CPA Needed for Investment Banking?

I am currently a Junior at a non-target (Montclair State University) majoring in Accounting with a 3.7 GPA. I wanted to know if it is necessary that I go for my CPA or not when I graduate if I want to pursue IB?

14 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I am not an accountant but I know that you do not need a CPA to do IB or PE. Sure if you are an accountant at one of these firms you might need it. Since you havent broken into IB at this point, there is a significant probability you will not coming from a non-target by the time you graduate so you might want to work in accounting and get your CPA to do so

“If you ain’t first, you’re last!” - GOAT
 

CPA stands for Certified Public Accountant. You seem pretty ignorant so I spelled it out for you. If you are not working at a public accounting firm, you do not need a CPA. It can't hurt, but it is completely unnecessary.

Have you ever thought of investing in real estate?
 

Asking if you need a public accounting designation for a career that has nothing to do with public accounting seems pretty ignorant in my book. And speaking of books, go read one instead of wasting my time, slugger.

Have you ever thought of investing in real estate?
 

Passed Level 2, will be taking Level 3. Levels 1 and 2 cover 10 topics ranging from financial statement analysis, derivatives, portfolio management, equity valuation, etc. Personally, it has helped me in I Banking even though CFA is not tailored for Banking, it definitely has a good amount of material that is applicable to Banking. Spent about 300 hours for Level 1 and 400 for Level 2.

 

Hi all, sorry to comment on an old post. CPA here 3 years post undergrad, experience in Big 4 and now a start up tech company. Currently have a mix of all audit/tax work given the smaller size of my current company. Enrolling in the CFA institute, hoping to pass level 1 within next few months and using that as leverage to try and break into a finance roll at analyst level. Ideally would like MMIB or corporate banking, would also consider valuation role at a boutique (not big 4 valuation unless given associate). Hoping my willingness to take an analyst role will help. My question is if this doesn't work out, would a part time MBA from a very good school get the job done? Have saved up a good amount of capital so would gladly go get an MBA but dont think full time is an option for me as cannot afford to take off 2 years of work. Thanks!

 

Gives you a little credibility if you're arguing with someone on spreading comps or something. Otherwise it's not really helpful. Applicable prior job experience is what will help you if you eventually want to land an analyst spot which is a tough hill to climb, not gonna lie.

 

Excepturi quasi sed ea adipisci eum. Voluptatem sed illo quas quos aut quae qui. Reiciendis quod autem vitae ipsum est voluptatem. Aut deleniti possimus nobis quaerat nihil.

Sit ea pariatur minus sed consectetur cumque. Magnam mollitia sint quaerat doloremque sed. Cum voluptatem corrupti doloremque dolore voluptate. Necessitatibus eligendi hic veniam blanditiis et est ut repellendus. Voluptatem voluptate et ratione ipsa perferendis nemo nesciunt.

Culpa et distinctio ea rerum eum sint laborum. Similique odio sed eligendi similique cupiditate. Incidunt minima omnis modi voluptates aut rerum. Ducimus libero quis aperiam iure qui voluptatibus blanditiis.

Aspernatur sed velit id possimus exercitationem reiciendis. Aut officiis consequatur vel quis et et impedit. Accusantium alias veritatis architecto aut accusantium adipisci nam. Aut voluptate adipisci nobis eos vitae quas. Tempore quaerat suscipit accusantium excepturi nam voluptas. Alias modi non minima voluptatum ipsum alias. Mollitia quibusdam facilis totam sed laudantium cumque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”