This course is designed to challenge government finance professionals and the instructors assume all students have a basic educational background in finance and accounting. Participants in the Governmental Accounting core course who have not had any previous college level courses in accounting have had a difficult time keeping up with the material. We strongly recommend completing an entry-level college accounting course or its equivalent before enrolling in the Governmental Accounting core course.
Course Objectives
This course is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to develop an understanding and working knowledge of:
- Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) applicable to state and local government
- Fund accounting to record, control and report financial resources
- Budget accounting controls and budget reporting requirements
- Debt and general fixed asset accounting and reporting
- Pending issues that may change state and local government accounting
Required Course Materials
It is your responsibility to supply the following materials for this course:
- The basic textbook for this course is Governmental and Non-profit Accounting, 11th Edition, 2018, by Freeman, Shoulders, McSwain, Scott ISBN: 9780133799569.
Exam Schedule
Exam IV - Governmental Accounting
Online Fall Exams
Option 1: Oct. 2 - 13, 2023 (1 Session)
Option 2: Nov. 6 - 17, 2023 (1 Session)
Online Spring Exams
Option 1: Jan. 29 - Feb. 9, 2024 (1 Session)
Option 2: March 25 - April 5, 2024 (1 Session)
A member of the professional education team will coordinate with students individually
to schedule an online exam time during the scheduled exam period.
System requirements for online GFOA exams: Windows: 10 (but not 10S), 8, 7, or Vista
or Mac: OS X 10.5 or higher. Students must also have a web camera (internal or external),
microphone and a broadband internet connection.
Students participating in online GFOA exams will be permitted to use a single-line, basic calculator, (3) dry-erase boards (12" X 9" recommended size), and a dry-erase marker during each GFOA exam. Students can use dry-erase boards to work through exam problems and will be required to show blank dry-erase boards at the end of the testing session.
Meet Your Instructor
Steve Blake
CPA, CFE, CICA, Former Partner, Cline Brandt Kochenower & Co., PA.
Steve received the Bachelor of Science in accounting from Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee. He is a special review committee member of GFOA – Chicago and is the longest standing active reviewer in South Carolina. Steve served as an adjunct faculty member at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C., where he taught classes in accounting.
Registration and Fees
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Registration and Payment Notes
If you plan to pay by check or purchase order, select "register by mail." Complete the form and return a printout with payment to: USC Continuing Education
and Conferences, Close/Hipp Building at 1705 College Street, Suite 591, Columbia,
SC 29208. Your seat is not guaranteed until payment is received.
We accept online payment via electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express through MarketPlace,
a secure electronic environment that simplifies business transactions with the university.
Follow the MarketPlace prompts to complete payment. Your transaction is only complete
when you receive an order number, which is your receipt of payment. Your seat is not
guaranteed until payment is received and you receive an order number.
Once you have paid and are enrolled, you'll be emailed location and parking information for face-to-face programs or online
instructions about one week before the program begins.