Purdue University Northwest Master of Accountancy, Forensic Accounting Data Analysis Concentration: Our 2027 Review

Fraud Investigation is in the accounting core, so you'll study it in this Master of Accountancy (MAcc), and the forensic accounting data analysis concentration adds three more fraud-focused electives to choose from. The program is accredited by AACSB and designed for working professionals with evening classes. The school says the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) pass rate among its graduates exceeds the national average.

Purdue University Northwest is a public university in northwest Indiana with campuses in Hammond and Westville. Its Master of Accountancy is 30 credit hours, and the school describes it as affordable and flexible, with evening classes to accommodate working professionals. You choose a concentration in forensic accounting data analysis or taxation.

This one adds a focus on fraud data and investigation to a full accounting master's. You'll take the accounting core, two concentration electives and one management elective. Faculty draw on academic research and years of professional experience, and the program director advises you on your plan of study and career development.

The program is accredited by AACSB, an honor the school notes fewer than 5 percent of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned. The school says the program prepares you for professional positions in the accounting industry and for the CPA exam.

Alumni work at organizations including Ernst & Young, Caesars Entertainment and NiSource, and career paths include certified public accountant, corporate controller and financial analyst. Deanne M. Shimala, a CPA, teaches as a clinical assistant professor of accounting and finance, and you can join the Finance and Accounting Club, one campus organization open to students.

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

• If you work in northwest Indiana, every course meets in the evening.
• If you're an accounting graduate aiming for the CPA, the program prepares you for the exam, and the school reports a pass rate above the national average.
• You might be a career changer. One student says the program is great for people looking to change career paths.
• You can pick a flexible timeline, with the degree completed in one to two years.
• If you're an Indiana resident, you'll pay $330 per credit hour in 2026-2027 tuition.

Fraud shows up twice. First, Fraud Investigation is part of the 21-credit accounting core, so you'll meet it no matter which concentration you pick. Then the concentration adds two electives from three choices: Fraud Data Analysis, Criminology and Legal Issues, and Advanced Fraud Investigation. The department can approve substitutes, which gives you some room to shape the sequence around your interests.

The rest of the core is the accounting depth that makes a forensic accountant credible. It includes Advanced Taxation, Accounting Communications, Advanced Accounting, Management Accounting II and Auditing. You'll also take one management elective for three credits.

The structure is core plus concentration. You'll take 21 credits of accounting core, six credits of concentration electives and three credits of management elective, 30 in all. Year two ends with the capstone course, Advanced Financial Reporting.

One student describes the projects as a place to apply knowledge to real business situations. The titles point to a clear arc: the investigation process first, then the data work that finds anomalies, then the criminology and legal context around a case.

Courses the School Names

• Fraud Data Analysis
• Criminology And Legal Issues
• Advanced Fraud Investigation

Standout Features

• Concentration is 12 credit hours in one of two areas, forensic accounting data analysis or taxation
• Evening classes for working professionals

Purdue University Northwest lists graduate tuition for 2026-2027 at $330 per credit hour for Indiana residents. Non-residents pay $526.50 per credit hour. The degree is 30 credit hours. MAcc students have scholarship opportunities through the financial aid office and are encouraged to pursue graduate assistant positions. The bursar's tuition and fees page lists any college-specific charges, and the admissions team can help you put together a full plan.

All courses are offered in the evening, which the school designed for working professionals. You may complete the degree in one to two years. Some students finish in one year, while others complete about half the program in their first year. Spring and fall courses run in 16-week modules, and summer courses run in 6-week or 8-week modules.

To apply, you'll send official transcripts, a statement of purpose, a resume and three letters of recommendation. The program asks for a bachelor's degree with a 3.0 graduate index on a 4.0 scale. If your undergraduate grade point average is below 3.0, you submit a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score of 500.

If you're a non-accounting major, you can be considered with enough accounting coursework.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Rachel Bremer, a MAcc student from Schererville, says the program's projects let her apply her knowledge to real business situations as she prepared to start as an audit staff member.

  Source: Purdue University Northwest website

• Patrick Petruf, a MAcc student from Hammond, calls the program great for people changing career paths and says teachers help you find your niche.

  Source: Purdue University Northwest website

• Which concentration electives are offered each term, and in what order should I take them?
• Which fraud courses meet in the evening, and are any available online or hybrid?
• How much of the Fraud Data Analysis course uses software, and which tools?
• Which substitutes has the department approved in the past for the concentration electives?
• Do graduate assistant positions come with a tuition benefit, and how do I apply?
• How do Indiana residency rules apply to my tuition rate?
• How does the program prepare me for the 150-hour requirement and the CPA exam?

A public university in northwest Indiana with campuses in Hammond and Westville.

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 17 of 27, master's
• Best Master's Programs Rank 17 of 27, master's
• MAcc With Forensic Concentration Rank 6 of 12, master's
• Public Universities Rank 10 of 11, master's

• Colorado State University Global

  Master's Degree With a Fraud and Financial Crimes Specialization

  Colorado Score 70.8

• Seton Hill University

  Master of Business Administration, Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination Specialization

  Pennsylvania $1,015 per credit Score 68.5

• Roosevelt University

  Master of Science in Accounting Forensics

  Illinois Score 67.7

• Colorado State University Global

  Master of Professional Accountancy, Fraud Investigations and Forensic Accounting Emphasis

  Colorado $675 per credit Score 67.3