Seton Hall University Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Forensic Accounting: Our 2027 Review

Seton Hall packs accounting, criminal justice and business analytics into one 27-credit major, so you finish with the numbers, the legal process and the data skills a fraud case calls for.

The school reports a 98% career-related employment rate six months after graduation. A dedicated Accounting and Taxation career advisor works with Stillman School students like you. Its New York and New Jersey connections reach agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

This Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Forensic Accounting major comes from the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University, a Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey. The catalog calls it a unique interdisciplinary program, and it follows the curriculum recommendations of the Technical Working Group for Education in Fraud and Forensic Accounting.

You'll take 27 credits of required major coursework on top of the business core and the arts and sciences core. You can add a second major or continue into a graduate program. It's taught on campus in South Orange.

The Stillman School is accredited by AACSB in both business and accounting.

The program prepares you for the Certified Fraud Examiner exam and for investigative careers in government or industry. The catalog notes that the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), which administers the credential, offers resources for students who want to earn it. The school cites ACFE data that CFE-certified professionals earn 32% more.

For licensure, the catalog also explains that New Jersey offers an alternative Certified Public Accountant (CPA) pathway with a bachelor's degree of 120 credit hours. Graduates are positioned for public accounting firms, corporations, government agencies and law enforcement. Beta Alpha Psi's Zeta Xi chapter at Seton Hall was the first in New Jersey, and it hosts events with firms in public accounting, insurance and financial services.

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

• If you want one degree covering accounting, criminal justice and business analytics, the major is built from all three.
• If you're aiming at the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the school's career paths name all three.
• If you plan to sit for the CFE exam, the program is designed to prepare you for it.
• If you're a New Jersey student who wants a bachelor's route toward CPA licensure, the catalog explains the state's 120-credit pathway for you.
• If you like small classes and one-on-one mentorship from faculty with professional experience, this program fits.

The anchor is Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation, a course on how to identify, analyze and prevent fraud. It mixes theory with practical case studies in forensic techniques, financial analysis and legal considerations.

Around it, Financial Statement Analysis teaches you to read public company statements and judge the quality of earnings. Auditing covers the auditor's duties, ethics and procedures. Federal Income Tax Accounting applies tax law to people and businesses.

The criminal justice side is a real part of your plan. Criminal Procedure and Evidence follows a case from the prosecutor's decision to charge through pretrial steps, trial and sentencing, so you learn how the evidence you find will be used. Criminology looks at crime from a sociological view and the theories that explain it. Commercial Law rounds out your legal grounding.

For the data side, Business Intelligence has you explore data with Excel and Python, tidy it, prepare it and spot underlying patterns. Enterprise-Wide Accounting Information Systems II uses the SAP enterprise system to cover business applications, security auditing and implementation. The school also lists forensic psychology and ethics among the skills you build. In your senior year, you'll take part in an assessment panel and a post-assessment test.

Courses the School Names

• Forensic Accounting
• Criminal Procedure and Evidence
• Business Intelligence
• Federal Income Taxation
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Commercial Law

Standout Features

• 98% career-related employment rate six months after graduation
• Career connections in the New York and New Jersey area, including the IRS, FBI and top advisory firms
• Combines accounting, criminal justice and business analytics, with interdisciplinary study alongside the College of Arts and Sciences
• Dedicated Accounting and Taxation career advisor
• Option to double major or continue into a graduate program such as the M.S.P.A
• Stillman School of Business is AACSB-accredited in both Business and Accounting

Seton Hall lists full-time undergraduate tuition as a flat rate of $26,920 for 12 to 18 credits in a term, so you can carry a fuller course load without paying per credit. You can also tap internships and alumni networks in the financial and legal sectors as a Stillman School student, and the career advisor can help you plan which ones fit.

This is an on-campus program in South Orange, New Jersey, so you'll attend classes in person. Stillman describes its classes as small, with one-on-one faculty mentorship. The accounting department also describes experienced, teaching-oriented faculty and a focus on systems technology.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The accounting department chair said graduates will be uniquely prepared to serve both the business community and the public interest, speaking about the new major when the school announced it.

  Source: Seton Hall website

• The Stillman School's dean described the new majors as a reflection of Seton Hall's focus on innovation and on preparing students for meaningful careers.

  Source: Seton Hall website

• How many semesters does the major usually take, and how do the 27 major credits fit with the business core?
• How does the Accounting and Taxation career advisor help forensic accounting students find internships?
• Which courses prepare me for each part of the Certified Fraud Examiner exam?
• Can I double major, or move into a graduate program after this degree?
• How do Beta Alpha Psi events connect students with the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI and advisory firms?
• How do I plan my credits for the New Jersey 120-credit Certified Public Accountant pathway?

A Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, with the Stillman School of Business.

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 8 of 22, bachelor's
• Best Bachelor's Programs Rank 8 of 22, bachelor's
• CFE Exam Prep Programs Rank 5 of 12, bachelor's

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