* Education: A minimum of 150 semester hours of college coursework, usually encompassing a bachelor's degree in accounting and additional coursework. Some states may require a master's degree. This education must include specific accounting courses, including auditing, taxation, and financial accounting.
* Examination: Passing all four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination (Uniform CPA Exam). This is a rigorous exam covering accounting and auditing principles.
* Experience: Accumulating a specified amount of supervised accounting experience, typically 1-2 years under a licensed CPA. The type of experience acceptable varies by state.
* Character and Ethics: Meeting the character and ethics requirements of your state board of accountancy. This includes a background check and sometimes a character reference check.
In short, you need to complete the educational requirements, pass the CPA exam, gain sufficient experience, and meet ethical requirements, all as defined by the state in which you wish to become licensed. While a bachelor's or even master's degree in accounting is highly recommended and often required, it's not a "CPA degree" itself; it's a crucial step in the process of obtaining the CPA license.