With the growth of white-collar crime and budgetary pressures on law enforcement, many large organizations rely on their internal resources to prevent, detect and quantify fraud. This graduate certificate program will provide you with in-depth knowledge and computer techniques to investigate fraud, financial disputes and other irregularities in the business world.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE®) estimates that a typical organization loses five per cent of its annual revenue to fraud or $3.5 trillion globally with over half never recovering the funds.
Upon graduation from this program, you are strongly encouraged to pursue Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation through the ACFE®.
When you graduate from this program, these are the types of career options you can explore:
Canadian citizens or permanent residents educated outside of Canada must provide a World Education Services (WES) or ICAS Canada course-by-course (comprehensive) credential evaluation.
To apply for the Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting graduate certificate program, please complete the application form.
In addition to completing the application form, you must also submit supporting transcript(s) per the program's entry requirements to acctce@senecapolytechnic.ca. Please use "Part-time Fraud Examination & Forensic Accounting Application" as the subject line of your email when submitting your transcript(s).
If you have any questions about the entry requirements or general questions about the program, please contact:
Roberta Aquino
Academic Program Manager
roberta.aquino@senecapolytechnic.ca
416-764-9419
Part-time Studies courses are being offered in either of the following four formats: Online, Flexible, In-person, Hybrid. Click Availability below to see current offerings.
This course is an introductory survey of the legal issues that frequently arise in a business setting with emphasis on the financial services industry, human resources, and accounting and other professional services. Topics covered may include: the structure and process of Canadian legal and court systems, contracts, the law of torts (particularly negligence and professional responsibility), forms of business organization, agency, professional services, property law (personal, real, and intellectual), banking, the legal aspects of credit, and employment law. The purpose of the course is to enhance the students' decision-making ability with respect to various business transactions, to aid in the legal planning related to business and to help identify, manage and control legal issues that arise in a business setting having regard to ethical considerations.
Fraud is one of the most invasive activities in the Western world today. This course will provide students with an overview of the Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting program and the methods fraud investigators and other professionals use to prevent, detect and investigate allegations of fraud and other financial wrongdoings. The course will also focus on identifying the differing roles of various professionals who are involved with fraud prevention, detection and investigation.
All fraud investigations involve the scrutiny and analysis of financial information, usually in the context of the business environment. In this course, basic accounting concepts will be revisited, and the roles of various stakeholders in combating fraud, potential fraud and other financial wrongdoings will be examined. In addition, the course will identify "fraud rich" environments that may inherently have a greater susceptibility for wrongdoing and will look at society's demands for systemic change.
Understanding criminal behavior is an essential component of an effective fraud investigation. This course will consider theories of criminal causation and ethical dilemmas. In addition, students will evaluate situational cases involving conflicts of interest and breach of fiduciary duties. The course will also address non-technical professional issues faced by fraud investigators in the discharge of their professional responsibilities.
This course focuses on refreshing the students' understanding of financial statements and related concepts, providing a basic understanding of key concepts related to the area of business valuation, and the quantification of financial damages. These topics will give the student the analytical tools necessary to understand and apply, at a basic level, all three of these topics, generally in the context of a commercial dispute. The course will focus on a balanced mix of lectures and frequent exercises to reinforce the key learning objectives.
Money laundering is at the very heart of financial aspects of crime and is a common method of financing terrorist and other illegal activity. This course will look at all aspects of money laundering, the international scene and the increased regulatory intervention designed to suppress such illegal activities. As well, the students will focus on the concept of asset tracing.
Using case studies, this subject will provide students with the skills required to document, control and manage evidence. Students will learn how to reconstruct income, identify and use sources of information, examine procurements and bankruptcy fraud and financial institution fraud schemes. In addition, the subject will examine identify theft, internet and other "cybercrime" activities.
It is widely agreed that one of the most effective corporate anti-fraud weapons is prevention and detection through effective enterprise risk management and internal control. This course will examine the roles and responsibilities of corporate boards of directors and management in directing effective anti-fraud programs. The course material will include legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and will study enterprise risk management, the internal control environment, ethics, professional standards, and professional responsibilities.
Fraud examiners need to understand the value of computers in conducting forensic investigations. This subject will provide a basic level of understanding by examining computer applications that will enhance the students' ability to use computers to identify unusual transactions and other irregularities. The students will also study analysis techniques and will be exposed to document management and retention systems.
The Enron, Lucent, Tyco, WorldCom scandals all evolved through financial statement fraud. This subject will examine financial statement fraud and discuss methods of identifying misstatements of revenue, concealed liabilities and expenses and similar improper disclosures. In addition, students will be exposed to asset valuation and inventory losses.
This Seneca program has been validated by the Credential Validation Service as an Ontario College Credential as required by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
As a graduate, you will be prepared to reliably demonstrate the ability to:
This program is eligible for OSAP funding.
Course load is used by OSAP to determine funding options for programs.
Course load is calculated by dividing the number of courses you are enrolled in at the same time by the total number of courses per semester. For example, in Fraud examination and Forensic Accounting there are five courses in Semester 1 and five courses in Semester 2.
To be considered for part-time OSAP, you must have a course load between 20 to 59 per cent. If you are taking two or three courses in Social Media in a given term, you may be considered for part-time student grants and loans.
To find out if you qualify and to learn how to apply, please visit the OSAP website.
For information on other awards and financial assistance, please see Financial Aid.
Take your graduate certificate further
Seneca is recognized as a leader in pathways and offers a range of options to help you reach your educational and career goals.
As a graduate of this program, you may be eligible to pathway into a master's degree program at one of our partner institutions.
To qualify for a master's degree program, you may require a bachelor's degree as a prerequisite. Visit our Degree Transfer Guide to learn more and explore your pathway options.
If you have additional questions regarding pathways to, within and beyond Seneca, connect with our Academic Pathways team at 416.764.0399 or email academic.pathways@senecapolytechnic.ca.
After reviewing the Degree Transfer Guide, you can also book a virtual appointment to discuss your options in more detail with a dedicated Pathways Adviser.
When you meet all program requirements and become eligible for a certificate, diploma, or degree, you must inform the Registrar by completing a Graduation Application form and paying the graduation and alumni fee. Certificates, diplomas, and applied degrees are issued twice a year in the Fall (October), Spring (June) and Winter (February).
For further information including deadlines and fees, please visit the Convocation website or contact the Convocation Office at theservicehub@senecapolytechnic.ca.
Roberta Kury de Aquino
Academic Program Manager
roberta.aquino@senecapolytechnic.ca