Abstract The article presents a discussion on the topic, College Education As a Requirement for Certified Public Accountants, The New York Experience. This is the second time that the author has been invited to present a study related to the topic. He discusses the result of the examination of 180 candidates from fifteen schools in several states of the U.S. and of ten times as many from New York State schools. This convinces the author, that students who have spent four years in the day classes or six years in the evening classes in the schools have been exposed to a quantity and quality of instruction which should have prepared them for the examinations in Commercial Law, Theory of Accounts, and the theoretical parts of auditing. The author does not believe, that schools were or could be prepared to teach successfully the subject of Practical Accounting or the practical part of auditing. A high school diploma does not insure that the holder has satisfactorily completed a four year course in that school.

Abstract In the ten years from 1896 to 1905, seven states of the U.S., had issued 644 certificates, largely, of course, upon waiver of examination. In that period the examiners in those states had decided upon subjects and scope of their examinations, and in each state they had prepared, given and rated from one to twenty examinations. Quite likely their bases for ratings differed, but they were in complete agreement upon the scope of the tests. In those first ten years all examinations were in four subjects, Commercial Law, Commercial Law, Practical Accounting and Auditing. Later some states added a few related subjects. In 1907 Pennsylvania combined the last three subjects into one test entitled "General Accounting," and from 1916 to 1942 those states which used the service of the American Institute of Accountants combined the second and third subjects into Accounting Theory and Practice. At the present time in 1943, the fifty-two Boards of Examiners are composed of one hundred and ninety-seven members besides the nine members of the Board of Examiners of the American Institute of Accountants. In 1905 the nine boards then existing were composed of twenty-nine accountant members.

Abstract The article focuses on the meaning of public accountants. It has different meaning for different individuals. The author is of the opinion that since some of the work of a public accountant is affected with a public interest, a definition suitable for use in a statute may be needed. But the best of definitions necessarily have their limitations. They will indicate the name of a larger group of which the item defined is a part and they will indicate one or at most a few characteristics which help to differentiate this item from other items in the larger group. It may be interesting, and possibly useful, therefore, to explore the historical background of the term public accountant as reflected in the literature of accountancy in the U.S. The administration of first Certified Public Accountant law was placed with the Regents of the University of the State of New York. To make effective the provisions of the new law, the Regents created the Board of Examiners for Certified Public Accountants that was authorized by Section 2 of the Act.

Abstract The first question an accounting student should put to himself or herself, is, why he is thinking of preparing for and of engaging in the practice of public accountancy? Not many years ago some may have decided upon public accountancy because of the idea that its rewards in money were above the average, in some cases quite exceptional. But a professional life is not the most promising occupation to one imbued with the ambition of acquiring great wealth. There are notable exceptions in law and medicine, and some other professions. In accountancy fewer than 25,000 certificates have been issued. Probably there are less than 20,000 certified public accountants (CPAs) in practice and perhaps two or three times as many who are not certified. The number of those who have accumulated what could be considered as even approximating wealth is very few. Others may have thought of accounting as offering opportunities for reaching positions of distinction in the community. In politics, at least one CPA has gone to U.S. Congress and several have reached the legislatures. Perhaps there have been instances of accountants being elected or appointed to other important governmental positions. But for the positions for which accountants would seem to be especially fitted, the treasureships, the auditorships and the heads of departments of taxation, banking, insurance and the like, the selections of accountants have been very infrequent.

Abstract The article focuses on four matters related to higher education for public accountants, reasons for the change nearly nine years ago in the New York law; standards for judging the suitability of a school's offerings; and collegiate education as the basis for admission to CPA examinations from the points of view of the examiner and of the professional accountant. New York State does not have a board of accountancy such as has been created in most other U.S. states. The control of certified public accountancy in New York is lodged in The University of the State of New York, which is not an educational institution but is an administrative body. At its head are the Regents of the University, now twelve in number, who serve without compensation, and one of whom is elected each year by joint ballot of the two Houses of the Legislature. Responsibility and authority for the administration of the CPA Law in New York rest with the Regents, but for the execution of the policies which they adopt, the Education Law provides four agencies, namely, the Education Department which, as to accountancy, acts principally through the Assistant Commissioner for Higher Education and the divisions of professional education and higher education; the Council on Accountancy, an advisory body of five eminent certified public accountants, who serve without compensation; the Grievance Committee, consisting of ten certified public accountants and the Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners. Such a cumbersome distribution of responsibilities results in delayed action upon important matters.

Abstract Accountant's work in finding of facts may be a factor in court actions, which are not primarily for money though they relate to it. The entire population of a state and of other states have an interest in the qualification of those to whom the state gives these certificates. Next perhaps is the interest of those in practice holding the certificate individually and through their professional societies are striving to maintain the position, which the profession has attained and to advance it still further in the esteem of public. Then there are educators, those organized in the schools of business, both resident and correspondence, those who give private instruction and conduct coaching courses and those often overlooked in this connection, who as the employers of beginners in accountancy, direct their reading and of even more importance, give oral instruction in principles as they explain the relation of the principles to the matter then in hand. Legislature to cheek the qualification of bar candidates, investigate charges of unethical and illegal practices.