Forensic Accounting Major
Loyola’s Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Forensic Accounting prepares students to investigate financial misconduct, analyze complex transactions, and promote responsible business practices. As the only undergraduate-level forensic accounting program offered in Maryland, the curriculum combines rigorous accounting coursework with investigative methods, ethical and societal context, and real-world application.
As a forensic accounting student at Loyola, you’ll learn to approach financial information with professional skepticism, synthesize data across accounting disciplines, and uncover irregularities that do not easily reveal themselves. Grounded in our mission, the program prepares you to use your skills in service of transparency, accountability, and the common good.
Go beyond the classroom through guest lectures, case studies, field trips, and elective options in fields from sociology to finance.
Why study forensic accounting at Loyola?
Unique and In-Demand Program
Only a few universities nationwide offer undergraduate degrees in forensic accounting—and even fewer offer them in person. Our program fills a critical gap in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region, where expected job growth in forensic accounting exceeds 18%.
Faculty with Real-World Expertise
Learn from faculty with extensive professional credentials and experience, including Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs), CPAs, and experienced expert witnesses.
Strong Professional Connections
The Sellinger School of Business maintains strong industry connections with leading firms such as PwC, RSM, and CohnReznick, which allows our program to bring current practice, guest speakers, and applied learning into the classroom.
Accelerated Pathways to Licensure
This program is compatible with Loyola’s 3+1 and 4+1 Master of Accounting options, allowing motivated students to accelerate their progress toward professional licensure (e.g., Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner) and graduate with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in just four to five years.
From technical mastery to understanding behavior through investigative judgement, graduates of Loyola’s program will learn:
- Financial, managerial, cost, and tax accounting analysis
- Fraud detection and prevention techniques
- Audit procedures and compliance evaluation
- Legal and regulatory frameworks impacting financial investigations
- Data collection, synthesis, and evidence evaluation
- Critical thinking for identifying hidden or sophisticated fraud schemes
Financial Analysis and Valuation
Learn how investors and lenders really evaluate companies. You’ll analyze profitability and risk, build pro forma financial statements, and determine a company’s true value using financial and strategic analysis. Through hands-on spreadsheet modeling, you’ll make data-driven financial decisions like an equity or credit analyst.
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Explore how the U.S. criminal justice system works—from investigation to prosecution to corrections. In this course you’ll examine criminal law, policing, courts, and incarceration while analyzing real trends in crime and enforcement.
Forensic Accounting Capstone
Put your skills to work. In this capstone course, you’ll analyze real-world cases, learn directly from industry professionals, and engage with faculty insights drawn from professional experience while applying your accounting knowledge to complex financial investigations. You’ll synthesize concepts from across your accounting coursework, using technical expertise and critical thinking to evaluate evidence, draw meaningful conclusions, and present your findings in a professional investigative format.
Forensic accounting graduates are prepared for roles in accounting, investigation, and compliance, including:
- Forensic Accountant
- Fraud Examiner or Investigator
- Auditor
- Compliance or Risk Analyst
- Financial Examiner
- Valuation or Litigation Support Analyst
- Regulatory or Law Enforcement Financial Specialist