For what it's worth, it sounds to me as though you are headed in the right direction. I've got my MBA (got it a LONG time ago) and am a CPA (certified, not licensed - hm, sounds like the old Bond line, "shaken, not stirred" doesn't it?) in the state of Illinois.

One thing to consider - the requirements for sitting the CPA exam vary by state. Many states these days require a certain minimum number of hours of "university level" coursework, and I think there are some states that require a bachelor's degree (i.e. 120 hours of university) including a certain number of hours of accounting classes.

For information about the CPA exam, check out the AICPA : American Institute of Certified Public Accountants They have a link on their site to the specific state boards of accountancy, where you can find the details about requirements for sitting the exam.

There is also a certification for management accountants, called the CMA (Certified Management Accountant), offered through the Institute of Management Accountants : IMA - Institute of Management Accountants

For my money, the CMA is probably the more challenging of the two qualifications. The CPA is supposed to be for those who want to go into practice, normally in financial accounting or auditing. The CMA isn't a state-based qualification, and covers considerably more practical territory. (Besides, I just find management accounting, also called cost accounting in the US, much more interesting and less legalistic than all that CPA stuff.) I also note that they specifically indicate that the CIMA meets the educational requirement for sitting the exams.

Keep us posted how your plans are working out.
Cheers,
Bev