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Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation.

Types of Degrees Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	82
Master’s Degree	240

What Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database	Data base user interface and query software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—
Linux	Operating system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. graduates include:

• Investigator
• Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
• Criminalist
• Identification Officer
• Police Investigator
• Fraud Investigator
• Special Investigator
• Detective
• Law Enforcement Specialist
• CIA Agent (Central Intelligence Agency Agent)
• Security Analyst
• Financial Crimes Investigator
• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Coordinator
• Internal Auditor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	34.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	23.1%
Some college courses	15.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.0%
Postsecondary certificate	6.2%
Master’s degree	3.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.0%
Doctoral degree	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation.?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62% of Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	201	62.0%
Men	123	38.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	182	56.2%
Asian	24	7.4%
Hispanic or Latino	53	16.4%
Black or African American	34	10.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	8	2.5%
Race Unknown	15	4.6%
International Students	7	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$51,422
4 years	$49,125
5 years	$55,237

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $55,237 — roughly 7% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation.. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	5	6
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation. graduates earn a median of $49,125 four years after completion — roughly 29% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Security Science and Technology	43.04
Criminalistics and Criminal Science	43.0402
Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism	43.0403
Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy	43.0404
Forensic Science and Technology	43.0406
Geospatial Intelligence	43.0407
Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis	43.0408
Security Science and Technology, General	43.0401
Security Science and Technology, Other	43.0499
Criminal Justice/Police Science	43.0107
Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection	43.0123
Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management	43.0115

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.