Rider University Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting, Business Fraud and Forensic Concentration: Our 2027 Review

Rider University gives you a bachelor's degree in accounting with a named Business Fraud and Forensic concentration, plus a path to a master's in the fifth year. Seventy-five percent of accounting majors complete a paid internship or co-op for academic credit. And you'll finish the concentration with a hands-on forensic application course.

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) in Accounting is offered on Rider University's Lawrenceville, New Jersey campus through the Norm Brodsky College of Business. It's a 120-credit degree made up of accounting, core business and general education courses, with 27 credits in the accounting major itself. The Business Fraud and Forensic Concentration adds a focused fraud track on top of that foundation.

The program describes its approach as career focused, with experiential learning, faculty mentorship and industry connections.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Rider is one of only two institutions in New Jersey with dual accreditation in business and accounting from AACSB, a status held by fewer than 2 percent of business schools. The accounting program also prepares you to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam.

Rider lists forensic accounting as a career path that leads toward the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential. Graduates work in public and private companies, public accounting firms, and government and nonprofit organizations. Alumni have found jobs at the Big Four firms, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC, along with regional firms.

Rider also guarantees that you'll secure an entry-level position or acceptance into a graduate or professional program within six months of graduation, with career coaching otherwise. Terms apply.

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

• If you're a high school graduate, transfer student or adult learner, you can get a campus-based accounting degree with a fraud specialty.
• If you like learning by doing, you'll want to know that 75 percent of accounting majors complete a paid internship or co-op.
• If you plan to become a CPA, you can double major to meet the 150-credit requirement in four years.
• If you're planning a master's, you can use the 4+1 path to finish a bachelor's and a Master of Accountancy in five years.
• If you want a peer group, Rider has Beta Alpha Psi, the Accounting Society and a business living-learning community on campus.

The forensic track runs across three years. In the spring of sophomore year you'll take Fraud Examination and Business Forensics. It introduces how fraud shows up in all forms of business: why people commit it, the kinds of schemes perpetrated in the workplace and the tools used to investigate, detect and prevent it.

In the fall of junior year comes Internal Auditing. It covers the internal audit profession, international auditing standards, risk assessment including evaluation of internal control systems, and how management and employee fraud relate to the audit process.

Senior spring brings Business Forensic Application, the concentration's capstone-style course. You'll work complex investigative cases and learn to manage and present digital and technical evidence gathered for forensic litigation cases, including serving as an expert witness in court.

Around that track, your accounting core covers accounting theory, principles of auditing, federal taxation and managerial accounting, with practice preparing corporate and individual tax returns. An Integrative Professional Capstone applies financial statement and data analysis tools to a range of accounting settings.

Courses the School Names

• Fraud Examination and Business Forensics (ACC 325)
• Internal Auditing (ACC 321)
• Business Forensic Application (ACC 450)

Standout Features

• 4+1 Master of Accountancy pathway: bachelor's and master's in five years
• Seventy-five percent of accounting majors complete a paid internship or co-op for academic credit

For 2026-27, Rider lists new-student undergraduate tuition of $43,580 per year, plus $1,870 in fees. Rider customizes scholarship and aid offers and automatically considers every applicant for merit-based scholarships when you apply.

If you're an incoming accounting student on the 4+1 path, you may qualify for a $2,000 annual accounting scholarship. In your fifth year you may also get a 30 percent graduate tuition discount on Rider's on-campus graduate business programs. If you visit campus, you'll also receive an application fee waiver.

This is an on-campus degree at Rider's Lawrenceville campus, with in-person student groups and a Business Living Learning Community for your network. It follows a four-year bachelor's timeline, and the forensic courses are scheduled in a set sequence across sophomore, junior and senior years.

You have two ways to build on it. A double major in the B.S.B.A. program makes you CPA-eligible in four years by meeting the 150-credit requirement. Or the 4+1 Master of Accountancy path earns you a bachelor's and a master's in accounting in five years.

Rider is test optional and reviews first-year applications holistically. It looks at your academics, recommendations, essay, activities, talents and leadership.

• An alumnus quoted on Rider's accounting department page says the university taught them how to learn, and that they now face new scenarios at work with the confidence to tackle anything.

  Source: Rider University website

• A Rider faculty member on the department page says graduates are regularly recruited by the Big Four firms as well as major corporations, government agencies and many regional and small accounting firms.

  Source: Rider University website

• Which courses are required for the Business Fraud and Forensic Concentration, and how do I declare it?
• How do I pair the concentration with a double major to reach 150 credits for CPA licensure in four years?
• What kinds of paid internships and co-ops have accounting majors held, and can I find a fraud-focused one?
• What does the six-month career guarantee cover, and what are its terms?
• How does the 4+1 Master of Accountancy path work, and when do I apply for it?
• How could the Business in Action program or the Johnson & Johnson Case Competition fit into my schedule?

Private university in Lawrenceville, New Jersey; the Norm Brodsky College of Business holds AACSB business and accounting accreditation.

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 5 of 22, bachelor's
• Best Bachelor's Programs Rank 5 of 22, bachelor's
• With Internships Rank 4 of 8, bachelor's

• Master of Accountancy, Forensic Accounting Concentration

  MAcc, Master's

  Fully Online $1,130 per credit Score 86.1

• Forensic Accounting Graduate Certificate

  Graduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate

  Fully Online Score 78.9

• Southern New Hampshire University

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

  New Hampshire $354 per credit Score 77.0

• New York Institute of Technology

  Bachelor of Science in Forensic Accounting and Financial Fraud Investigation

  New York Score 76.5

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott

  Bachelor of Science in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination

  Arizona Score 79.1

• CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

  Bachelor of Science in Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics

  New York Score 82.9