Villanova’s Office of Part-Time Studies offers a thirty-six credit Certificate in Accountancy through Villanova's School of Business.

The Accountancy Certificate allows those with bachelor's degrees in liberal arts or other non-business majors to acquire accounting expertise.   

It is designed for both individuals wishing to pursue a career in business or government accounting and the self-employed who require a stronger accounting background.

The accounting credits earned through the Accountancy Certificate Program will assist those who wish to sit for the Pennsylvania CPA examination. Please review the information below regarding changes to the educational requirements for the Pennsylvania CPA Exam effective January 1, 2012.

The Accountancy Certificate Program consists of six (6) required accounting courses:

Electives (6 courses):

Notes regarding the Certificate in Accountancy:

• To be eligible for this certificate, you must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• Students are required to have any prerequisite courses necessary (indicated in Villanova's Undergraduate Catalog) for any particular course in the certificate program. 
• A maximum of 4 courses (12 credits), specifically-- Principles of Financial Accounting, Principles of Managerial Accounting, Corporate Responsibility & Regulation or Principles of Finance will be allowed to transfer.  No other course substitutions will be allowed.  All remaining upper-level accounting courses in the certificate program must be completed at Villanova University.
• A technology curriculum was instituted for students taking any business-related courses.   Villanova has made the commitment to bring technology into its teaching and learning environment to best prepare you to succeed.  Rental of a laptop computer through Villanova may be required.  VSB 2006 (Strategic Information Technology) is suggested for those students who may feel they need additional computer skills before they begin the program.        

New Pennsylvania education requirements effective January 1, 2012

 On January 1, 2012, Pennsylvania CPA candidates will need to have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree and completed at least 150 credit hours, with 36 semester-credits in accounting subjects. These subjects include accounting and auditing, business law, finance, and tax subjects acceptable to the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy (SBOA). Accounting-related credits can be accomplished through undergraduate, graduate, or a combination of both levels of study.