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Bachelor of Science in Fraud and Financial Crime Investigation: Curriculum

Curriculum Details

120 TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED

Prepare to take on the rapidly changing, complex world of economic crimes, from data breaches and hacking to internal accounting schemes perpetrated by white-collar criminals. This program includes 34-55 core course credits, major course requirements (25-28 credits), major-related courses (18 credits), and a choice of two concentrations (18 credits). You’ll also complete sufficient elective courses to earn at least the minimum credit hours required for this degree. At least 60 credit hours of the 120 required must be in the liberal arts and sciences.

By choosing either Financial Investigation or Fraud Prevention and Detection as your concentration, you’ll build relevant skills for the career you want. Plus, take part in a 5–16 credit internship and put your skills to work in a real-world organization and graduate even better prepared for the field.

The curriculum course abstracts on this page are meant to provide a high-level course overview and subject to change based on term, faculty, and/or institutional requirements. View the official course descriptions as written in the Utica University Academic Catalog and in adherence to regional compliance. Select the appropriate Undergraduate Catalog from the dropdown.

Major Course Requirements

Explore criminological research methods and APA, and learn basic research and writing principles as they apply to Justice Studies as a field of study.

Explore the history, theory, and structure of the criminal justice system. This course emphasizes substantive and procedural criminal law with additional examination of police, prosecution, defense, courts, and institutional and community corrections, as well as the juvenile justice subsystem.

Typology of economic crime. Study of theory, causation, and victimization relating to economic crimes.

This examination of white-collar crime in the United States emphasizes investigatory techniques related to these types of crime.

Prerequisite: CRJ 103 or equivalent.

Explore topics ranging from computer crimes and e-commerce to internet fraud and threats to the national infrastructure. You’ll analyze policies, legal issues, and investigative techniques and strategies, as well as implications for investigation and enforcement on a global scale.

Learn the principles of privacy relating to non-public personal information and proprietary business or government information. You’ll examine policy issues and best practices, as well as legal, regulatory, and business controls.

Prerequisites: CRJ 103 or permission of instructor.

Understand the government and judicial regulations designed to address economic crime, and how they impact financial institutions, commercial entities, their agents, and employees. You’ll also look at constitutional issues in investigations by governmental and corporate entities in both a substantive and procedural context.

This capstone experience will integrate what you’ve learned in previous classes with a critical analysis of current research literature. You’ll develop action projects with fellow seminar members focused on selected topics of current interest.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

CYB 470 Cybersecurity – Internship
Participation on staff of criminal justice agency under co-supervision of faculty and agency personnel. Field experience, weekly readings, online discussions, and writing assignments designed to combine theory and professional practice. Prerequisite(s); if any: Permission of Instructor.

OR

CYB 475 Senior Project
Senior level research project on policy issue determined after consultation with faculty supervisor. Prerequisite(s); if any: Permission of advisor is required.

Major Related Requirements

Learn about financial statement communication, information processing, and measuring business income. Explore measurement and analysis of gross margin, short-term liquid assets, operating assets, short- and long-term liabilities, and cash flows.

Learn the principles of economics with a major emphasis on the theory of the market system (microeconomics), the economics of international trade, and current economic problems.

Examine crime as a form of deviant behavior and its relationship to social values and social structure. You’ll also explore types of criminal behavior, theories of treatment and control, correctional methods, and the administration of criminal justice.

ECN 241 Statistics
Application of statistical methods in management and economics. Descriptive statistics, probability, normal curve sampling, confidence, and regressions. Prerequisite(s); if any: Completion of mathematics and computer requirements in component one of core. Students may not also take PSY 211, SOC 211 or MAT 112 for credit towards Core Goal 4: Quantitative Reasoning.

OR

MAT 112 Basic Statistics
For non-mathematics majors. Probability theory topics, binomial distribution, normal distribution, descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, measures of central tendency, hypothesis testing. Confidence intervals, correlation, and prediction. Prerequisite(s); if any: MAT 100, or satisfactory performance in Mathematics Placement Test administered by mathematics department, or permission of instructor. Students may not also take for credit PSY 211, ECN 241 or SOC 211 for credit towards Core Goal 4: Quantitative Reasoning.

OR

PSY/SOC 211 Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences
Application of statistical methods in psychological research. Descriptive statistics, tests of significance, correlation, simple analysis of variance, chi-square, and some nonparametric methods. Students may not also take ECN 241, MAT 112 for credit towards Core Goal 4: Quantitative Reasoning. Same as SOC 211. Prerequisite(s); if any: MAT 107, MAT 124, MAT 143, MAT 151, MAT 201, or a math placement score of 2 to 4, or a 3C test score of 070 to 100.

Gain an understanding of quantitative methods and their application in crime study. Through the analysis of scientific journals, you’ll test hypotheses and evaluate policy, in addition to exploring computer applications in processing data and data analysis.

Prerequisites: SOC 274 and SOC 211 /PSY 211 or MAT 112.

Learn about criminal law as a process for dispute settlement and maintenance of order by the state. You’ll focus on legal reasoning, legal process, and necessity to maintain historical continuity and doctrinal consistency.

Financial Investigation Concentration

Building on concepts learned in Accounting 201, you’ll use accounting information to make managerial decisions, as well as learn about product costing, activity-based costing and activity-based management. Gain an understanding of cost behavior and decision-making, as well as budgeting, performance evaluation, cash-flow analysis, and factors that go into making capital investment decisions.

Prerequisite: Accounting 201

Explore accounting theory and financial statement disclosure requirements relating to current and long-lived assets.

Prerequisites: ACC 201

Applying the lessons learned in Accounting 301, this course advances into liabilities and equities accounting for income taxes, pensions, leases, revenue recognition, and statement of cash flows.

Prerequisite: Accounting 301.

You’ll learn integration of accounting, auditing, and fraud investigative skills, as well as understand how to resolve accounting irregularities. You’ll use auditing case studies to analyze documents and internal controls, trace funds, examine business interruption losses, and preserve and prepare evidence.

Prerequisite: Accounting 302.

Learn business finance for small- or medium-sized corporations while understanding government regulation and how general business conditions affect financial plans and operations. You’ll examine promotion, expansion, methods of raising fixed capital, various types of securities, administration of income, and financial difficulties.

Prerequisites: Accounting 201 or permission of instructor.

ACC 333 Cost Management
Decision models and methods for estimation and management of business costs, budgeting, activity-based cost systems, strategic cost management. Prerequisite(s); if any: ACC 202. Meets with ACC 533.

OR

ACC 411 Auditing
The study of external audit practice and reporting on financial statements. The study of audit standards, the demand for auditing, and regulatory, legal, and ethical influences on auditors. Review of audit objectives, evidence, control environment, and risk assessments. Prerequisite(s); if any: ACC 302 Meets with ACC 511

Fraud Prevention and Detection Concentration

Types of proactive technology programs and tools used to prevent and detect the occurrence of fraud in face-to-face transactions, e-commerce and e-business. Includes development and implementation of business models for production of prevention and detection products and techniques.

Explore methods and techniques for fraud prevention, including assessment for risk of fraud, fraud controls, data mining, and data security. Understand regulatory mandates and best practices.

Prerequisite: CRJ 232

Study of modern payment systems from global perspective. Exposure to fraud within payment systems. Techniques for fraud prevention, detection, and investigation. Prerequisite(s); if any: CRJ 232 or Permission of Instructor.

Focus in-depth on a specific area of economic crime. Explore theory and methodology, including typical fraud schemes, case studies, and investigative best practices. This course may be taken twice if you’d like to study a different topic.

Prerequisites: CRJ 232 and CRJ 334

Examine the processes and procedures unique to operationalization of fraud prevention, detection, and investigation functions in both public and private organizations, including compliance mandates.

Prerequisites: CRJ 232, 334 and 353

Fraud Prevention and Detection Concentration Elective (Select 1)

Learn about the development of organized crime in the United States and its impact on social, economic, and political institutions. You’ll examine the role of corruption as a facilitator of crime.

Prerequisite: CRJ 103 or equivalent.

Study the theory and practice of modern investigation methods for public and private sector agencies. Learn about the techniques and procedures for evidence collection, preservation, and presentation. Become acquainted with investigation resources, including crime laboratories and databases.

Prerequisite: CRJ 103 or equivalent.

Learn the general principles of banking and theories of money. Explore the organization and control of the banking system, commercial bank functions and operation, and monetary theory.

Prerequisites: ECN 131 and ECN 141Students may not take both Economics 343 and Finance 343 for credit.

Learn the principles of risk management and insurance. You’ll develop an understanding of the foundations, applications, and selection of life, health, property, and liability insurance. Additionally, you’ll examine enterprise risk management, financial risk management, employee benefits, and strategies to mitigate risk.

Examine the ethical dilemmas professionals encounter at work. Take a close look at the issues present in industries like journalism, health care, law, education, computer science, information technology, and public relations.

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