Fort Hays State University Bachelor of Science in Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation: Our 2027 Review

Fort Hays State University's Bachelor of Science in Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation puts accounting and criminal justice in the same degree, so you learn to read the numbers and to work the case.

You can take it online or on campus, and if you study online, you're welcome in the student chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) too. You'll pay online undergraduate tuition and fees of $275.65 per credit hour.

Fort Hays State University is a public university in Hays, Kansas, with a large online division. Its Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting runs this 120-hour bachelor's degree in partnership with Criminal Justice. The mix gives you a base in financial reporting, accounting information systems, legal processes and investigative techniques, and you'll build entry-level financial forensics skills alongside knowledge of the criminal justice system.

With about 27 hours of open electives, you can steer toward accounting, finance, economics, management, computer forensics, data analytics or software development. The school describes the program as a fit if you like solving complex problems, analyzing data and understanding how organizations work.

Fort Hays State describes itself as offering quality education at an affordable price. You'll pay online undergraduate tuition and fees of $275.65 per credit hour for the 2026-27 academic year, and the degree is 120 hours.

The program page estimates about $4,134.75 per semester for 15 credit hours online. It puts on-campus cost at $3,237.60 per semester for 15 credit hours. If you have questions about aid, the financial assistance office can answer them.

120 credits at $275.65 a credit comes to $33,078 in tuition, before fees.

• Students who like both spreadsheets and case files, since the degree pairs a financial core with a criminal justice core.
• Working adults who need room in their week, because the program is offered online and on campus with flexible schedules.
• Future fraud examiners who want a community, as the ACFE student chapter welcomes online and on-campus students and offers conferences and networking.
• Students with a second interest in technology, who can use open electives to add computer forensics, data analytics or software development.
• Readers aiming at federal or Internal Revenue Service investigations, cyberfraud analysis or corporate fraud work, three paths the school names.

On the financial side, you'll start with Fraud Examination, a three-credit course on skimming, cash larceny, check tampering, billing and payroll schemes, non-cash misappropriations, corruption, fraudulent financial statements and interviewing witnesses. A Financial Statement Fraud course joins it in the financial core. You'll also take Financial Statement Analysis, which has you judge a firm's health and standing from its statements, and Accounting Information Systems.

The criminal justice side gives you the investigator's view. In Criminology, you'll examine the causes and consequences of criminal behavior. Criminal Investigation covers the key elements and advanced techniques of investigation and the duties of investigators.

Digital and Cyber Crime looks at crime and the law enforcement response in the online domain. Corporate Crime and Deviance examines organized crime and efforts to control it, from criminal organizations to corporations and corrupt people. Your core also includes Security Administration, Criminal Law and Crime Analysis.

Directed electives let you go deeper. Corporate Crime, for example, studies corporate and white-collar crime through factual accounts, including its investigation, adjudication and regulation. One stated program outcome is describing the techniques for effective interviews and interrogations and reading indicators of deception. And with about 27 hours of open electives, you can also add accounting, data analytics or cybersecurity coursework.

Courses the School Names

• ACCT 310: Fraud Examination
• CRJ 200: Criminology
• CRJ 355: Criminal Investigation

Standout Features

• Blends accounting, business and criminal justice
• Offered in both online and on-campus formats
• Online and on-campus learners can join the FHSU student chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

The program is offered both online and on campus, with flexible schedules for students balancing work and personal commitments. If you study online, you'll apply to Fort Hays State for undergraduate admission and have official transcripts sent to the Registrar. Outside class, the ACFE student chapter offers conferences and networking, and it's open to both groups of students.

The Accounting Club hosts guest speakers who are professionals with accounting degrees and helps members meet employers. The Criminal Justice Club offers career-focused service and networking. You'll also find career-focused internship opportunities and personalized mentoring from faculty in the department.

The program provides knowledge and skills aligned with the CFE credential, and the ACFE student chapter offers additional support and professional development if you're pursuing the CFE designation. Graduates pursue careers detecting, analyzing and preventing financial fraud, and the school says rising fraud has increased demand for these skills.

Roles it names include federal or Internal Revenue Service criminal investigators who examine financial records to support prosecutions of tax evasion and fraud schemes, cyberfraud analysts who investigate financial crimes in digital systems, and corporate fraud investigators who review records, analyze transactions and interview employees.

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

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• How are the online sections of the criminal justice courses scheduled?
• How do the Financial Statement Fraud course and the interview and interrogation course fit into the plan of study?
• Which open electives do advisers suggest for a data analytics or computer forensics focus?
• How do I join the ACFE student chapter as an online student?
• What internship options does the department offer, and can online students use them?
• How many transfer credits will the Registrar accept toward the 120 hours?

A public university in Hays, Kansas with a large online division. The degree is new: a local news item dated May 14, 2026 says it starts in August 2026.

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