DeSales University Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Forensic Accounting Track: Our 2027 Review

Forensic accounting comes built into a four-year, on-campus accounting degree here. The track pairs a forensic examination course with White Collar Crime, and the catalog says it gives you the academic background for the CFE credential. DeSales also reports that many accounting majors receive job offers before they graduate.

DeSales University is a private nonprofit school in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. In its Bachelor of Science in Accounting, you choose among three tracks: data analytics, forensic accounting, or a bachelor's-to-Master of Business Administration (MBA) pathway.

The degree is 120 credit hours, and classes meet on campus during the day. The school lists an average of four years to finish. DeSales says a forensic track helps you stand out because employers need people who can detect and prevent fraud. You'll also get personal attention from advisors and accounting faculty as you choose your track.

Business programs at DeSales are accredited by ACBSP. The catalog says the forensic track is intended to prepare you for a career in forensic accounting and to give you the academic background for CFE certification.

The separate bachelor's-to-MBA option is designed to meet the education requirements for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure. Past internships and recent placements for accounting majors include Concannon Miller, Deloitte, KPMG, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. The community tax program is supervised by a CPA who heads the business division.

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

• If you want a classic four-year campus experience, classes meet in person during the day.
• You're drawn to the legal side of fraud? The track adds White Collar Crime and Crime and Society to your accounting courses.
• The catalog says the track gives you the academic background for the CFE certification, so it suits you if you plan to sit for it.
• If you want hands-on service, junior and senior accounting students can prepare taxes for the community through a federal volunteer program.
• Past internships and placements include Deloitte, KPMG, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, which matters if you're looking for an internship.

The forensic core starts with a choice. You take either Forensic Accounting or Fraud Examinations, a course from the school's MBA list. Forensic Accounting is three credits and explores the process for conducting forensic examinations. The catalog notes that forensic examiners typically serve as consultants to attorneys or as expert witnesses. Activities, lectures and readings prepare you for either role.

Two criminal justice courses round out the track. White Collar Crime and Crime and Society are three credits each, and Business Communication Skills sits beside them.

The accounting major gives you the rest of the toolkit. Its courses include Auditing, Strategic Cost Management and Data Analytics for Accounting and Finance, each worth three credits. Every business major finishes with a Business Capstone that features a team service project, assessment tests, a research paper and a final presentation.

The project benefits a community organization. DeSales also points you toward internships, and its Career Development Center helps you find one that fits.

DeSales lists full-time undergraduate tuition for 2026-27 at $48,000 a year, which is $24,000 per semester. You'll also pay activity and technology fees of $1,800 a year. Those figures are the school's traditional full-time undergraduate rates.

The school says donor-funded scholarships help offset the cost of attendance, and its advisors help you sort out federal, state and private aid. You can ask the financial aid office for your own award estimate, since scholarships change what each family pays.

You take this program in person. DeSales lists the format as in-class, during the day, at its Center Valley campus. The degree is 120 credit hours with an average of four years to completion.

Facilities include the Fainor Center for Financial Services, which has a live-ticker and trading simulation software, plus a center for data analytics. If you want a head start on a graduate degree, you can finish the bachelor's-to-MBA pathway in four and a half years with three added MBA courses.

If you're an accounting major with at least a 3.0 grade point average at the end of junior year, you can begin MBA courses in the fall of senior year.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• A DeSales student writing on Niche singled out the Career Center for all the help it gave. The review speaks about the university as a whole.

  Source: Niche (DeSales University reviews, general)

• A returning student with a full-time job called DeSales the perfect choice and said professors worked with them to finish coursework.

  Source: Niche (DeSales University reviews, general)

• Another Niche reviewer praised the small classes, professors who genuinely care and a sense of community.

  Source: Niche (DeSales University reviews, general)

• Do most students pick AB 463 Forensic Accounting or Fraud Examinations, and can I take both?
• Which track courses do students usually take in each year?
• How are internships arranged for forensic track students, and how many credits can they carry?
• What scholarships are available for incoming accounting majors?
• How do I join the community tax program, and what do I need to prepare?
• What does the Business Capstone team project look like for accounting students?
• If I might want an MBA later, when should I choose the bachelor's-to-MBA pathway?

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 21 of 22, bachelor's
• Best Bachelor's Programs Rank 21 of 22, bachelor's
• CFE Exam Prep Programs Rank 12 of 12, bachelor's
• Best Programs in Pennsylvania Rank 3 of 3, bachelor's

• Franklin Pierce University

  Accounting Bachelor's Plus MBA (3+1), Forensic Accounting Track

  New Hampshire Score 32.9

• CUNY York College

  Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination Concentration

  New York Score 45.0

• Louisiana State University-Alexandria

  Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a Concentration in Fraud and Forensic Accounting

  Louisiana $353 per credit Score 45.8

• Marywood University

  Bachelor of Business Administration in Financial Crime Investigation

  Pennsylvania $844 per credit Score 50.2