Enter the world of fraud and economic crime investigation. This hybrid certificate program is comprised of 5 modules that can be completed in under one year. The program is designed in partnership with the International Association of Interviewers (IAI) and the Georgia Office of Inspector General (GAOIG). The program is intended for college students as well as post-graduate working professionals, who are interested in or presently working in the field of criminal/civil investigations, and/or fraud examination between the government and private sectors.

Applicable occupational career fields of interest include but are not limited to Law Enforcement (Detectives, Federal Agents, and Criminal Investigators), Regulatory Examiners, Corporate Security Investigators, Loss Prevention Professionals, Forensic Accountants, Cyber-Crime Professionals, Auditors, Compliance Professionals, Financial Examiners, and Private Investigators.

The field of economic crime investigations, as well as forensic interview and interrogation, has and continues to grow exponentially within the government and private sectors. 

Included with your tuition is the forensic Interview/Interrogation Exam Prep Course that will make you eligible and qualified to sit for the Associate Certified Forensic Interviewer (ACFI) exam.  The exam is administered by KSU at the end of the course. For experienced industry professionals, this course can also prep you for the Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) exam administered by the IAI.  Also included in your tuition is a one-year membership to the IAI.

Additionally, upon completion of the certificate program, you will receive a second certificate entitled the Office of Inspector General – Anti-Corruption Investigations Certificate issued by the Georgia State Office of Inspector General.

PROGRAM MODULES

• Introduction to Fraud Examination and Investigation
• Criminal Procedure and the Legal Justice System in Fraud and Forensic
  Interview Investigations
• Non-Traditional Organized Crime Threats in Economic Crime and
  Following the Money Laundering Trail
• Ethics, Corruption, and Economic Crime Psychology
• Forensic Interviewing and Interrogation

This program will help prepare you for and/or enhance your career at becoming a more adept investigator in the field of fraud investigations and interview/interrogation techniques. It will also afford you professional recognition between the private sector and governmental organizations that are always in need of qualified fraud fighters, who possess excellent interviewing abilities. The program is designed and taught by a certified fraud examiner and certified forensic interviewer, who has 25 + years of criminal and civil investigative experience between law enforcement and the private industry. Instruction will also be afforded by investigative personnel from the GAOIG.

Current members of the Georgia Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners (http://www.gacfe.org) receive a 10% discount off the cost of this class, as do current and active Georgia sworn law enforcement officers (local, county, state). Please email rmattox1@kennesaw.edu for more information and verification.

Prerequisites: High School Diploma or equivalency. Working knowledge of computers and access to a computer and the Internet are required. Microsoft Excel experience is a plus. An interest or experience in criminal/civil/ fraud investigations is strongly recommended.

Requirements: Access to computers and the Internet outside of class are required. You may be asked to bring a laptop to class for certain activities. Textbooks are required for each of the 5 modules. Access to Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint is required. A webcam is required for online live students.

This program is open to in-state and out-of-state students. For out-of-state or online-only students, live in-person classes will be video streamed. This program is a hands-on class and students should register to attend in-person, if possible. Students who register online will be expected to have their webcam turned on for class meetings.

Testimonials:

I found the overall program extremely useful for students and new career comers. The program does make you think critically like an investigator. The class assignments created a foundation of investigative methods that continuously developed with the introduction of more complex case examples. The in-class speakers provided a great mix of general and specific real world experience of what a career revolving around investigation looks like in our day and age. I’ve found many useful resources from the class, particularly as a student who is seeking out job opportunities.The level of engagement, particularly from the joint on-line and in person class exercises were very interactive. The program was well put together and overall a great addition to the KSU curriculum. – John Nguyen