Public Accounting Certification

Build the Skills Employers Expect in Today’s Accounting Profession

The Public Accounting Certification is a focused, three-course credential designed to strengthen your technical accounting knowledge and prepare you for work in public accounting environments. Whether you’re advancing toward CPA eligibility, transitioning into accounting, or sharpening your professional expertise, this certificate delivers practical, in-demand skills aligned with current industry standards.

Through hands-on coursework and real-world applications, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of accounting principles, auditing practices, and regulatory frameworks that shape the public accounting profession.

This graduate-level certification features three dynamic courses selected from these options:

• Advanced Financial Reporting (ACC 635): Advanced Financial Reporting emphasizes the fundamental techniques of financial statement analysis. Building upon core accounting and investment concepts, the course covers the analysis (including ratio analysis)and interpretation of financial accounting information, including the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. The course also examines the use of accounting information in investment and credit decisions.
• Gift and Estate Taxation (ACC 640): Gift and Estate Taxation examines Federal tax law as it relates to gift and estate taxes. Topics include basic estate planning concepts, gift planning fundamentals, and planning issues related to closely held business interests. The unified transfer tax, gift and estate taxes, and the taxation of trusts will also be covered.
• Advanced Taxation for Corporations and Pass-Through Entities (ACC 645): Advanced Taxation for Corporations and Pass-Through Entities examines advanced issues related to corporations such as reorganizations, liquidations, mergers, acquisitions and the consolidated tax return. Advanced issues related to partnerships and limited liability companies such as special basis adjustment elections, allocation of nonrecourse, liabilities, property contributions with built-in gains and losses, the admission of a new partner and exit strategies are also covered.
• Advanced Auditing (ACC 655): Advanced Auditing takes a case approach to the attestation function where students will plan, organize and perform audit examinations. Case simulations will require students to put auditing concepts into practice by analyzing risk, assessing the implications of Sarbanes-Oxley, performing analytical procedures and preparing audit reports. The course will also utilize electronic working papers for documentation purposes.
• Advanced Cost Accounting (ACC 660): Advanced Cost Accounting involves the in-depth study of the principles and objectives of the techniques and theories used in managerial accounting. Topics such as capital budgeting, manufacturing accounting, management control systems, performance measurement, and quantitative techniques for planning and control will be discussed. The strategic and behavioral implications and impacts of planning and control will form the context for study.

Enhance your accounting expertise and gain credentials that matter in today’s competitive accounting landscape.

This certification can be completed on its own or count as three of the ten courses required toward your MBA or MSA. This certification can also support progress toward CPA licensure, depending on state requirements

Admission Requirements

If you are a current BPU undergraduate student or BPU alumni, please contact Graduate Admissions to discuss your requirements.

For consideration, applicants must submit the following admission requirements:

1. A completed application - Apply Now 
2. Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts (a GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred)
3. An original essay of at least 250 words on the topic: "Why a Public Accounting Certification is important to my personal and professional goals."
4. A current resume
5. Two recommendations - Download the recommendation form here

All documentation, including recommendation forms and official transcripts, may be mailed or emailed directly to Bay Path University Office of Graduate Admissions:

By Mail:
Bay Path University
Office of Graduate Admissions
588 Longmeadow Street
Longmeadow, MA 01106

By Email:
graduate@baypath.edu

Official Transcripts:

Official transcripts must be sent directly to Bay Path's Graduate Admissions Office from the issuing institution's records office either by mail or through a secure electronic transcript service (such as Parchment or National Clearinghouse). For transcripts sent through a secure transcript service, please select Bay Path University from the vendor's dropdown list to ensure the transcript is routed to the correct place. If an email address is requested, you can route to graduate@baypath.edu. Transcripts sent from the student are unofficial and will not be accepted.