According to the Iowa CPA exam requirements, a bachelor’s degree is sufficient for you to sit for the CPA exam, but 150 semester hours (together with 1 year of relevant working experience) are required to get the CPA license.
Please note that Iowa allows either public or non-public accounting experience (even teaching experience) to be qualified for CPA license but your work has to be supervised and verified by an active CPA licensee.
Iowa CPA Requirements
1. Education Requirements to Sit for the CPA Exam in Iowa
Candidates should fulfill ONE of the following:
(a) Graduate degree in accounting:
You are automatically qualified.
(b) Graduate degree in business:
24 credit hours in Accounting.
At least one course in each of financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting.
(c) Undergraduate degree in accounting or business:
24 credit hours in Accounting.
At least one course in each of financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting.
(d) Undergraduate degree:
24 credit hours in Accounting with at least one course in each of financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting.
24 credit hours of business-related courses, such as finance, management, marketing, economics, and business law.
Special note: Courses in internship or life experience are not acceptable.
2. Additional Iowa CPA Requirements for the CPA License
Education
150 semester units from an accredited university or educational institution.
Work Experience
1 year of public or non-public accounting experience as well as teaching experience in the accounting field (i.e. work in government, industry, public service or academia is qualified).
Teaching experience requires teaching a minimum of 24 semester hours of accounting courses.
Additional requirement for attest qualification (e.g. signing the audit report one behalf of the accounting firm).
The experience has to be verified by active CPA licensee. The verifier does not need to the supervise but must have an active license and is willing to attest.
Part-time work is allowed but must complete 2,000 hours within 1-3 years.
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