Neumann University Master of Science in Forensic Accounting and Cybercrime: Our 2027 Review

Forensic accounting and cybercrime share one degree here, with tax fraud, financial statement fraud, fraud interviewing, digital forensics and cybercrime investigations all required. It's fully online, takes 18 months and asks for no entrance-exam score. You'll learn from practitioners including Internal Revenue Service agents, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and attorneys who prosecute fraud.

This 30-credit Master of Science from Neumann University, a private nonprofit school in Aston, Pennsylvania, is designed for future leaders in forensic accounting who want to uncover white-collar crime in a variety of organizations and businesses. It trains you to interpret data anomalies within legal, regulatory and ethical contexts, building judgment that software alone cannot supply.

Neumann describes it as an 18-month, fully online degree. If you'd like a smaller first step, the one-year certificate in accounting with a fraud and forensics emphasis transfers its credits into this master's. This degree adds the legal, cybercrime and capstone courses on top.

The program is accredited by ACBSP. Credits you earn count toward the 150 hours needed to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, and many students also pursue the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) exam. The school lists jobs such as fraud examiner, forensic accountant, risk management consultant, financial examiner and internal auditor.

Forensic accountants work in insurance, banking, law enforcement, law offices, information technology firms, medical facilities, government and public accounting. Dr. Janet Massey directs the university's accounting program, and the learning outcomes include values-based ethics grounded in the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition.

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

• If you're a working professional who wants a fully online master's, the school says you can complete it in 18 months.
• You don't need test scores, because no Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or GRE score is required.
• If you're a Neumann accounting undergraduate with a 3.0 grade point average (GPA), you're guaranteed acceptance into the program.
• If the cyber side of fraud draws you in, you'll take three required cybercrime courses.
• If you work for a partner institution, you'll receive a 20% discount. Military members, veterans and dependents have dedicated benefits and support.

The fraud core begins with Fraud Examinations in Society, whose cases span securities fraud, pension fraud, environmental crimes, antitrust violations, bribery, money laundering and corporate governance. Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention, Tax Fraud, and Financial Statement Analysis and Fraud follow, and you'll also take Analysts Notebook.

Legal Aspects of Fraud with Interviewing Techniques teaches you to plan and run skillful, ethical interviews and covers the legal issues around them. You'll practice asking the right questions and detecting deception.

Three cybercrime courses set this degree apart: Cyber Law and Cyber Ethics, Digital Forensics and Incident Response, and Cybercrime and Investigations. The learning outcomes include demonstrating cyber forensic investigation skills, and you'll apply the science of forensics to financial statement analysis.

Hands-on case studies and advanced forensic techniques teach you to connect data trends with intent and to spot fraud patterns that slip past automation. A three-credit capstone finishes your degree. Each of the courses above carries three credits.

Courses the School Names

• Fraud Examinations in Society
• Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention
• Analysts Notebook
• Tax Fraud
• Financial Statement Analysis and Fraud
• Legal Aspects of Fraud with Interviewing Techniques
• Digital Forensics and Incident Response
• Cybercrime and Investigations

Standout Features

• Credits earned count toward the 150 hours needed to sit for the CPA exam
• Taught by faculty with field experience, including IRS agents, FBI agents and attorneys who prosecute fraud
• Ten-course curriculum pairs forensic accounting with cybercrime and digital forensics courses
• Tuition discount for employees of partner organizations on select graduate programs

Tuition is $775 per credit on the graduate Accounting line of Neumann's schedule, across 30 credit hours. A graduate general fee of $275 comes with each semester. If you work for a partner institution, you'll receive a 20% discount. Neumann offers graduate assistantships in offices across campus, and military members, veterans and dependents have dedicated benefits and support.

30 credits at $775 a credit comes to $23,250 in tuition, before fees.

Instruction is fully online, and your faculty are working professionals with industry experience. You can complete the 30 credit hours in 18 months. You'll submit official transcripts from all institutions attended and a current resume, plus a letter of intent, two professional letters of reference and an interview with the Program Director.

No GMAT or GRE score is required. If you're a Neumann accounting undergraduate with a 3.0 GPA, you're guaranteed acceptance.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Dr. Janet Massey, who directs accounting at Neumann, said when the school launched its forensic accounting certificate, whose credits carry into this master's, that students come to understand the tools and red flags used to investigate and detect fraud.

  Source: Neumann University news

• Neumann graduate admissions staff member Bettsy McKlaine pointed to a verified need in the Delaware Valley for professionals with forensic accounting skills, and called the school's online forensic certificate a credential in demand.

  Source: Neumann University news

• How do the 18 months break into terms, and how many courses do I take at a time?
• What does the interview with the Program Director cover?
• Which practitioners are teaching the cybercrime and fraud courses this year?
• How does the Analysts Notebook course fit into the investigation sequence?
• What does the capstone ask me to produce?
• Which partner institutions qualify for the 20% discount?
• How do graduate assistantships work for online students?

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 15 of 27, master's
• Best Master's Programs Rank 15 of 27, master's
• Best Online Programs Rank 12 of 20, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 10 of 15, master's
• Best Programs in Pennsylvania Rank 3 of 5, master's

• Graduate Certificate in Accounting with Emphasis in Fraud and Forensics

  Graduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate

  Fully Online $775 per credit Score 68.6

• SUNY Old Westbury

  Master of Science in Forensic Accounting

  New York $1,072 per credit Score 80.6

• University at Albany

  Master of Science in Forensic Accounting

  New York Score 80.6

• Carlow University

  Master of Science in Fraud and Forensics

  Pennsylvania $800 per credit Score 81.5

• Rider University

  Master of Accountancy, Forensic Accounting Concentration

  New Jersey $1,130 per credit Score 86.1