Best Public University Forensic Accounting Programs in 2027

What You Get at a Public University

As a Kentucky public university, Murray State sets graduate tuition through its Board of Regents, with approval from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. You pay $471.50 per credit hour with all fees included, and the degree itself is public administration with a forensic accounting concentration. The core covers public budgeting and finance across federal, state and local government, and your capstone tackles a public-sector problem.

What You Get at a Public University

Murray State is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, and its online Master of Business Administration carries a rate of $606 per credit hour with all fees included, so you see one price. Partial scholarships may be available, and two free prerequisite courses in accounting and economics are built into the curriculum. The Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business has held AACSB International accreditation continuously since 1981.

What You Get at a Public University

Florida Atlantic University is a public research university, and its executive master's program fees are the same for Florida residents, out-of-state residents and international students. Tuition is $900 per credit hour. You can pay with federal aid, military benefits or employer tuition reimbursement, and graduate scholarships are open to you, along with a business mentor program and career services.

What You Get at a Public University

This public university program is part of the State University of New York, and online tuition is $471 per credit for New York residents and $565 for non-residents when you study part time. Resident rates also apply to members of the Armed Forces and their dependents. The degree is registered by the New York State Education Department to meet the 150-hour education requirement for CPA licensure.

What You Get at a Public University

As a public university, the University of Massachusetts Amherst publishes one online rate, $850 per credit hour, across the 30-credit degree, and it accepts students from all 50 states into its online programs. Isenberg calls itself a primary recruiting school for public accounting employers, including the Big 4, so you can meet them through a school they already know.

What You Get at a Public University

As a New York State resident at this public research university, you pay $5,655 in tuition plus $1,299 in fees for a 12-credit semester in Fall 2026, while out-of-state students pay $13,245 in tuition plus the same fees. A small number of assistantships and tuition scholarships are available. Career services at the Massry School of Business connect you with recruiters from major accounting firms.

What You Get at a Public University

State University of New York at Old Westbury is a public college, and 2026 to 2027 part-time graduate tuition is $471 per credit for New York State residents and $1,072 per credit for out-of-state students, plus mandatory fees. The 30-credit degree helps you reach the 150-credit-hour total for New York CPA licensure, and evening classes meet from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

What You Get at a Public University

Part of the Colorado State University System, Colorado State University Global is a public university based in Denver that teaches entirely online. Graduate tuition is $675 per credit for 2026-27 with $0 in student fees, and your rate is guaranteed to stay the same from your first class to your last. The school accepts Colorado National Guard tuition assistance and all Veterans Affairs education benefits.

What You Get at a Public University

Purdue University Northwest is a public university in northwest Indiana with campuses in Hammond and Westville. Graduate tuition for 2026-2027 is $330 per credit hour for Indiana residents and $526.50 for non-residents, plus a $21.20 composite fee. You can find scholarship opportunities through financial aid and pursue graduate assistant positions, and the program carries AACSB accreditation.

What You Get at a Public University

Tuition and fees at Fort Hays State are approved by the Kansas Board of Regents each year, and every undergraduate degree includes the Kansas Systemwide General Education requirements. The online admissions pages have dedicated sections for scholarships, military-connected students and transfer students, so you can find the one that fits you. Public-sector careers include federal investigators working on tax evasion and fraud schemes.

What You Get at a Public University

The University of Central Oklahoma, a public university in Edmond, houses its accounting department inside the AACSB-accredited College of Business. Accounting students have won Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants Educational Foundation awards, part of more than $65,000 given to 41 students statewide. Career paths you can explore include agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service.

What You Get at a Public University

Purdue University Global is a public, nonprofit institution, and this online bachelor's lists $371 per quarter credit. The school names accounting firms, corporate departments, nonprofits and governmental agencies as places you may work. Current servicemembers can save 55% per credit and veterans 38%, while employees of partner organizations may be eligible for special tuition reductions.

What You Get at a Public University

Tuition is the same flat rate wherever you live, because fully online programs carry no out-of-state fees. The degree is offered through Louisiana State University Online, and it meets Louisiana's educational requirements to sit for the CPA exam, where licensure asks for 150 total credit hours. Faculty advisors help you choose courses for other states' rules.

What You Get at a Public University

York College is a public four-year college in the City University of New York, located in Jamaica, Queens. If you are a New York State resident, you pay $305 per credit part time or $3,465 per semester full time. The accounting and finance department lists scholarships for majors, all-expense-paid conferences for selected students, an annual job fair and on-campus internships, with small classes.

What You Get at a Public University

Morgantown is home to West Virginia University, a public land-grant research university whose John Chambers College of Business and Economics has been AACSB accredited for over 60 years. You pay $1,063 per credit hour on the certificate, which was developed in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice and covers the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, global asset tracking and money laundering patterns.

What You Get at a Public University

At this public university, graduate certificates are priced at $962 per credit plus $37.02 in mandatory fees, and in-state and out-of-state students pay the same. The coordinator, a New Jersey CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner, developed the program after nearly 30 years in practice. You graduate ready to support law firms, corporations, government agencies and nonprofits, and the business school holds AACSB accreditation.

What Stands Out

Four online courses and 12 credits, and every credit transfers into Isenberg's Master of Science in Accounting if you keep going. You'll learn forensic accounting from practitioners and real cases, then investigate a fraud in a group and finish with a courtroom-style presentation and cross-examination. Data analytics in Excel and Tableau and a cybersecurity risk course round it out, and the courses also meet CPA continuing education requirements.

What You Get at a Public University

George Mason is a public university in Fairfax, Virginia, and its online accounting certificate carries one rate, $1,025 per credit, whether you live in-state or out-of-state. Costello College of Business holds AACSB accreditation in both business and accounting, and you can tour Mason Square and the Fairfax campus. Certificate credits can also carry into the master's in accounting.

What You Get at a Public University

Illinois State University, a public university in Normal, offers this three-course certificate through the Accounting department in the College of Business at State Farm Hall of Business. Working professionals can earn the nine-hour credential, and Dr. Brent Lao serves as graduate advisor. The program page also points you to campus resources such as Milner Library, the Technology Support Center, Veterans and Military Services and Student Jobs.

What You Get at a Public University

Tuition for the online certificate is $1,295 per credit for 2026-2027 with fees included, and the rate is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, teaches it through School of Business-Camden faculty, and graduate programs staff are available by email or phone for advising. Courses you complete can transfer into a School of Business-Camden master's program with a B or better.

What You Get at a Public University

The certificate is taught on campus in Houghton, Michigan, within a College of Business where instructors and mentors know you by name. Students connect with employers for internships, co-ops and jobs, and graduates are employed by public accounting firms such as Aprio, corporations and agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Internal Revenue Service. Applying costs nothing.

What You Get at a Public University

The College of Charleston is a public college in South Carolina, and tuition and fees for the 12-credit certificate are assessed at its current graduate tuition rates. The Graduate School and Student Financial Assistance offices can walk you through aid options. The School of Business houses a Student Success Center for advising, career exploration and professional development.