Amberton University Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting: Our 2027 Review

You'll take four courses online at Amberton University, earn 12 graduate credits and study a full forensic accounting course, all for $3,900 in tuition. You pay per course, and sessions last 10 weeks. The credits can count toward the Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Accounting and other Amberton master's programs, so you've got a natural next step.

Amberton University in Garland, Texas, offers this Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting as a 100 percent online program built for working adults. You'll focus on the foundations of forensic accounting and the skills to help analyze and investigate fraud. When you finish the four courses, you'll have competencies required for forensic accounting fields and 12 hours of college credit toward a degree.

Tuition for the certificate is $3,900. Amberton lists that as total tuition, not including fees and textbooks, and it works out from a rate of $325 per credit hour. Applying is free.

You can pay per course instead of paying for full semesters upfront. Amberton says there are no athletic fees, no dorm charges and no campus life fees, so your tuition goes toward your education. The university is approved for the Department of Defense tuition assistance programs and for veterans' education benefits, and staff can help you with tuition reimbursement questions.

12 credits at $325 a credit comes to $3,900 in tuition, before fees.

• You're a working professional. Amberton lets you pay per course and offers four sessions a year.
• You're an accountant who wants a focused forensic credential without committing to a full master's.
• You plan to study for an MBA in Accounting, since you can earn the certificate within that program.
• You'd rather skip entrance exams. There's no Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) requirement.
• You're a military student or veteran. Amberton participates in tuition assistance and veterans' education benefits.
• You want class material you can use at work, the experience one Amberton graduate describes.

The certificate has four courses, and the one at the center is ACC6150 Forensic Accounting. You'll explore the field of forensic accounting and fraud examination, and you'll look at the psychological and behavioral characteristics of people who commit fraud. You build skill in sophisticated detection methods, use information technology tools for financial forensics, and practice conducting interviews and collecting evidence.

The course outcomes are specific. You'll classify fraud schemes such as cash-receiving schemes and financial statement fraud. You'll carry out fraud examinations using a scientific, evidence-based approach, and you'll learn interviewing and interrogation techniques. You'll also study consulting, litigation support and serving as an expert witness. And you'll formulate antifraud and compliance strategies built on ethics, prevention and deterrence.

Three supporting courses prepare you for it. They're Accounting Information Systems, Financial Statement Analysis and Data Analytics for Accountants. Financial Statement Analysis is the prerequisite for Forensic Accounting. Across the certificate, you'll evaluate internal controls for accounting transaction cycles, and you'll employ fraud detection techniques to identify fraudulent schemes.

Standout Features

• Credits can also count toward the MBA in Accounting and several other Amberton master's programs

You can complete the whole certificate 100 percent online. Sessions last 10 weeks, with four start dates each year. You can take one course at a time, so the four courses fit around your job. Amberton's courses are online, hybrid or evening, built for people balancing career and family.

Applying takes three steps and costs nothing, and you don't need GRE or GMAT scores. Small class sizes and accessible faculty are part of Amberton's approach, and staff help you with credit transfers and academic planning. You can earn the certificate within the MBA in Accounting or other Amberton master's programs, so the same courses can also count toward your degree.

Amberton is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Selected undergraduate and graduate business programs are accredited by ACBSP.

ACC6150 Forensic Accounting is also a 3-hour elective in the MBA in Accounting, so the course you take in the certificate has a home in the degree. Amberton says its curriculum is designed to translate directly into practical skills for the job you have now.

Where this degree can lead: Forensic Accounting Jobs, Certified Fraud Examiner Certification.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Dr. Christa S., a graduate student quoted on Amberton's website, says she could apply every class to what she was doing at work.

  Source: Amberton University website

• Another student on Amberton's website says Amberton offered what they were looking for: a regionally accredited school where they could study while working full-time.

  Source: Amberton University website

• How often is ACC6150 Forensic Accounting offered, and what's the sequence of the four courses?
• If I already have accounting experience, how should I handle the prerequisite for ACC6150?
• How do certificate credits transfer into the MBA in Accounting or other Amberton master's programs?
• What fees and textbook costs should I plan for beyond the $3,900 in tuition?
• Does the ACBSP business accreditation apply to this certificate?
• What digital forensic tools does the course use?

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 15 of 17, graduate certificate
• Best Graduate Certificates Rank 15 of 17, graduate certificate
• Cheapest Programs Rank 1 of 7, graduate certificate

• St. Thomas University

  Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting

  Florida Score 56.4

• Michigan Technological University

  Forensic Accounting Graduate Certificate

  Michigan Score 49.5

• College of Charleston

  Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting

  South Carolina Score 49.2

• American University

  Forensic Accounting Graduate Certificate

  District of Columbia Score 64.4