Stevenson University Master of Science in Forensic Accounting: Our 2027 Review

Stevenson University's Master of Science in Forensic Accounting is a fully online, 36-credit degree you can finish in two years or less, with up to 15 prior-coursework credits applied. You'll take six fraud-focused courses on fraud accounting, auditing and tax investigation, business valuation, white collar crime law and interviewing. It's all for $719 per credit with $0 fees.

Stevenson University, a private nonprofit in Owings Mills, Maryland, runs this master's through Stevenson University Online. It trains accounting professionals to assess fraud risk and the adequacy of internal control structures and to communicate findings in legal proceedings. That prepares you for careers in investigative accounting and fraud prevention.

Courses are 100 percent online and run in 8-week sessions, taught by accomplished faculty with real-world business experience. Stevenson also offers an 18-credit online graduate certificate in the same field. This master's goes further, and you'll get 36 credits and a fuller set of investigation and law courses.

Stevenson is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and its business programs hold accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) and IACBE. The program page lists forensic accountants, business valuation experts and fraud examiners as career paths. It also cites 6 percent projected growth in demand for accountants and auditors through 2031.

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

• If you're a working accountant, 8-week courses and online delivery let your busy career and graduate study fit together.
• If you're a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) adding a specialty, Stevenson's site profiles a student who did the same and used the program to land a forensic accounting position.
• If you already have graduate credits, you can apply up to 15 credits of prior coursework.
• If you want to become a litigation support specialist, you'll study white collar crime law and trial practice alongside the accounting.
• If valuation work draws you in, you'll take a full course on business valuation methods.
• If you work for a partner organization, Stevenson offers tuition discounts for employers and partner groups.

The forensic core is built from six courses that each take on a different part of an investigation.

Fraud: Accounting opens with detection and warning signs. Then you'll move through technology tools, investigation techniques, financial statement screening and e-commerce fraud risk. Investigation and Analysis: Auditing digs into financial statement fraud and how an auditor can find it. You'll work case studies drawn from Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement releases on false and misleading statements. Investigation and Analysis: Tax turns to tax fraud committed by people and businesses.

Business Valuation surveys how a private business gets its worth, from asset to income to market methods. White Collar Crimes reviews prosecution and defense, the federal agencies involved, and crimes ranging from corporate fraud to political corruption. Investigative Techniques/Interviewing shows you how to gather testimonial evidence from persons of interest and present your reports orally.

The program page also lists Litigation Theory and Practice, which examines civil and criminal trial practice. Together these courses move you from spotting a red flag to documenting what you found and explaining it to a lawyer, a regulator or a jury. Because the degree has more courses than the certificate, you'll take both investigation courses rather than choosing between them.

Courses the School Names

• Fraud: Accounting
• Investigation and Analysis: Auditing
• Investigation and Analysis: Tax
• Business Valuation
• Litigation Theory and Practice

Standout Features

• A fully online graduate certificate in Forensic Accounting is also offered
• Ranked in the top 4 of online forensic accounting master's programs by Accounting.com

Stevenson prices the master's at $719 per credit plus $0 in fees. A College Transitions review notes that the institution has eliminated all fees on online programs.

Tuition discounts are available through employer and partner organizations, and you can transfer in up to 15 credits, which may shorten your path. Since the degree is 36 credits, the per-credit rate and your transfer credits are the two numbers you'll want to plan around with the admissions team.

36 credits at $719 a credit comes to $25,884 in tuition, before fees.

The program is 100 percent online, with 8-week courses and a completion time of two years or less, depending on your transfer credits and pace. You'll get support from academic advising and tutoring to technical help, plus one-to-one attention from faculty who've worked in business.

A profiled student, a working CPA, says the online format lets him balance a busy career with his education. To apply, you'll need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, an undergraduate accounting major or advanced coursework or professional experience in accounting, a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and a personal statement.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Stevenson's profile of Kurt Caltrider, a CPA, says he appreciated the personalized support and real-world expertise of the faculty, which helped him land a new position in forensic accounting.

  Source: Stevenson University website

• College Transitions says Stevenson's online master's in forensic accounting has received national recognition.

  Source: College Transitions

• How many courses do most students take at once, and what does that pace look like over two years?
• Which of my earlier credits could count toward the 15-credit transfer allowance?
• How is Litigation Theory and Practice taught online, and does it include mock courtroom work?
• Which practicing forensic accountants teach the investigation courses?
• How do employer and partner tuition discounts work?
• What career services are available to online students who want investigative roles?

A private university in Owings Mills, Maryland, with a fully online graduate division, Stevenson University Online.

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 9 of 27, master's
• Best Master's Programs Rank 9 of 27, master's
• Best Online Programs Rank 8 of 20, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 7 of 15, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 6 of 13, master's
• For Working Adults Rank 7 of 13, master's

• Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting

  Graduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate

  Fully Online Score 79.8

• University of Massachusetts-Amherst

  Master of Science in Accounting, Forensic Accounting Focus

  Massachusetts $850 per credit Score 87.9

• York College of Pennsylvania

  Master of Accounting in Fraud and Forensics

  Pennsylvania $710 per credit Score 86.5

• Rider University

  Master of Accountancy, Forensic Accounting Concentration

  New Jersey $1,130 per credit Score 86.1

• SUNY Polytechnic Institute

  Master of Science in Accounting, Forensic Accounting and Valuation Concentration

  New York $565 per credit Score 89.7