Mississippi

Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy
www.msbpa.ms.gov

To sit for the Exam: a baccalaureate degree of at least 120 collegiate-level semester hours, including at least 48 semester hours of upper-division or graduate-level accounting and business courses (at least 24 of those 48 hours must be accounting, covering financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and accounting information systems). For licensure: 150 semester hours total under the traditional pathway. Under HB 1137 (signed March 16, 2026, effective July 1, 2026), Mississippi moves to three licensure pathways: (1) bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration plus two years of experience (120 hours), (2) bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration plus 30 additional hours (150 total) plus one year of experience, or (3) master's degree with an accounting concentration plus one year of experience.

Under the traditional pathway, at least one year of meaningful experience gained through full-time employment within three years of passing the Exam, under the supervision and direction of a licensed CPA, in accounting, auditing, tax, or advisory work. Under HB 1137's new pathways (effective July 1, 2026), the required duration is one or two years depending on which of the three education pathways above the candidate uses.

Mississippi's own FAQ page states it does not require a separate stand-alone ethics exam for initial licensure; instead, licensed CPAs must complete 4 hours of Board-approved ethics CPE (including at least 1 hour on Mississippi accountancy law) every three years.

Yes — candidates can typically sit for the Exam before finishing all coursework required for full licensure (e.g. at 120 semester hours, finishing the rest before licensure).

Mississippi's HB 1137 three-pathway system takes effect July 1, 2026 — very recent relative to this review. The Board's 'Statutes, Rules and Regulations' document was itself republished 'Effective July 2026,' underscoring this is a live transition; confirm current pathway status directly with the Board before finalizing a plan.

https://www.msbpa.ms.gov/licensing-exams — accessed 2026-09-30