College of Business programs prepare students for fraud examination and forensic accounting careers

June 23, 2017

A professor lectures students on the lie detector test

Don Berecz, senior lecturer in the School of Accountancy and retired FBI agent, explains to students how a lie detector test works. These are some of the skills students gain with the Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting certificate programs offered in the College of Business.

Students interested in pursuing careers in fraud examination or forensic accounting have the opportunity to hone their skills and be competitive in the workforce thanks to specialty tracks offered through the School of Accountancy in 糖心Vlog鈥檚 College of Business. The four-course Forensic Accounting Certificate and Fraud Examination Certificate programs are available to students pursuing a master’s degrees. These certificate programs provide specific training in high-demand areas of accounting and investigation. 鈥淭he employment possibilities are endless with this knowledge,鈥� said Don Berecz, senior lecturer in the School of Accountancy and retired FBI agent. 鈥淭his training prepares students with skills for any kind of employment. Fraud permeates all aspects of society. The [Association of Certified Fraud Examiners] estimates that all organizations lose 5-6 percent of their gross earnings to fraudulent activity due to fraud by employees, managers and executives.鈥� The Forensic Accounting Certificate program includes the courses 聽Expert Witnessing, Cyber Forensics, Fraudulent Financial Reporting and Forensic Accounting Capstone. The Fraud Examination Certificate program includes the courses Fraud Schemes, Fraud Examination, White Collar Crime, and Forensic Interviews and Interrogation. Georgia Southern鈥檚 program was designed to prepare Forensic Accounting Masters students for careers in public accounting firms and law firms. Berecz added that students don鈥檛 necessarily have to go into public accounting or forensic accounting careers to be able to use the Fraud Examination certificate in their area of study. 鈥淏ased on the fraud detection and investigative skills learned in this program, students should 聽be able to spot small frauds in their employment positions before they become larger frauds. When these frauds become large frauds they involve cash or stolen assets that usually cannot be recovered,鈥� he said. 鈥淪tudents of any major will find employment opportunities in law enforcement, retail management, loss prevention, information security, corporate security, human resources, and hospitality and restaurant management.鈥� Since the inception of these tracks in 2007, Berecz said 111 students have successfully completed the Forensic Accounting program, with an average of a dozen Master’s of Accounting students enrolled each year. Some of the program鈥檚 alumni have gone on to work for companies like KPMG, SunTrust Bank, Dycom Industries Inc., as well as government agencies such as the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and police departments, among others. 鈥淕raduates of either certificate program will set themselves apart from other employment candidates,鈥� Berecz said. 鈥淥ur graduates attain specialized knowledge that makes them appealing to employers because of their ability to identify fraud and/or investigate it.鈥� The programs at Georgia Southern are also supported by the School of Accountancy鈥檚 , which is made up of professionals from diverse employment backgrounds who provide guidance of programs, make speaker presentations, provide assistance with internships for students, and/or employment opportunities for graduates. 聽 Recently, the School of Accountancy was featured on for its growing opportunities in its forensic accounting program. Georgia Southern was identified as one of the top programs in the country to prepare students for a career in forensic accounting by the. For more information about the Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting certificate programs, visit . 糖心Vlog, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 118 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit .

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