A master’s in business administration (MBA) from West Liberty University (WLU) is a professional graduate degree program that offers students the opportunity to earn the world’s most recognized business credential, representing both the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary for success as well-rounded business professionals.
In addition to a solid core curriculum, covering the essential business functions, students select from among three distinct disciplinary areas of focus. Providing graduates with not only the in-depth knowledge necessary to advance in their chosen area of study, the WLU MBA also instills and enhances the key skills necessary for advancement in today’s fast-paced workplace environment.
Who Should Pursue a Fraud and Forensic Investigation MBA Program?
According to the Federal Trade Commission (2024), losses due to fraud topped $10 billion in 2023, a 14% increase over losses reported the year prior.
As a result, the need to protect the assets of both businesses and their customers is increasingly a top priority of organizations of all types. The West Liberty MBA Fraud and Forensic Investigation concentration is designed to provide graduate students from a wide variety of industries with the knowledge and tools necessary to detect, mitigate and manage instances of fraud. This concentration can additionally provide students with a bachelor’s degree in accounting powerful professional knowledge as they work to reach the 150 credit hours required to sit for the CPA exam.
Fraud and Forensic Investigation as a possible pathway ….
The Fraud and Forensic Investigation concentration leverages interdisciplinary content from both the accounting and criminal justice fields to provide the comprehensive necessary to identify, manage and deter fraudulent activities. Coursework in the Fraud and Forensic Investigation concentration also provides foundational knowledge for graduates interested in pursuing the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) credential.
Benefits of the Fraud and Forensic Investigation concentration include the following:
- Application of both the theory and methodology necessary to determine the economic and civil damages associated with fraudulent activities.
- Ability to differentiate the specific approaches an examiner should utilize in a fraud investigation.
- Insight into the impact of fraud on business and society, the common profiles of fraud perpetrators, different types of fraud schemes, the fraud triangle.
- Investigation techniques to assess risk issues, examine corporate governance, as well as fraud risk assessment and process controls are examined.
- Application of the necessary professional standards and methodological approaches required governing investigative interviews.
- Examination of the role technology plays in supporting the forensic investigation of electronic and cyber-crimes.
- Application of criminology theory to criminal and legal proceedings, policies, and procedures.
As part of the Fraud and Forensic Investigation concentration, students are required to complete the following:
MBA: Fraud and Forensic Investigation Courses:
| MBA: Business Core | Credit Hours |
| CIS 530 Information Technology Management | 3 |
| ECON 520 Global Economics | 3 |
| MKT 535 Integrative Marketing Management | 3 |
| MGT 545 Strategic Human Resource Management | 3 |
| MGT 590 Strategic Management Capstone | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| MBA: Fraud / Forensic Investigation Courses | Credit Hours |
| GBUS 561 Fraud Examination | 3 |
| GBUS 563 Interview Techniques/Legal Aspects of Fraud | 3 |
| GBUS 564 Investigating with Computers | 3 |
| CRIM 536 Criminal Law and Liability | 3 |
| CRIM 570 White Collar Crime | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
Federal Trade Commission. (2024, 9 Feb). As Nationwide Fraud Losses Top $10 Billion in 2023, FTC Steps Up Efforts to Protect the Public: Investment scams lead in reported losses at more than $4.6 billion. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/02/nationwide-fraud-losses-top-10-billion-2023-ftc-steps-efforts-protect-public