Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting – University of Baltimore
Objective:
To earn a graduate certificate in Forensic Accounting
Prerequisites:
Principles of Accounting I and II
Who Should Attend
 Accountants
 Accounting graduates
 Business managers
 CFOs, Directors, and anyone with fiduciary responsibilities
 Employees of CPA firms
 Certified Fraud Examiners
 Investigators
 Attorneys
 Individuals involved with the financials of their business or their clients’ business
What You Will Learn
 Roles and responsibilities of a forensic accountant
 Legal Framework for Damages and Fraud
 Investigative strategies
 Damage Methodologies
 Corporate governance and ethics
 In-depth study of financial statements in search of fraud and/or accounting abuse
Forensic Accounting Graduate Certificate Course Descriptions
Forensic Accounting Principles (3 Credits)
This course will provide students with a BROAD overview of the field of Forensic
Accounting. Specifically this course will cover the following areas:
 The roles, responsibilities, and requirements of a forensic accountant in both
litigation and fraud engagements
 Basic litigation and fraud examination theory
 Identification of financial fraud schemes
 The legal framework for damages and fraud
 Damage Assessments and Methodologies
 Earnings Management and Financial Reporting Fraud
 Computer Forensics
 Corporate Governance & Ethics
Actual litigation and fraud cases will be discussed to highlight the evolving roles of
forensic accountants.
(This course is intended to briefly touch on the areas of forensic accounting that will be
more fully developed in the following courses highlighted below.)
Dissecting Financial Statements (3 Credits)
The focus of this course will primarily be focused on earnings management and financial
reporting fraud. Specifically this course will cover:

The Current Environment – most notable cases will be discussed including
Worldcom, Enron, Rite Aid and Adelphia
 Investigation of Earnings Management
 Financial Reporting Fraud and “Cooking the Books”
 Sarbanes Oxley
This course will also provide a general overview of financial statements and their uses.
“Students will learn how to review, detect, and investigate possible financial statement
concerns of publicly and privately held businesses, as well as nonprofit organizations
and family businesses. Topics covered include: legal elements of financial statement
fraud; management's and auditor's responsibilities; improper revenue/sales recognition;
inadequate disclosure of related-party transactions; improper asset valuation; improper
deferral of costs and expenses; financial statement red flags; and inadequacies in
management's discussion and analysis. Students will learn how to detect and investigate
possible financial statement problems by addressing such factors as off balance sheet
activity, liquidity, financial performance indicators, unreported intangibles, and lease
auditing.”
Investigative Accounting & Fraud Examination (3 Credits)
The focus of this course will primarily be focused on conducting a financial fraud
investigation. Specifically, this course will cover:
 Financial fraud schemes
 Conducting a financial fraud investigation
 Interviewing techniques
 The use of computer forensics in a financial fraud investigation and digital
evidence recovery
“Topics include the in-depth review of: sophisticated fraud schemes; how fraudulent
conduct can be deterred; how allegations of fraud should be investigated and resolved;
the recovery of assets; methods of writing effective reports, complying with SAS 82 and
other fraud standards. Fraud and investigation topics cover acts of skimming, cash
larceny, check tampering, register disbursement schemes, billing schemes, payroll and
expense reimbursement schemes, improper accounting of inventory and other assets,
corruption, bribery, conflicts of interest, security fraud, insurance fraud, anti-terrorist
financing, and money laundering.”
Litigation Support (3 Credits)
The focus of this course will primarily be focused on litigation support and the role a
forensic accountant plays in this process. Specifically, this course will cover:
 The litigation process
 The legal framework for damages and fraud
 Damage assessments and methodologies
o Lost Profits
o Valuation Theories of Damages
o Identification of issues and critical areas
o Developing a damage opinion
 Presenting evidence through expert testimony
o Expert Reports
o Testimony – Trial and Deposition
o Demonstrative Exhibits
 Divorce Cases
 Rules of Evidence