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

Utica University's online master's degree includes forensic courses throughout the program, and it was built to meet New York State Education Department requirements for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure. A partnership with the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) brings you a free student membership for up to two years. And you don't need work experience to apply.

Utica University, a private nonprofit school in Utica, New York, offers this Master of Science in Forensic Accounting online. It's 10 courses and 30 credits that you can complete in two years, and it's offered part-time for professionals who work full time.

Graduates are prepared to detect, investigate, prosecute and prevent fraud and financial crimes with accounting firms, law firms, corporate security, law enforcement, financial institutions and government organizations. Utica pairs graduate accounting courses with electives in economic crime and cybersecurity, areas Utica says it has led for several decades.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Utica says the 30 credits of coursework meet the academic requirements for CPA licensure in most states, and the curriculum was created to meet New York's requirements. Completing the fraud management coursework throughout the program helps prepare you for two financial forensic certifications, the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and the CFE.

Program director Glen Hansen, Ph.D., has taught at Brigham Young University, the University of Rochester, Penn State, Baruch College and Hunter College and has worked at Morgan Stanley. Professor of Practice Donna M. Dolansky is a licensed CPA who spent seven years at Ernst & Young, including a two-year rotation in London.

Career examples include forensic accounting manager, operational risk consultant, anti-money laundering specialist, fraud investigator and financial forensic analyst. Utica's page cites $104,762 a year for internal audit managers with fraud investigation skills.

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

• If you're a working professional, the program is offered part-time and designed around a full-time job.
• If you're changing careers, you don't need work experience to apply.
• If you studied another major, you can apply with a non-accounting bachelor's degree plus 6 credit hours in accounting and at least 33 hours in business courses.
• If you want to be a New York CPA, the curriculum was created to meet state education department requirements for licensure.
• If anti-money laundering work draws you in, the program has an ACAMS partnership and a path toward the CAMS credential.
• If you're curious about cybercrime, you can choose electives in computer forensics and cybercrime investigation.

Seven required courses make up 21 of the 30 credits. Forensic Accounting, Seminar in Assurance and Forensic Auditing, Financial Investigations and Fraud Management and Technology form the forensic core. They're backed by Accounting Theory and Practice, Advanced Auditing and Quantitative Analysis for Management.

You then choose nine credits of electives, which is where you tailor the degree. Your fraud-management options include Management of Fraud Prevention and Detection, Legal Concepts of Criminal Fraud, Fraud Management: Risk and Compliance and Advanced Fraud Analysis.

If cybercrime appeals to you, you can take Essential Topics and Emerging Trends in Cybercrime Investigations, Computer Forensics and Investigation Methods, and Principles of Cybercrime Investigations. The list has accounting and finance electives too, such as Corporate Tax, Advanced Managerial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis and Advanced Corporate Finance.

Utica's learning goals frame the whole sequence. You'll learn to navigate the legal, regulatory and ethical frameworks of forensic accounting. You'll apply analytical skills to detect fraud and financial misrepresentation, communicate your findings clearly to stakeholders, including in legal settings, and make informed decisions from evidence.

Standout Features

• Academic partnership with the ACAMS including free student membership for up to two years
• Curriculum built with the New York State Education Department to meet CPA licensure requirements
• Forensic coursework runs through the entire curriculum, not just a course or two
• No bachelor's in accounting required and no work experience required to apply

Utica prices the 30-credit program at $775 per credit hour. If you enter without an accounting bachelor's degree, your curriculum also includes up to five fundamental courses (15 credit hours) alongside the core coursework, so it's worth asking the admissions team how many apply to you.

Utica's partnership with ACAMS also offers you a waived application fee and a 10% tuition discount if you're already an ACAMS member when you apply.

30 credits at $775 a credit comes to $23,250 in tuition, before fees.

The program is fully online, offered part-time and designed for professionals who work full time. You can complete the 10 courses and 30 credits in two years. If you enter with an undergraduate degree in accounting and take 6 credit hours per term, you can finish in 5 semesters.

You'll have an individualized support team that includes an academic advisor, a student success coach and career services. Utica's online programs are available to New York State residents.

• Utica's launch story for the program says the university has long been a leader in financial crime investigation, and that students gain advanced investigation and auditing experience.

  Source: Utica University news story

• Utica describes its faculty as experts with decades of worldwide experience who bring industry insights into the classroom to help you succeed in the field.

  Source: Utica University website

• Which fundamental courses would I need, given my undergraduate major?
• How often are the cybercrime and fraud-management electives offered?
• How do I activate the free ACAMS student membership once I enroll?
• How do the 30 credits line up with the CPA education requirements for New York?
• What does the individualized support team do week to week for an online student?
• How long does a typical part-time student take to finish at 6 credit hours a term?

• Best Forensic Accounting Programs Rank 4 of 27, master's
• Best Master's Programs Rank 4 of 27, master's
• Best Online Programs Rank 3 of 20, master's
• CFE Exam Prep Programs Rank 4 of 13, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 9 of 15, master's
• Best Programs in New York Rank 1 of 4, master's

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• West Virginia University

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