Question for US Based CPAs & Accounting Professors

[flow321]

This may be unorthodox but I would like to acquire all the knowledge that a CPA has without having to complete a degree. So I looked up all the classes someone has to take to complete an accounting degree from CUNY Queens College and I attached screenshots. From your expertise, if I want to self-study the degree, what textbooks, books, websites, etc. would you recommend I use. Thank you.

[joemandadman189]

another approach would be to review the CPA exam requirements

https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/toolkit/cpa-exam

i know there are four sections

the AICPA should also have a minimum requirements for classes/credits also to sit for the test

[reeshau]

MIT OpenCourseWare has a number of relevant free classes you can take.

https://ocw.mit.edu/search/?d=Sloan%20School%20of%20Management&d=Economics&q=Accounting

[Sibley]

If you want to follow the class list, I'd try contacting the department/professor for the textbook list. Keep in mind that a working CPA has experience, which can't be taught in classes. There is a gap between theory and practice.

FASB codification (free): https://asc.fasb.org/Login
GASB codification (free): https://gars.gasb.org/Login  <--- governmental entities

[flow321]

another approach would be to review the CPA exam requirements

https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/toolkit/cpa-exam

i know there are four sections

the AICPA should also have a minimum requirements for classes/credits also to sit for the test

Thank you for this information. I appreciate it.

[flow321]

If you want to follow the class list, I'd try contacting the department/professor for the textbook list. Keep in mind that a working CPA has experience, which can't be taught in classes. There is a gap between theory and practice.

FASB codification (free): https://asc.fasb.org/Login
GASB codification (free): https://gars.gasb.org/Login  <--- governmental entities

Professors in NYC 9/10 times never respond unless you're paying tuition at the college, but I'll give it a try.

I understand, I plan to use the knowledge acquired for me and my family members mostly so hopefully the theory will be enough.

Thank you for the codification websites, very interesting stuff to read.

[flow321]

MIT OpenCourseWare has a number of relevant free classes you can take.

https://ocw.mit.edu/search/?d=Sloan%20School%20of%20Management&d=Economics&q=Accounting

Thank you for this resource. I greatly appreciate it.

[wageslave23]

CPA here. What are you hoping to achieve? What you are proposing has very little practical application.

[Sibley]

I understand, I plan to use the knowledge acquired for me and my family members mostly so hopefully the theory will be enough.

Unlikely. Are you trying to learn how to do taxes? Small business accounting? The nice thing about accounting is you can do a lot of very different things with it. The hard thing about accounting is you can do a lot very different things with it, but the accounting knowledge is only a fraction of what you need to know.

[Cranky]

When I did my accounting classes a million years ago, the required classes were basically a series on financial accounting, a series on cost accounting, a couple on tax accounting, a class on accounting law, a couple of economics classes that I had taken for an earlier degree, and a computer programming class that is surely a historical relic by now.

So it surely depends on what you want to get out of it.

[flow321]

CPA here. What are you hoping to achieve? What you are proposing has very little practical application.

Acquire as much of the knowledge you have because it's valuable information. In your opinion it may not, but to me it has a lot of practical application.

[flow321]

I understand, I plan to use the knowledge acquired for me and my family members mostly so hopefully the theory will be enough.

Unlikely. Are you trying to learn how to do taxes? Small business accounting? The nice thing about accounting is you can do a lot of very different things with it. The hard thing about accounting is you can do a lot very different things with it, but the accounting knowledge is only a fraction of what you need to know.

I've done my own taxes for 2023 by using Taxes for Dummies, and the irs website, and a spreadsheet by 1040.com. I have a rental property so the small business accounting is useful. I have a lot of questions about budgets that my city and community board don't answer so I figure I might as well learn how to understand government budgets. Accounting is in almost everything, so I figure I might as well learn it.

[Phenix]

I understand, I plan to use the knowledge acquired for me and my family members mostly so hopefully the theory will be enough.

Unlikely. Are you trying to learn how to do taxes? Small business accounting? The nice thing about accounting is you can do a lot of very different things with it. The hard thing about accounting is you can do a lot very different things with it, but the accounting knowledge is only a fraction of what you need to know.

I've done my own taxes for 2023 by using Taxes for Dummies, and the irs website, and a spreadsheet by 1040.com. I have a rental property so the small business accounting is useful. I have a lot of questions about budgets that my city and community board don't answer so I figure I might as well learn how to understand government budgets. Accounting is in almost everything, so I figure I might as well learn it.

I would encourage you to check out a community college. The community college I teach at is the least expensive in my state, but every Accounting adjunct professor has a Masters Degree and works or recently retired from the accounting field. The text books we use tend to focus on the concerns of fortune 500 multi-national companies. My lectures focus on the parts of the text that are applicable to small businesses. That's where you'll benefit more from learning from a professor versus learning from a text book.

[wageslave23]

CPA here. What are you hoping to achieve? What you are proposing has very little practical application.

Acquire as much of the knowledge you have because it's valuable information. In your opinion it may not, but to me it has a lot of practical application.

How do you know how much practical application it has if you haven't learned the material and then put it into practice? If you ask for information from experts and then refute the information, why ask if you already know more?

[Cranky]

I would say that in my everyday life, a basic understanding of double entry bookkeeping has been useful. Tax accounting has been very useful. My accounting law class has been very, very useful.

But unless you’re running a small business, the rest is not very useful?

[Sibley]

Tax prep: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-tax-volunteers

Yes, you can get accounting textbooks and self study. If you're one of the people who can do that, go for it. Keep in mind if it's more than a or so year old, it's probably outdated. Otherwise, I second checking out your local community college.

[flow321]

Tax prep: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-tax-volunteers

Yes, you can get accounting textbooks and self study. If you're one of the people who can do that, go for it. Keep in mind if it's more than a or so year old, it's probably outdated. Otherwise, I second checking out your local community college.

Thanks for this resource. I appreciate it. Definitely gonna do this