Portsmouth Business School
New course meets growing demand for forensic accountants
Thu, Feb 11, 2010
The economic downturn and the massive rise in fraud and legal disputes have resulted in forensic accounting becoming one of the fastest growing areas of accounting.
The course is aimed at professionals who wish to study alongside their employment, and supplements the full-time and part-time Masters in forensic accounting already offered by the Business School.
Distance-learning programmes are ideal for people in employment or with other commitments that don’t allow them to commit to a rigid timetable of study. It also enables those not within a commutable distance of Portsmouth to enjoy the benefits and resources of the University.
The course develops student’s accounting skills for use in civil, criminal and corporate litigation including business valuation, assessment of economic damages, proceeds of crime, fraud and money laundering. It also teaches how to investigate a case, gather evidence, prepare expert reports and provide evidence.
“Forensic accounting is a demanding subject because it crosses a number of disciplines,” said course leader Dr James Hicks. “It captures so much more than pure accounting as students gain a sociological and criminological understanding of fraud too.
“Last year PricewaterhouseCoopers generated £60 million from forensic work and said it had taken on 40 additional specialists to keep up with demand - so this is the perfect time to be embarking on a forensic accounting career.”
Student, Peter Jackson, a Detective Sergeant in the financial investigation unit of North Wales Police said: “Forensic accountancy work is becoming more high-profile and experts in the field more sought after. This course will allow me to go into the subject in so much more depth and will be invaluable for my current position in the police.
“The distance-learning format is ideal because it fits around my family and work commitments and when I retire from the force this should give me a ready-made career if I decide to pursue it.”
Related Links
http://www.port.ac.uk/courses/coursetypes/postgraduate/MScForensicAccountingDL
http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/news/title,105196,en.html