Texas Wesleyan University Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Forensic/Fraud Emphasis: Our 2027 Review

You don't just read about fraud at Texas Wesleyan, you write a case from a real fraudulent incident, and the strongest student projects get revised and sent to a fraud conference. Working forensic accountants sit on a stakeholder board that advises your professors, and the school hosts its own annual fraud conference alongside a local chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Texas Wesleyan University, a private nonprofit school in Fort Worth, offers its Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting with a Forensic/Fraud Emphasis through the School of Business Administration, and the degree totals 120 semester credit hours.

In your classes you develop an eye for detail and build a foundation in accounting and legal concepts, with real-life experience analyzing information from actual fraud crimes. The degree gives you a base to become a future fraud examiner or forensic accountant, with doors open to auditing, cost accounting and government accounting too.

The program prepares you to become a fraud examiner or forensic accountant. Texas requires 150 credit hours to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, and you can earn those hours at Texas Wesleyan, including through the Wesleyan MBA, or elsewhere.

The School of Business Administration holds accreditation from AACSB. The careers page names roles such as fraud examiner, investigator, special agent and analyst, along with tax preparer, accountant and cost accountant, and points you to job listings on the ACFE website.

The Forensic Accounting Stakeholder Board keeps the coursework tied to current practice.

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

• You're a hands-on learner. Advanced courses have you write a case based on a real fraudulent incident.
• You like presenting your work. Standout projects can be revised and submitted to a fraud-related conference.
• You want to hear from practitioners. A stakeholder board of experienced forensic accountants shapes course material.
• You plan to sit for the CPA exam. The Wesleyan MBA can supply hours toward the 150 the Texas exam requires.
• You like personal attention. One forensic accounting major says every professor learned his name.

The forensic and fraud emphasis is nine credit hours built from three courses: ACC 4331 Data Analytics in Accounting, ACC 4334 The Legal Environment & Fraud, and ACC 4335 Forensic/Fraud Practicum. As a student in the major, you'll also take ACC 4332 Intro to Fraud Examination, a three-credit course, as part of the accounting requirements.

The accounting core fills out the rest: Auditing, Accounting Information Systems, Cost Accounting I, Federal Income Tax I, and Ethics & Professionalism in Accounting. Together they give you the numbers and the rules, while the emphasis courses point them at fraud.

The case work is what sets the program apart. In your advanced forensic accounting courses, you'll write a case based on a real fraudulent incident, and you may interview people tied to the crime.

You'll also commit to attending a forensic fraud accounting conference. Based on your final work, your professor will ask the strongest student projects to be revised and submitted to a fraud-related conference. You can apply for the McCann Grant or other financial aid to help pay for registration and travel.

Standout Features

• Forensic Accounting Stakeholder Board of experienced forensic accountants and fraud examination specialists advises professors on course material
• Required research on real fraud cases, with top student projects submitted to fraud-related conferences
• Students can apply for the McCann Grant or other financial aid to help pay for conference registration and travel
• The Wesleyan MBA can supply the additional hours needed for the 150 credit hours required for the Texas CPA examination

For full-time undergraduates, the school lists $17,823 per semester for 12 to 16 hours. Part-time tuition is $1,188 per semester hour. The degree is 120 semester credit hours. The McCann Grant and other financial aid can help you with conference registration and travel. You'll want to ask admissions about scholarships and the aid package for incoming business students.

This is a campus program in Fort Worth, Texas, built around classroom discussion, practitioner contact and conferences. The degree is 120 semester credit hours, and admissions counselors walk freshmen and transfer students through the application step by step.

A fifth-year option lets you add the Wesleyan MBA, which can supply the hours you need if you plan to sit for the Texas CPA exam. The School of Business Administration also co-hosts an annual fraud conference with the ACFE Fort Worth chapter, so the professional community stays close at hand.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Stuart Tennyson, a senior forensic accounting major and 2019 scholarship recipient, says he enjoys catching the people who defraud shareholders and creditors.

  Source: Texas Wesleyan University website

• Tennyson also says every professor he had, from general education through his major, knew his name and tried to learn his story.

  Source: Texas Wesleyan University website

• The school's news recap says three fraud alumnae presented a case they worked on, about fraud in charter schools, at its annual fraud conference.

  Source: Texas Wesleyan University website

• What does ACC 4335 Forensic/Fraud Practicum involve week to week?
• Which real fraud cases have students written about, and how are people connected to the crime approached for interviews?
• How do I apply for the McCann Grant, and what does it cover for conference travel?
• How does the fifth-year Wesleyan MBA option fit around the 150 hours for the Texas CPA exam?
• How often does the Forensic Accounting Stakeholder Board meet, and what has it changed in the courses?
• How can undergraduates take part in the annual fraud conference?

A private university in Fort Worth, Texas, whose School of Business Administration offers a B.B.A. in Accounting with a Forensic/Fraud Emphasis.

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