Forensic Accounting vs. Forensic Science

The word "forensic" appears in both names, and that is where the similarity largely ends. Forensic accounting is a branch of accounting: it applies accounting and auditing skills to financial disputes, fraud and investigations. Forensic science applies natural and physical sciences, such as chemistry, biology and physics, to evidence in legal matters. They lead to different degrees, different employers and different credentials. This directory lists accounting programs, so forensic accounting appears here and forensic science does not.

What each field examines

Forensic accounting deals with money and records. The University at Albany's forensic accounting master's page describes the work this way: forensic accountants analyze financial records, trace funds, locate hidden assets, investigate transactions, and interview people involved with white-collar crimes such as money laundering, insurance fraud and embezzlement. The kind of work, it adds, depends on the focus of the business or public agency that employs you. The evidence is ledgers, bank records, contracts and electronic data.

Forensic science deals with physical and biological evidence. The U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) defines it as the application of sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering to matters of law, and describes its research as aimed at methods for the identification, analysis and interpretation of physical evidence. Its recent forensic science webinar series lists topics such as forensic DNA analysis, seized drugs and toxicology, trace evidence, and anthropology and pathology. The work is typically laboratory-based and science-heavy.

Degrees and where they sit

A forensic accounting degree is an accounting degree. At Albany, the Master of Science in Forensic Accounting is a 30-credit program that can be completed in two semesters of full-time study. The page lists courses including Fraud Examination, Financial Statement Fraud and Corporate Governance, Digital Forensics, and Data Analytics for Forensic Accounting and Information Assurance. It states the program is accredited by AACSB, and that admission requires a state-approved undergraduate accounting degree or equivalent (including 24 accounting credits and 36 business-elective credits). That makes it a master's built for accounting graduates, not a conversion program.

You will see forensic accounting offered in other forms. Some schools teach it as a concentration or a handful of courses inside a general accounting or business degree. A concentration is not the same as a dedicated degree title, and the directory labels the difference; see programs by focus and the concentration listings. Our forensic accounting subject page collects what we have verified.

Forensic science degrees are science degrees. Programs are usually found in chemistry, biology or dedicated forensic science departments, and they are outside this directory's scope.

Credentials

The credentials differ too, and one is not a substitute for the other.

• CPA. Albany states that its program meets the 150-hour education requirement for initial CPA licensure in New York and qualifies graduates to apply for the Uniform CPA Examination. That statement is about New York. Education rules are set by each state board of accountancy, vary by jurisdiction and change, so confirm yours with your board and with NASBA. A school saying a program supports CPA preparation does not establish eligibility for every applicant in every state.
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners describes itself as the world's largest anti-fraud organization and as the body offering the CFE credential. The CFE relates to fraud examination and is not a license. Check ACFE's current eligibility rules directly. The Albany page says its program prepares students to start earning industry-recognized fraud examination and financial forensics credentials as soon as they obtain a CPA license.
• Forensic science. Credentials in forensic science are tied to laboratory and discipline-specific bodies and employers, not to the CPA or CFE. Look to the relevant scientific organization and the agency or lab that employs the role you want.

Careers and employers

Albany lists sample job titles for forensic accounting graduates, including forensic accountant, forensic auditor, fraud investigator, investigative auditor and compliance officer, and sample employers across public accounting firms, corporations and federal and state government agencies. A list like this shows the kinds of roles a school associates with its program; it does not promise a job, a salary or an outcome for any graduate. Forensic science roles sit mostly in public and private laboratories and are described by the agencies and labs that hire for them.

How to choose

1. Start with the evidence you want to work with. If tracing transactions and financial statements appeals to you, forensic accounting fits. If you want to work with a lab and physical samples, you are looking at the sciences.
2. Check the base degree. Forensic accounting master's programs may expect an accounting background. Read the entry route on each program page; see master's degrees.
3. Match to licensure goals. If you want the CPA, confirm education coverage with your state board before enrolling, whatever the program's title.
4. Read curriculum, not names. A "forensic" label on a program can mean a dedicated degree, a concentration or a few electives.

Salary and job-outlook figures for forensic accountants or forensic science technicians are not given here because we could not verify them from a primary source during preparation. For occupational data, consult the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook directly, remembering that its numbers describe all workers in an occupation, not the results of any degree or school.

For more on how this directory classifies programs, see methodology and accounting degrees by subject.