Any CPAs out in cc land? Curious... MSA, then CPA or CPA?

I have an undergrad in Accounting and have met the 150 credit hour minimum. However, I did not apply myself in school. I graduated with a 2.9 and now work in Governmental Accounting.

I plan to sit for my CPA in Indiana. My question is should I attend grad school first? I have been accepted into a Masters of Accountancy program. My work will reimburse most of it and it will take me approximately 18 months.

Although I have my 150, I feel that in order to be hired into public accounting, I need to prove academic excellence. However, I am wondering if I should just prepare and pass the CPA or should I get my MSA first and use that as a foundation to prepare and pass the exam?

Most public accounting firms have a minimum GPA of at least 3.0 to interview (understandably). Does undergrad GPA still matter when applying with 2 years work experience and after passing the exam?

I say go for the masters if your job is helping. I graduated with my masters in Finance this May, and I am going to sit for the CPA as well. If you feel like your GPA is something that you are not proud of, and you have a chance to go back to school for free, it is a good idea. How do you think you will do grade-wise though working and doing school? Do they offer night classes?

I'm a CPA and got my master's right after finishing undergrad, then worked at a Big 4 firm for 2 1/2 years before going into external reporting.

My guess is that it would depend on the specific accounting firm.  Big 4 generally look for GPA of 3.2 or higher at a minimum.  Local/regional/2nd tier are more flexible.  I do think that you have a lot to gain by getting your master's, given that your work will reimburse you for most of it.  If you think you can get a higher GPA in your master's program, go for it!  Personally, my undergrad GPA was higher than my master's GPA (I think 3.85 compared to 3.6 or something like that) but that may have something to do with the fact that I turned 21 only after undergrad .

Also be aware that not all master's programs are all that helpful in preparing you for the CPA exam.  Hopefully yours offers business law and other courses geared toward the content of the exam.  I would recommend you take a tax class or two (if you're not in tax) as many people have the most trouble with that portion of the exam.  Good luck!

Thank you both for your replies!

cellothicks- congrats on the masters and good luck on the CPA. My GPA is one of the main reasons why I am motivated to go back to school. Not just to prove it to employers, but to myself. They do offer night classes. As far as working and going to school, I am not sure. I worked full time during my undergrad and you can see how that worked out, but I plan to take 2 classes per semester instead of 5. I am not sure how much harder grad classes are compared to undergrad.

awestendorf- The program states that the majority of their graduates pass the CPA within one year of graduating and they also offer credit for the Becker FastPass Review Course which is held on campus over the summer. I definitely plan to take Advanced Business Law, as well as many tax courses. I am interested in audit, but also interested in tax. There are only 2 audit related courses offered, so I plan to take the majority of my electives in tax. I know that my GPA limited me from even interviewing with with public accounting firms. I am more interested in mid-size than Big 4, but do not know if my undergrad GPA will prevent me from being hired without a better transcript via my MSA...

They are definitely harder. I didn't have any problem in undergrad. Graduated with honors. Grad school...I had a lot going on in life. It really is a miracle I was able to finish. Not just school and work drama....everything you can think of tried to stop me. But I am glad I did it. I took 34 credits between July 08 and May 09, (10 month program). That was about 7 classes each semester, plus 4 in the 6 week 2008 summer session....Nope, not easy at all. They do not baby you. But I think I would have excelled if grad school was all that I had to focus on.

Don't let your grades make you feel too bad. We get so fixated on what we think are our shortcomings sometimes. You are getting experience, which I think speaks even more than grades to a lot of employers, and you have the chance to do good in grad school. When you do, the undergrad grades won't be significant anymore. I would list those proudly on a resume and keep undergrad a little more brief. And be confident!

Thanks! And once again, congrats on the Masters and good luck with the exam!