ODP.BSAFF - BS Accounting - Forensics and Fraud (online)

Professional Memberships. Accounting majors are assessed a $25 annual fee for student membership in the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), a leading professional organization in the field (www.imanet.org). IMA offers the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certification, the global benchmark for management accountants and financial professionals.

The faculty also urges Accounting majors to join the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the professional organization that sets ethical standards, auditing standards, and develops the CPA exam (www.aicpa.org). Membership is free for full- and part-time students enrolled in a domestic or Non-U.S. college or university.

Program Purpose and Student Learning Objectives

Purpose. The Accounting Major with a Concentration in Forensics & Fraud prepares students to glorify God through Christ-centered ethical leadership and vocational excellence in the accounting profession, with an emphasis on forensics and fraud aimed at improving and optimizing organizational performance across business functions.

The Accounting Major with a Concentration in Forensics & Fraud builds on Point University’s mission, values, and Core Curriculum (General Studies and Character Core) to accomplish the following student learning objectives:

Theoretical foundations, principles, and practical skills for accounting

Objective 1:   Graduates demonstrate broad understanding of the accounting field and career opportunities it holds, including the role played by each accounting specialty.

Objective 2:  Graduates articulate, interpret, and apply sound financial management and accounting concepts and principles, including the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

Objective 3:  Graduates effectively perform essential accounting functions, such as processing transactions, reconciling accounts, computing assets and liabilities, analyzing cash flow, producing and interpreting financial statements, assessing organizational performance, and creating reports that inform managerial decision making.

Objective 4:  Graduates develop and implement processes, procedures, and models useful for forecasting, planning and control, cost analysis, performance evaluation, and other managerial functions.

Objective 5:   Graduates demonstrate the capacity to develop, communicate, and execute an integrated financial plan for an organization based on sound accounting principles.

Objective 6:  Graduates apply sound auditing standards and financial controls.

Objective 7:   Graduates distinguish between government, for-profit, and nonprofit accounting, including procedures associated with internal and external reviews and reporting.

Objective 8:  Graduates apply sound principles for preparing individual income tax returns.

Objective 9:  Graduates apply quantitative, technological, analytical, and critical thinking skills to problem solving and decision making in the accounting field.

Forensic accounting

Objective 10: Graduates articulate theoretical foundations for forensic accounting, including crime causation theories.

Objective 11: Graduates apply strategies and tools to detect and deter fraud, such as the fraud triangle, internal controls, and various investigative techniques.

Communication and collaboration

Objective 12: Graduates communicate effectively across modes and platforms, including letters, reports, emails, speeches, and presentations.

Objective 13: Graduates engage constructively and collaboratively with others.

Technological skills

Objective 14: Graduates demonstrate proficiency with hardware and software utilized in current business practice.

Objective 15: Graduates demonstrate proficiency with hardware and software utilized in current accounting practice, including the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Codification Database.

Objective 16: Graduates demonstrate knowledge of the sources and ethical uses of business data across business functions.

Objective 17: Graduates apply theoretical concepts of information systems.

Ethical, legal, regulatory, and professional considerations

Objective 18: Graduates comply with legal and regulatory requirements governing the accounting field.

Objective 19: Graduates integrate God-honoring ethical and professional standards, informed by Christian perspectives, into their accounting practice.

Objective 20: Graduates effectively utilize professional literature, tools, and resources, including those available through the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Choosing a Character Core Track. Students who complete all courses in the Theological Track graduate with a Biblical Studies Minor. If students want to combine elements of both tracks while meeting the program learning objectives, they must complete one course in each numbered category in sequence. In other words, they must complete one course labeled [1], and then one course labeled [2], and then one course labeled [3], and then one course labeled [4], and then one course labeled [5]. For details, see the “Character Core” described under the “Biblical Studies Department.”

Recommended Course Sequence. As online students prepare to enter their program, academic advisors prepare a customized course schedule, or “plan of study,” mapping out which courses students should complete in which sessions from start to graduation. These customized plans take into account degree requirements, transfer credits, pace of study, and other factors toward the goal of speeding students to the finish line in the shortest time possible.