UTM forensic accounting master’s program launches

Sarah Jane Silva

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►Students can now apply to a new 24-month-long forensic accounting master’s degree program at the University of Toronto Mississauga.


The Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI) started a new two-year, part-time professional graduate program, expanding the scope of student recruitment in fraud investigation, securities enforcement and more.

The Master of Forensic Accounting Program, or MFAcc, will begin September 1st 2017, according to an announcement made by Len Brooks, IMI’s Director of MFAcc.

“The Master of Forensic Accounting has been designed to provide graduates with the most thorough and rigorous preparation available in the investigative and forensic accounting field,” said Brooks.

The MFAcc program will replace and build upon the graduate Diploma in Investigative & Forensic Accounting (DIFA) that has been offered since 2003, producing 288 alumni during that time - many of whom have taken on leadership positions around the world.

It aims to educate professional accountants, lawyers and other investigators in theories, techniques and skills required for the investigation of financial crimes.

The Program will consist of 10 half courses, the first nine of which will be offered in an interactive, online format. The tenth course will be a capstone residency course taken with the guidance of members of the accounting and legal professions.

Students will be able to take courses in topics such as, Forensic Accounting & Investigation, Fraud & Cybercrime, Fraud Prevention, Risk Assessment & investigation, Data Analytics & Security, Legal & Legal Process Issues, Loss Quantification and Psychological Aspects of White Collar Crime.

MFAcc will be offered only as a part-time, professional master’s program using a combination of a one-week intensive in-residence session, and real-time, interactive online courses, along with group discussions, assignments, and forma, invigilated examinations.

“Students study in teams selected for diversity of experience, so they learn from each other in addition to course materials and their instructors who are leading practitioner experts and academics,” said Brooks.

The program plans to enroll 24 students per year. Students in the program will take five half courses each year, including an additional one-week module course in the 24th month.