CHAPTER 9 - EDUCATION

001 Definitions:

001.01 “Accreditation” means the quality control of the education process provided by generally recognized regional and/or programmatic accreditation organizations. These Rules refer to three levels of accreditation. Level 1 represents the most comprehensive review at the accounting program level and Level 3 is the least comprehensive review at the college or university level. Colleges or universities without accreditation, as defined below, would generally lack any level of accreditation including the college or university, the business school or program (“business school”), and/or the accounting department or program (“accounting program”).

Level 1 accreditation – the accounting program. In a Level 1 accreditation, the college or university; business school; and the accounting program are separately accredited. This level applies to an accounting program that is accredited by an organization recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a specialized or professional accrediting organization, such as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International (AACSB). Accredited accounting programs have met standards substantially higher and much more specific than those required for Level 2 or Level 3 accreditation.

Level 2 accreditation – the business school. In a Level 2 accreditation, the college or university and the business school are separately accredited, but the accounting program is not separately accredited. This level applies to a business school that is accredited by an organization recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a specialized or professional accrediting organization, such as the AACSB or the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

3.	Level 3 accreditation – the college or university. In a Level 3 accreditation, the college or university is accredited, but neither the business school nor the accounting program meet Level 1 or Level 2 requirements. This level applies to a degree-granting college or university that is not accredited at Level 1 or Level 2, but is accredited by an organization currently recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation as a regional accrediting organization or a regional accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education.

001.02 “College(s) or university(s)” means Board-recognized institution(s) of higher education accredited by regional accrediting organizations.

002 Recognized Standing.

An applicant for certification must demonstrate proof that he has earned a four-year degree from a college or university of recognized standing. An applicant who has earned a four-year degree conferred by a college or university which is accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education is deemed to have met that statutory requirement.

Four year colleges or universities not accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education are considered for purposes of these rules to be unaccredited or non-accredited colleges or universities.

003Non-accredited Degree

A graduate of a four-year degree granting institution not accredited at the time the applicant’s degree was received or at the time of filing his or her application for certification will be deemed to have met the statutory education requirement, provided;

003.01 An accredited college or university, as defined above, accepts the applicant’s non-accredited degree for admission to a graduate degree program; and

003.02 The applicant presents evidence satisfactory to the Board that the education received from the non-accredited college or university through which the applicant received his or her four-year degree is comparable to an accredited college or university. Evidence satisfactory to the Board may include, but is not limited to:

003.02A letters of recommendation regarding the applicant or the non-accredited institution;

003.02B material from accounting firms regarding the quality of the educational program or the candidates from the non-accredited institution;

003.02C evaluations of the applicant regarding his or her educational background, from faculty members of accredited institutions;

003.02D listings of the non-accredited institution in directories or publications which attest to the quality of the educational programs at that institution;

003.02E membership of the non-accredited institution in organizations which attest to the quality of the non-accredited institution; and any other material acceptable to the Board.

004 Educational Requirements;

Preface: The Nebraska State Board of Public Accountancy is dedicated to insuring that the educational preparation of CPAs reflects a broad based educational program which incorporates the latest information and knowledge in the areas of accounting, auditing and general business as well as an understanding of the world and the relationships between business enterprises, government, and not- for- profit entities.

The Board will not furnish or prescribe specific curriculum which colleges or universities should adopt; rather it urges colleges and universities to adopt innovative approaches and programs designed to best meet the needs of the profession and society.

004.0l CPA Candidates - For the Purpose of Nebraska Revised Statutes, Section 1-106 et. seq., as revised, the education requirements for certification, which must be met no later than the date of application for the candidate‘s first sitting for the Uniform CPA Examination, shall be a baccalaureate or higher degree which contains, as a minimum, 150 semester hours or 225 quarter hours from an accredited college or university (as defined and specified in Title 288, Chapter 9-00l and 9-002).

004.02 Eligibility. The candidate will be required, as a condition of acceptance for sitting for the first time for the Uniform CPA Examination, to provide the Board or its designee with an official transcript or transcripts that show his or her postsecondary education program has included, as follows:

004.02A 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in accounting beyond principles of accounting. The subjects to be covered in these hours shall include, at a minimum:

(l) Financial accounting theory and problems

(2) Cost and managerial accounting

(3) Tax preparation and planning

(4) Auditing

(5) Accounting Information systems

(6) Governmental and not-for-profit accounting.

004.02B 36 semester or 54 quarter hours in general business. The subjects to be covered in these hours shall include, at a minimum:

(l) Macroeconomics

(2) Microeconomics

(3) Business law

(4) Marketing

(5) Management

(6) Finance

(7) Business Communication

(8) Business Ethics

(9) Quantitative applications in business

(10) Principles of accounting

004.02C 60 semester or 90 quarter hours in general education. The subjects to be covered in these hours shall include, at a minimum:

(l) Oral and written communication skills

(2) Mathematics

(3) Arts, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities

(4) Statistics

004.02D The remaining 24 semester or 36 quarter hours would be in electives.

004.03 Any person making initial application to take the Uniform CPA examination shall be deemed to have met the educational requirement contained in the law and these rules if the applicant has earned a graduate degree in accounting from an accounting program or department that is accredited in accounting by an accrediting agency recognized by the Board.

004.04 Review of Transcripts; Appropriate level of coursework; transfer hours. For purposes of meeting the educational requirements, an applicant’s official transcript or transcripts shall be reviewed by the Board or its designee to determine if the applicant‘s educational program complies with the requirements of the law and these rules. In reviewing the transcript or transcripts, hours in courses which have contained the required subjects listed in 9-004.02A, B, and C and D which have been earned at a non-four year institution and are transferable to a four year institution shall not be considered as acceptable in meeting the educational requirements. unless those hours have been accepted for purposes of a degree by a four-year college or university, as defined in Title 288-Chapter 9-00l and 9-002.

004.05 Reciprocal Certificates. An applicant for a reciprocal certificate shall be deemed to have met the requirements of Nebraska Revised Statutes, Section 1- 106, et. seq. if he or she meets the following conditions:

004.05A Holds a current and unrevoked certificate then in full force and effect in any state; and

004.05B Has a postsecondary education which is substantially equivalent to the requirements contained in Nebraska Revised Statutes, Section 1-106, et. seq. The Board or its designee shall determine, based upon information provided by the applicant for a reciprocal certificate, if the applicant has education which is substantially equivalent to the requirements contained in Nebraska Revised Statutes.

004.06 Application procedures. Any person making initial application to take the Uniform CPA Examination shall be required to submit an official transcript or transcripts showing that the applicant has satisfied the educational requirements as prescribed in these rules. The Board or its designee shall determine whether the applicant is eligible to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination. If the Board or its designee cannot readily determine that an applicant has satisfied the educational requirements as prescribed in these rules, notification shall be made to the applicant. The burden of showing that the applicant’s educational records contain compliance with the educational requirements contained in these rules shall rest solely with the applicant.

Statutory Authority: Section 1-113 R.R.S. 1943