Champlain College Bachelor of Science in Economic Crime Investigation: Our 2027 Review

Champlain's online Bachelor of Science in Economic Crime Investigation pairs forensic accounting with a full digital forensics sequence. You learn to follow both the money and the data trail. In White-Collar Crime, you play the forensic accountant in a scenario-based lab, and you'll run the digital labs on professional tools in a virtual desktop. Up to 90 transfer credits and credit for prior learning can shorten your path.

Champlain College Online, part of the private nonprofit Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, offers this degree entirely online. The school created it for people who want to build a career fighting white-collar crime and exposing fraud. You'll get hands-on learning designed with working adults in mind.

It's a 120-credit bachelor's degree. You'll take 48 credits of professional courses, 42 of general education and 30 of electives. You gain expertise from finance to forensics, and the school says the skills apply in both the public and private sectors. You can also add a certificate in Forensic Accounting to the degree to differentiate your resume.

Champlain lists online undergraduate tuition at $342 per credit. That's $1,026 for a 3-credit course. The program totals 120 credits before any transfer credit you bring in. Reduced rates make it more affordable for several groups. Champlain alumni pay $297 per credit, and military servicemembers pay $250 per credit.

Credit for prior learning and experience can cut the number of courses you pay for, and the school accepts up to 90 transfer credits. The college's admissions team can confirm your rate, since your actual total credits depend on the transfer credits accepted.

120 credits at $342 a credit comes to $41,040 in tuition, before fees.

• You're a working adult who wants an online degree. Classes are held on Canvas, and two courses per term is a typical pace.
• You're a transfer student or an experienced professional. The school accepts up to 90 transfer credits and offers credit for prior learning and experience.
• You like technology. The digital forensics courses use tools such as X-Ways Forensics, FTK Imager, Autopsy and EnCase.
• You're an aspiring CFE candidate or anti-money laundering specialist. The degree prepares you for the CFE test and the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) examination.
• You're a veteran, servicemember or Champlain alum, so you pay reduced per-credit tuition.

Forensic Accounting is your accounting anchor. You study fraud examination techniques, interview techniques, rules of evidence relating to fraud, internal control methodology, asset misappropriation and financial statement misrepresentation. White-Collar Crime examines consumer, securities, corporate and health care fraud, corruption and computer crimes.

Then you'll reach the scenario-based lab, where you assume the role of forensic accountant and determine what, if any, financial crimes have been committed. Auditing rounds out the accounting side with auditing concepts, professional standards and procedures. Financial Accounting teaches you to analyze the financial reports of real-world corporations.

The digital side is unusually deep. Digital Forensic Investigation Techniques covers software tools and best practices for handling digital evidence, and you'll do the labs on Champlain's Forensic virtual desktop. In Operating System Forensics, you work deeply through a case with X-Ways Forensics to examine the registry, typical internet activity and timelines.

In Cybercrime, you examine digital evidence with Autopsy and Axiom. Then you submit a final investigative report with your evidence, analysis and timeline. Digital Forensic Analysis adds file system, operating system and mobile device forensics, with detailed reports on mock cases.

Your final course is the Senior Seminar in Digital Investigation. There you typically write papers, complete hands-on projects or conduct original research and present it to the class.

Courses the School Names

• Forensic Accounting
• Auditing
• White-Collar Crime
• Digital Forensic Investigation Techniques
• Cybercrime

Standout Features

• Credit for prior learning and experience
• Forensic Accounting, Auditing and White-Collar Crime built into the required professional courses
• Optional Certificate in Forensic Accounting to add to the degree
• Prepares students for the Certified Fraud Examiner exam and the CAMS exam

You'll take your courses online in Canvas, and many run in 7-week terms. You get multiple start options through the year. The school estimates 3 years, 6 months to finish with two courses per term. If you transfer the maximum, you could have as few as 10 courses, about 5 terms, left to finish.

The average online bachelor's student brings in 40 credits, which works out to just over two years at two classes per 7-week term. Some of your courses are available only in 15-week terms. Admission looks for an aptitude for success in an online learning environment and for your ability to contribute positively to the online community. OnlineU reviewers singled out small classes and faculty with current industry experience.

The degree prepares you for the Certified Fraud Examiner test, as determined by ASIS International and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). It also prepares you for the CAMS examination of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS). Learning outcomes are based on recommendations from ASIS International, the ACFE and ACAMS.

The program is accredited by ACBSP. As a graduate, you'd be qualified for careers in financial examination, fraud examination and private investigation in industries such as insurance, finance, and state and federal government. The school also points to the optional add-on Certificate in Forensic Accounting, which you can add to your degree.

Where this degree can lead: Fraud Investigator Careers, Certified Fraud Examiner Certification.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• OnlineU summarizes student reviews as praising demanding, discussion-driven classes, small class sizes and faculty with current industry experience.

  Source: OnlineU

• OnlineU also reports that several students found instructors accessible and good at tying coursework to real-world practice, which they said suited working adults pursuing career advancement.

  Source: OnlineU

• How many of my earlier credits would transfer, and how does credit for prior learning work?
• Which courses use the Forensic virtual desktop, and what software do I need at home?
• How does the optional Certificate in Forensic Accounting fit into my plan?
• Which courses are 7 weeks and which run 15 weeks?
• How does the Senior Seminar work, and what kinds of projects have students done?
• How do the courses line up with the Certified Fraud Examiner test and the CAMS examination?
• Which reduced tuition rates apply to me as a veteran, servicemember or alumnus?

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 9 of 22, bachelor's
• Best Bachelor's Programs Rank 9 of 22, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs Rank 3 of 8, bachelor's
• CFE Exam Prep Programs Rank 6 of 12, bachelor's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 2 of 11, bachelor's

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