The widespread growth in white-collar crime, litigation disputes, the illegal international movement of money and terrorism financing have greatly raised the demand for forensic accountants, fraud examiners and for professionals who possess those skills. Federal, state, and local governmental agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, The US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security, Government Accounting Office and the Offices of Inspector General all need professionals with forensic accounting, fraud examination, litigation dispute and economic crime skills. In the private sector, legislation (e.g., Dodd-Frank of 2010, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) and auditing standards (Statement on Auditing Standard No. 99) require companies and their auditors to be more aggressive in detecting, preventing and deterring fraud.

A unique program to answer the need

The Department of Accounting from West Virginia University has responded to this demand by developing an academic program designed to prepare students for careers in litigation support, forensic accounting and fraud examination. Although many schools offer a single Forensic and Fraud Examination course, very few offer a multi-course program.

Employment and Support for Job Placement

Students are eligible to participate in all College of Business & Economic?s Center for Career Development (CCD) services. Even for on-campus interviews, on-line students not residing in Morgantown, WV can participate via phone call / via internet-based interviews! WVU typically has more than 25 employers visit campus each year seeking qualified accounting students, and 100s more seeking qualified business professionals from WVU?s many programmatic offerings, many of which also recruit students with FAFE credentials.

WVU developed the National Curriculum

Dr. Richard Riley was one of the leaders of a national effort to develop curriculum guidelines for fraud and forensic accounting programs on behalf of the National Institute of Justice (Department of Justice). The effort set WVU apart as a thought leader in FAFE education.

WVU hosts the Institute for Fraud Prevention (IFP)

Executive Director, LaRue Williams and Dr. Richard Riley, Director of Research lead the IFP. The Institute for Fraud Prevention is an industry/university cooperative research effort dedicated to multi-disciplinary research, education and prevention of fraud and corruption. The IFP?s primary mission is to improve the ability of business and government to fight these crimes and to educate the general public on effective methods of recognizing and deterring them. The IFP acts as an ?honest broker?, supporting a dialog across practicing professionals and academics as well as financial and data support for academic researchers examining the challenges and complexities of fraud, white collar and economic crimes.