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Rachel Drummond, MEd
10 Top Online Forensic Accounting Programs
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Pursuing a forensic accounting specialization for accountants interested in criminal justice is a logical and exciting career opportunity. By earning a graduate certificate or degree in forensic accounting, professionals with bachelor’s degrees in accounting can become certified in fraud examination, thereby protecting individuals, corporations, and entire economies from the perils of financial corruption. In addition, online forensic accounting programs have expanded to allow students to maintain their current jobs while earning a certificate or degree.
The occupational demand for accountants is rising, creating a need for thousands of new jobs in the coming decade. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects accountant and auditor positions to increase by 6 percent between 2021 and 2031. As a result, an estimated 81,800 new jobs will be in demand in the same decade (BLS 2022).
With a graduate certificate or a master’s degree, accountants can pursue specialties in forensic accounting or internal and external auditing. As the need for accountants increases, professionals with forensic accounting training will stand out with their unique skill sets and may be able to access higher-paying positions. The average annual salary for accountants is $86,740 (BLS May 2022). However, with more education and years of experience in the long term, accountants with master’s degrees could earn closer to the 75th percentile ($101,150 per year) or 90th percentile ($132,690 per year). Please see our Forensic Accountant Salary & Career Outlook for more detailed information.
While technical skills are highly sought when hiring forensic accountants, schools and employers seek candidates with more than number-crunching abilities. To this point, the job-seeking site Monster.com shows a record number of employers who are looking for internal audit candidates trained in forensic accounting and fraud examination. These are essential skills when dealing with sensitive financial and legal matters.
To help CPAs expand their skills, 10 top online forensic accounting programs offer graduate certificates or master’s degrees in forensic accounting. These top-ranked online forensic accounting programs do not compromise quality in delivering high instruction standards. Each program is dedicated to helping students enhance their skills to pursue future career opportunities in accounting and criminal justice while meeting the highest educational quality levels.
Best Online Forensic Accounting Degree & Certificate Programs
Through its College of Business, the Florida Atlantic University School of Accounting offers a two-year online executive master of accounting degree with a concentration in forensic accounting. Though the school is based in Boca Raton, Florida, with satellite campuses around the state, all classes in this program are available online and compatible with a wide array of portable media devices, including mobile phones and tablets.
The program attracts a diverse student body, including students enrolled in 35 US states and several countries like Japan, France, Kenya, and Jamaica. Students local to the Fort Lauderdale area can also attend live lectures on-campus or virtually once per week on Saturdays and live-streamed courses offered during the workweek. In addition to online lessons, students in this program complete online coursework and have access to technical support assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Location: Boca Raton, FL
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- Tuition: $900 per credit
The Northeastern University College of Professional Studies offers an online graduate certificate in forensic accounting based in Boston, Massachusetts. The program is designed for working accountants to expand their skill sets to include the ever-changing rules and forensics techniques to their existing accounting skills. A graduate certificate is awarded upon completing this program, which can take six to 12 months to complete.
In addition to experiential learning, students take courses in forensic accounting principles, dissecting financial statements, and litigation support. To be eligible for admission, students must have a bachelor’s degree and submit unofficial transcripts, an online application, a statement of purpose, and a professional resume.
- Location: Boston, MA
- Duration: Six to 12 months
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Tuition: $13,100 per year
Post University offers a certificate program in forensic accounting through the Malcolm Baldrige School of Business. Offered on-campus and online, this program has the infrastructure to admit and deliver instruction to students in Connecticut and worldwide.
This 18-credit forensic accounting certificate provides students with strong theoretical and analytical backgrounds in fraud prevention, detection, deterrence, and investigation.
Graduates from this program are prepared to take the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) examination, an essential credential for those pursuing careers in forensic accounting.
- Location: Waterbury, CT
- Duration: One year
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Tuition: $766 per credit
Southern New Hampshire University
Originally founded as an accounting school, Southern New Hampshire University has conferred accounting degrees since 1932. These days, SNHU offers an online master of science (MS) with a concentration in forensic accounting and trains students to apply forensic accounting principles to uphold the law and prosecute white-collar crime. The curriculum aligns with the Content and Skills Specification Outlines (CSOs/SSOs) the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) set forth.
To be eligible for admission, incoming students must have at least a bachelor’s degree and a GPA of 2.75 or above. However, accommodations can be made if students do not meet all prerequisites. As well, GRE and GMAT scores are not required for admission.
- Location: Manchester, NH
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- Tuition: $627 per credit
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The Continuing Education division at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte offers an online forensic accounting certificate for many financial security professionals, including CPAs, current forensic accountants, internal auditors, business owners, attorneys, and law enforcement officers.
To earn this certificate, students must complete three classes within two years of enrollment and achieve an 80 percent or higher on the final online quiz. The three-course sequence includes forensic accounting principles, fraud prevention and detection, and an introduction to computer forensics.
- Location: Charlotte, NC
- Duration: One to two years
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Tuition: $3,812 total
At Golden Gate University, students can complete a 15-credit graduate certificate in forensic accounting either on-campus in San Francisco, completely online, or through a hybrid of in-person and online instruction. All students must take three core courses: introduction to financial forensic accounting, fraud auditing, and damages. In addition, students can choose six electives in intellectual property, expert testimony, bankruptcy and insolvency, an internship, and others.
To be eligible for admission, students must have a bachelor’s degree and meet coursework requirements in math, economics, finance, and graduate writing proficiency with “B” or higher. In addition, to earn the certificate, students must complete all certificate courses with a “B” average or 3.0 GPA.
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Duration: One year
- Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission
- Tuition: $1,090 per credit
Based in Henniker, New Hampshire, the New England College of Graduate and Professional Studies offers a fully online master of science degree in forensic accounting. In this program, students learn through an interdisciplinary approach combining traditional accounting with auditing and investigation tactics and skills. The online course environment is collaborative and flexible, emphasizing creative learning.
Graduates from this program are prepared to work in large and small organizations utilizing expansive knowledge and reporting techniques needed for litigation.
- Location: Henniker, NH
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Tuition: $576 per credit
With its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, LaSalle University offers a fully online fraud and forensic accounting certificate. The program consists of five courses and 15 credits, although students may waive some courses for students with prior accounting experience. The LaSalle program can be completed in 10 months and is designed to give students a thorough academic foundation to prepare them to protect financial systems and expose fraudulent criminal activity in multiple economic sectors.
Faculty in this program come from various backgrounds in data analysis, leadership and management, computer networks and security, and forensic accounting. Students must complete an application to the graduate school, submit official transcripts, a resume, and a 200-word essay outlining why they want to pursue this program.
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Duration: Ten months
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Tuition: $15,225 total
The John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University offers a full array of online forensic accounting programs, including a 12-credit graduate certificate and a 30-credit master’s degree in forensic accounting and fraud examination.
To complete the certificate program, students must complete four graduate courses over two years and attend at least two live residencies on-campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, or online.
As for the master’s of science degree in forensic and fraud examination, this hybrid specialized accounting program aims to teach students essential skills to detect, prevent, and deter fraud. This program features a “low residency” hybrid approach, featuring online courses and requiring two on-campus visits to interact with faculty and students.
- Location: Morgantown, WV
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- Tuition: $820 per credit
With campuses in Stevenson and Owings Mills, Maryland, Stevenson University offers a fully online master of science degree and an online post-baccalaureate certificate program in forensic accounting. In the online master’s program, students can learn from professors with years of experience in the field. The master’s program curriculum includes fraud accounting, investigation and analysis, business valuation, and litigation theory and practice.
In the 18-credit certificate program, students learn from faculty who are practicing forensic accountants, emphasizing combining accounting, auditing, computer, and investigative analyses to form clear conclusions for litigation purposes. Stevenson University is an FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA) Academic Alliance member.
- Location: Owings Mills, MD
- Duration: One to two years
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Tuition: $705 per credit
| Featured Fraud & Forensic Accounting Programs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Purdue Global | BSA - Auditing & Forensic Accountancy | Visit Site |
| Southern New Hampshire University | BS in Accounting - Forensic Accounting & Fraud Examination | Visit Site |
| Utica University | Online MS - Financial Crime & Compliance Mgmt | Visit Site |
| UNC Pembroke | MBA - Forensic Accounting | Visit Site |
| Carlow University | Online MBA - Fraud and Forensics | Visit Site |
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Methodology
Several factors were considered in determining which online forensic accounting programs were best suited to this top 10 list. As a result, this top 10 list is not exhaustive but is representative of reputable forensic accounting programs that meet high-quality educational standards.
The forensic accounting programs featured above meet the requirements listed below to qualify for this list.
Reputable Accreditation
Determining a school’s accreditation status is essential when researching educational programs. All programs featured on this list hold one or both types of accreditation: programmatic or regional.
Programmatic accreditation is awarded by a national or international organization such as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Regional accreditation is awarded to an educational institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education Association (CHEA). Examples of regional accreditation organizations are the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
Online & Hybrid Programs
The internet has revolutionized how students learn and how educators teach in countless ways. Most universities in the 21st century use online resources for student records, class registration, and learning management systems. However, a fully online program must have the technological resources and tech support to support distance-based learning so students can complete their lessons, communicate with their instructors and classmates, and demonstrate their knowledge securely and efficiently. The schools featured on this list have an established reputation for high-quality online learning, verified by accrediting agencies and satisfied student alumni.
While some courses can be delivered entirely online, a hybrid approach is better suited for some disciplines. Due to the interactive nature of courses that require collaboration and application of learned skills, programs featuring low-residency or some level of synchronous personal interaction as a part of the curriculum were given priority. Since communicative skills are a valued element of many schools that confer certificates and graduate programs in forensic accounting, programs that emphasize strong interpersonal communication skills through a discussion forum or an in-person conference session were included.
Rachel Drummond has given her writing expertise to ForensicsColleges.com since 2019, where she provides a unique perspective on the intersection of education, mindfulness, and the forensic sciences. Her work encourages those in the field to consider the role of mental and physical well-being in their professional success.
Rachel is a writer, educator, and coach from Oregon. She has a master’s degree in education (MEd) and has over 15 years of experience teaching English, public speaking, and mindfulness to international audiences in the United States, Japan, and Spain. She writes about the mind-body benefits of contemplative movement practices like yoga on her blog, inviting people to prioritize their unique version of well-being and empowering everyone to live healthier and more balanced lives.