About Forensic Accounting, BA (Hons) - at Sheffield Hallam University
Forensic accounting uses accounting, auditing and investigative skills to help in legal matters. This ranges from investigating fraud to helping the police trace international terrorist funding.
The course covers financial accounting, areas of legal financial reporting, and the investigative responsibilities of employees in audit and financial investigation.
It stresses the skills and knowledge needed by accounting firms and professional bodies. To develop these skills you complete practical exercises in applying forensic accounting and auditing skills to real world scenarios.
The first year assumes no prior knowledge of accounting. You study modules in business and accounting, including business analysis, financial accounting and management accounting.
The second year deepens your appreciation of the role and scope of financial accounting and you explore areas such as taxation. It develops your ability to think critically, evaluate evidence and reach reasoned conclusions. You also start to apply financial and management accounting principles, allowing you to develop more practical skills.
We encourage you to take a one year paid work placement in an accountancy or auditing role in your third year to apply the knowledge and skills you have been developing.
This could be in an accountancy practice or in industry, working in the accounting department of a high profile organisation. Past accounting students have taken placements in large international accountancy organisations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG.
The work placement improves your employability after graduation, and some work placements lead to the offer of a full-time job.
In your final year you learn to question accounting theory and apply the skills and knowledge you have gained in a more strategic context, and to evaluate forensic accounting techniques.
You also learn skills in preparation for professional exams after graduation, such as how to
carry out company audits
provide and use management accounting data in the decision making process
provide tax advice
produce annual reports
For more information visit our finance website at http://www.shu.ac.uk/sbs/finance
We are developing links with employers and the Institute of Internal Auditors, whose members have a growing need for placement students with a desire to develop their investigative and analytical skills.
