Berkeley-Haas and the Center for Financial Reporting & Management (CFRM) are rolling out a new summer accounting program to the public that makes meeting the state Certified Public Accounting exam requirements a little easier.
The Berkeley Charter of Professional Accountancy (BCPA) will be offered starting this May. Through the evening program, students will earn 30 units in accounting-related coursework, a requirement for taking the CPA exam.
The program is open to UC Berkeley students, staff, alumni, and anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in accounting, finance, or consulting, said program director Jose Plehn-Dujowich, (pictured) who designed the BCPA with other UC Berkeley and Haas accounting professors. April 1, 2016, is the deadline to apply.
A total of 60 participants will be admitted; the classes will be taught by award-winning Berkeley-Haas accounting professors and will be held on the Haas campus.
The evening program may be particularly attractive to undergraduates, who typically earn only 120 units of the 150 units required by the State of California to qualify for the CPA exam. The BCPA summer courses are an alternative way to earn the extra 30 units—other than enrolling in a master’s degree in accounting, Plehn-Dujowich said.
“We’ve come up with a program that’s a fraction of the price of a master’s degree that students can complete during summers,” said Plehn-Dujowich, who serves as director of the Center for Financial Reporting and Management. “This program is just a great fit if a student is interested in accounting, finance, or consulting as a profession.”
Some of the program benefits include one-on-one career advising, early access to recruiters, networking events, visits to Bay Area accounting firms, and an evening class schedule.
The cost for each summer session will be $11,000, or $20,000 for both summers. Students may apply financial aid or merit-based scholarships (for students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher). Students who have already taken some of the BCPA courses at Haas will receive a discount on the cost of the program.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Grant Thornton are among the accounting companies providing scholarships. As the program moves forward, directors will work closely with recruiters from the big accounting firms, who start considering students for internships during their freshman and sophomore years, Plehn-Dujowich said.
Classes offered during the first summer session include Intro to Financial Accounting, Intro to Managerial Accounting, Intermediate Financial Accounting, and Financial Reporting and Valuation. The second summer session will include Intermediate Financial Accounting II, Advanced Financial Accounting, Federal Income Tax, and Auditing..
For more information contact [email protected].