MS-FFE Courses

Students will complete ten courses, six of those courses are devoted exclusively to forensic and fraud examination knowledge, skills and abilities development and four courses parallel those in our nationally ranked MBA program and develop the broader skills of the well-rounded business professional.

All six FFE courses are taught using actual and simulated case materials, a hands-on approach to prepare students for their careers in litigation support, forensic accounting and fraud examination. To mimic real-world expectations, students are required to perform two actual engagements and report their findings both in writing and orally – see pitch-to-prosecutor and moot court exercise description below.

The six FFE courses are:

  • ACCT 580 Forensic and Fraud Examination (FFE) Skills:  Auditing, information technology, financial and managerial accounting and the interface with forensic and fraud examination.  This course provides an introduction to forensic and fraud examination and explores the interface between traditional financial and accounting topics and forensic and fraud examinations
  • ACCT 581 Fraud Investigation (MPA equivalent course is ACCT 556): Types of fraud, sources of evidence, and analysis of internal and external fraud schemes with an emphasis on the skills needed to identify, investigate and litigate fraud and forensic accounting allegations.
  • ACCT 582 Fraud Data Analysis (MPA equivalent course is ACCT 521): Digital prevention and deterrence, digital evidence, digital detection and investigation including data mining, digital presentation and reporting tools, cyber-crime and electronic case management tools.
  • ACCT 583 Fraud Criminology/Legal Issues: The professional's/ fraud examiner's responsibility to detect fraud, investigative techniques, interviewing skills, legal concepts, evidence management, criminology, and ethics. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiner (ACFE) CFE Exam Prep Course, embedded in Accounting 583, is the ACFE Exam Prep Course, making you eligible and qualified to sit for the CFE Exam.
  • ACCT 584 Advanced Fraud Investigation: Investigation of complex frauds and financial crimes and an emphasis on forensic and litigation support investigations, including international money laundering, organized criminal activities and terrorism financing. The course requires testimony of case investigative results in a moot court setting.
  • ACCT 585 Advance Analytical Techniques: Development and mastering of litigation support, valuations as they apply to litigation and FAFE issues and financial statement fraud.  Topics would be centered on civil litigation, valuation techniques and complex financial reporting frauds.

The Four Courses Mirroring the MBA curriculum are:

  • BADM 622 - Financial Statements Analysis: Provides an overview of the current financial reporting process. Includes discussion of the respective reporting vehicles, financial statements, and the alternatives available which affect the reporting process.
  • BADM 621 - Business Research: Develops skills in data- driven, fact-based decision making; develops the ability to critically evaluate research proposals and studies which rely on business research; provides a basic understanding of reading and conducting empirical research.
  • BADM 641 - Decision Analysis for Executives: Applied mathematical course in solving business problems and decision making issues from a general managerial perspective with particular emphasis on the operations management area of the organization.
  • BADM 644 - Legal Environment and Ethics: An overview of the legal system and the legal and ethical issues relevant to business decision-making, planning, and the interface between business, government, and society.

Experiential Learning

The program includes two in-class / on-line case examinations and two examination engagements that students must complete in a team format. Both require students to present and defend their work in front of practicing professionals as follows:

“Pitch to Prosecutor” Exercise in Accounting 581

Students will complete one major case investigation (MCI) over the course of study in Acct 581. The purpose is to provide students with experience in performing basic investigative tasks and analysis. These projects involve analyzing simulated case information based on actual frauds / financial crimes as well as related corporate and business records to determine if fraud has occurred, who committed the act and how it was perpetrated and concealed. Students mimic investigative processes used in conducting analytical reviews, soliciting information from clients, and reporting suspicious activity for a fictitious client / target company.

The exercise culminates in a ("Pitch to Prosecutor") exercise where students "pitch" the results of their investigations to a "prosecutor" to see if the case merits taking it to the next level. The "prosecutor" is a role played position by a qualified professional with experience in the area. The job of the prosecutor is to listen to the presentation, ask appropriate questions and then critique the team on the areas where they excelled, met expectations, or were deficient. Students have 20-25 minutes for their presentation and the prosecutor has 5-10 minutes for Questions and Answers. The critique by the prosecutor has a major impact on the student's grade for this portion of the case investigation.

Prosecutors are expected to come to the pitch "blind," meaning that they are responding to a request for a meeting by an investigative team. The prosecutor has no advance preparation. The prosecutor simply attends the pitch meeting, listens, asks questions, and evaluates whether the case should be moved forward and formal action taken against the alleged perpetrator(s). Students must utilize a variety of communication tools during the exercise including direct and indirect financial analyses, Excel spreadsheet financial analyses that highlight important case points, PowerPoint, link charts, flow diagrams and time lines, and the hypothesis-evidence matrix.  Traditionally, Pitch-to-Prosecutor has been supported by representatives from the Internal Revenue Service.

“Moot Court” Exercise (Capstone Experience) in Accounting 584

Supported by practicing attorneys (litigators) external to the university, this course includes an integrative capstone experience using simulated actual case material as a basis for conducting an investigation throughout the course. In order to complete the assignments, students must integrate and draw upon the knowledge and skills developed in the other three courses, including the use of digital tools and techniques, developed in Fraud Data Analysis.

The purpose of this integrated exercise is to provide students with experience in performing complex investigative tasks and analyses. (These cases are complex financial crimes / frauds that include money laundering, RICO, mail fraud, wire fraud, tax fraud and conspiracy. The cases are usually centered on organized crime, drug trafficking or terrorism financing.) These projects involve analyzing real-world case information (public data and open source research techniques) as well as corporate and business records to determine if fraud or a financial crime has occurred. Students mimic investigative processes found in practice by conducting analytical reviews, soliciting required information, and reporting suspicious activity for a fictitious company.

The capstone experience culminates when students testify to their findings in a moot court scenario using direct and in-direct financial analyses, other Excel spreadsheet financial analyses that highlight important case points, link charts, flow diagrams and time lines and the hypothesis-evidence matrix. The role of "judge" in the moot court exercise is played by practicing attorneys with related professional experience.
Traditionally, Moot Court has been supported by attorneys from Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC or the Internal Revenue Service.

Note: ACCT 581 and ACCT 582 must be completed before taking ACCT 584, Advanced Fraud Investigation.

Other Learning Activities Incorporated in the Face-to-Face Residencies:

Crime Scene Investigation – Financial (CSI-F):As part of preparation for the advanced courses, student visit the West Virginia University Crime Scene Complex where they are offered instruction and then financial data is collected that will be incorporated into the Acct 583 and 584 investigative assignment.  Traditionally, CSI-F has been supported by representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Advanced Data Mining:is centered on students’ developing data mining skills, using data mining such as IDEA or ACL. Student visit the West Virginia University a computing center where they are offered supplemental instruction in advanced data mining tools and techniques. The data mining analytical findings are then incorporated in the major case investigation.  Traditionally, Advanced Data Mining has been supported by Dr. Mark Nigrini, author of books on Benford’s Law, Financial Analytics, world renowned speaker and WVU professor.

Interviewing and Interrogation: is centered on students’ developing the ability to conduct thorough interviews (the collection of information and evidence) and interrogations (also known as admission-seeking interviews) of witnesses, subjects and targets.  While professionals routinely ask questions in a variety of settings, the queries rarely are for the purposes of identifying a person who might be lying and most colleges and universities do not provide professional quality interviewing and interrogation courses that focus on (1) the methodologies for determining if and when a witness is lying or being deceptive, (2) the types of questions that can be asked and how to determine which types of questions are more effective to elicit clues to deception.   This aspect of the residency examines each of these issues with the objective to assist practicing professionals be more effective and efficient interviewers, with a focus on identifying deception. Traditionally, Interviewing and Interrogation has been supported by representatives from Wicklander-Zulawski.

Residency Requirements to Complete the Program

While WVU is embracing the online instructional delivery, we are also committed to experiential learning, so two 2-day residencies are required (generally, Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday). These residencies will enhance your educational experience by exposing you to practicing experts currently working in the fraud examination and forensic accounting profession. Meeting your classmates and expanding your WVU network adds to the experience.

The online format enables working professionals to take advantage of graduate education without taking a leave of absence from work or being confined to evening or weekend classroom commitments.

  • Residency 1: As part of the residency, students participate in (1) Financial Crime Scene Investigation (CSI-F) at WVU's Crime Scene Complex, (2) Pitch-to-Prosecutor and (3) Advanced Data Mining.
  • Residency 2: As part of the residency, following the successful completion of the Acct 583 and 584 on-line requirements, students participate in (1) a full day of Interviewing and Interrogation training, (2) Moot Court and (3) a wrap-up session.