit-hour minimum students need, depending on the state’s CPA requirements (see www.nasb.org). Courses are offered throughout the year at DSC, including during three summer sessions.  We offer classes at a best-value price with a high return on investment.

For more information about our accounting program, please contact Dr. Jamie Connors, Associate Dean, jconnors@daltonstate.edu.

When I moved to Calhoun, GA, from my hometown of Soddy-Daisy, TN, I enrolled in Dalton State College to complete my degree because it was the closest college to my new home. However, what I found here was different than my previous college experience. My professors and fellow students cared about each other and our successes in the program and in our careers. When I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting in 2009, I knew I wanted to be a CPA. I also wanted to go to graduate school, but I knew that once I got a full-time job in accounting, it would be hard to coordinate work, school, and the CPA exam. With the requirement to obtain 150 semester hours in accounting for licensure, I decided to continue at Dalton State after graduation, in the environment I was comfortable in, until I had completed the 150 hour requirement. Having my 150 hours completed made me more attractive to the CPA firms I interviewed with, because they knew I was committed to obtaining my credentials, and just needed their help to obtain my required work experience while I completed and passed the CPA exam. The investment I made in my education at Dalton State continues to pay off as I progress in my career, and the value for the price is really second to none. Maybe just as important, the education and relationships I have gained from Dalton State have been invaluable to my life and career. I currently work for Jason Underwood, CPA PLLC, dba ERISA CPA in Chattanooga, TN as the Audit and Assurance Senior Manager. I am also a Freelance Accountant / Bookkeeper. I have been with Dalton State College as a part-time instructor since January 2020.