Tiffin University Master of Business Administration, Forensics and Fraud Examination: Our 2027 Review

Tiffin built its four fraud courses around the study material the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) uses for its exam, so your coursework doubles as exam review. The format is asynchronous, with no set log-in times, and classes start six times a year. You'll finish with a business degree and a clear path to the CFE credential.

Tiffin University's Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a Forensics and Fraud Examination concentration runs 32 to 36 credits, and the program page shows a 14-month timeline. Tiffin is a private nonprofit school in Tiffin, Ohio. The concentration teaches you to detect fraud, examine financial evidence and help organizations prevent and respond to financial crime.

You'll study fraud prevention, fraud schemes, investigative methods and the legal environment around financial crime. You'll also learn to identify suspicious activity, conduct interviews and communicate findings. Those skills point toward fraud examination, forensic accounting and internal audit roles. You can take the program online or on campus.

Tiffin created the concentration in 2018-2019 with the assistance of the ACFE. It says it was the only known university at the time to build courses around the ACFE's professional study material. After the four courses, you've completed the same review material professionals use to study for the CFE exam, and you can schedule the exam when it suits you.

The School of Business is accredited by ACBSP. On a national standardized test by Peregrine, Tiffin business students scored higher on average than students from other ACBSP schools. The concentration qualifies graduates for positions with auditing firms, accounting firms, forensic accounting firms and government, and career titles include financial crimes investigator and fraud prevention consultant.

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

• If you're a working professional, classes are asynchronous with no live log-in times.
• You may be a police officer or criminal justice professional, and Tiffin says you'll study alongside accountants and finance professionals.
• If you're aiming for the CFE credential, the four concentration courses follow the exam's subject areas.
• If you'd like to apply without entrance tests, Tiffin lists no Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) requirement and no application fees.
• If you like flexibility, you'll have six start points a year.

The MBA gives you business grounding, and the Forensics and Fraud Examination concentration adds four courses that each follow one section of the fraud exam. Fraud Prevention and Deterrence covers the ideas that help organizations stop fraud before it starts.

Fraud Investigations teaches you how to conduct an investigation of fraudulent activities. Fraud Legal Environment covers the legal side of fraud. Financial Transactions and Fraud Schemes examines how financial transactions can signal fraud and how fraud schemes work.

Along the way you'll cover tax fraud, money laundering and white-collar crime, plus the ethical standards set by the ACFE. You'll also learn to identify and write appropriate documentation and reports.

The work is practical. Weekly assignments have you build investigative skills, write professional memos, prepare presentations, produce original research and practice interviewing. Faculty who've worked for years in corporate accounting, public accounting, private accounting and a fraud examination firm share those experiences in class discussion.

Courses the School Names

• Fraud Prevention and Deterrence (FFE510)
• Fraud Investigations (FFE520)
• Fraud Legal Environment (FFE610)
• Financial Transactions and Fraud Schemes (FFE620)

Standout Features

• Asynchronous online format with no required live log-in times
• Concentration created in 2018-2019 with the assistance of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• Four concentration courses match the four sections of the CFE exam and use the ACFE study material

Tuition is $755 per credit hour, and the program runs 32 to 36 credits. The inputs are all on the program page, so you can price your own path once you know how many credits you need. Tiffin says more than 80 percent of its students receive financial aid through Tiffin grants and scholarships, federal and state grants, federal and private loans, and work study.

The school is transfer credit friendly and lists no application fees. You can ask the admissions team about the monthly payment plan shown on the program page and about any employer or military benefits you could use.

You choose between an online, asynchronous format and an on-campus format. In the online version, you don't log in for live classes on set days or times each week. Instead, you'll complete course materials, discussions and assignments within established deadlines, which gives you more control over when you study.

The program was built for professionals with demanding schedules. At the posted payment plan the program takes about 14 months, and classes start six times a year. Students come from varied backgrounds, including accountants, finance professionals, police officers and criminal justice professionals, so discussions draw on a wide range of experience.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• A Tiffin graduate of the Forensics and Fraud Examination MBA tells the school that its advising department made it easy to enroll and get classes scheduled, and that everything worked.

  Source: Tiffin University website

• The same graduate says her interactions with Tiffin faculty have been better than any she's had before, describing them as helpful and understanding.

  Source: Tiffin University website

• How many credits will I need between 32 and 36, given my background and transfer credit?
• Which courses can I take in a single term, and how do the six yearly starts fit the 14-month timeline?
• How do the four concentration courses line up with each section of the CFE exam?
• Is the ACFE study material included in my course fees?
• What does the monthly payment plan cover, and can it be combined with employer or military benefits?
• Which concentration courses meet on campus in Tiffin, and how often?
• How do faculty from the fraud examination firm bring cases into the weekly assignments?

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 21 of 27, master's
• Best Master's Programs Rank 21 of 27, master's
• Best Online Programs Rank 17 of 20, master's
• Fraud Examination Programs Rank 8 of 10, master's
• MBA With Forensic Concentration Rank 4 of 6, master's
• CFE Exam Prep Programs Rank 12 of 13, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 8 of 15, master's

• Pfeiffer University

  Master of Business Administration in Financial Fraud

  North Carolina $400 per credit Score 64.7

• Colorado State University Global

  Master of Professional Accountancy, Fraud Investigations and Forensic Accounting Emphasis

  Colorado $675 per credit Score 67.3

• Roosevelt University

  Master of Science in Accounting Forensics

  Illinois Score 67.7

• Seton Hill University

  Master of Business Administration, Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination Specialization

  Pennsylvania $1,015 per credit Score 68.5