What are careers in forensic accounting?

Forensic accounting professor, forensic accountant, and forensic auditor are careers in forensic accounting. Typically, anyone in the field of forensic accounting holds at least a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field.

What degree do you need to be a forensic accountant?

You need a bachelor's degree in forensic accounting to be a forensic accountant. A bachelor's degree in accounting or finance is also acceptable. ou might also consider getting a master's degree in forensic accounting, as this will make it more likely that you will have a successful career in the profession. While a bachelor's degree can land you many entry-level accounting roles, many companies prefer candidates with a master's degree for forensic accounting positions.

How To Become A Forensic Accountant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a forensic accountant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. John McGowan

Forensic accountants assess financial data to determine where missing money has gone and how it can be recovered. As the forensic accountant, you are expected to draw up a report based on your analysis, which will serve as evidence, and present your findings, in court, as an expert witness. Your responsibility as a forensic accountant is to use your investigative skills and accounting knowledge to prevent, detect, and prosecute financial felonies. Your role may also be extended to providing consultation services to companies that handle large amounts of money.

The position of a forensic accountant requires you to be observant, detail-oriented, and have strong analytical skills. You need to see yourself as a detective and be quick to spot financial anomalies. To become a forensic accountant, you need to obtain a bachelor's degree in business management or criminal justice and major in forensic accounting. After attaining your bachelor's degree, you will be required to obtain your accountant licensure and forensic accounting credentials and certifications.

What general advice would you give to a Forensic Accountant?

Dr. John McGowan

Professor of Accounting, Saint Louis University

One big difference will be the commitment of the student (new employee) to their new place of employment. In times past, Millennials had the reputation of jumping freely between jobs. As I talk to current CEOs, I hear how current employees have stepped up their productivity, for fear of being the next person to be laid off. It's become so hard to find and keep a job that employees are motivated to go the extra mile to hang on to their positions.

ScoreForensic AccountantUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,833

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.4

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.46%

Asian 12.14%

Black or African American 8.75%

Hispanic or Latino 11.09%

Unknown 3.97%

White 63.59%

Gender

female 42.97%

male 57.03%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Forensic Accountant in ,

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

Key steps to become a forensic accountant

Explore forensic accountant education requirements

Most common forensic accountant degrees

Bachelor's

71.2 %

Master's

19.6 %

Associate

6.5 %

Start to develop specific forensic accountant skills

Skills	Percentages
CPA	21.06%
Litigation	16.46%
Forensic Accounting	8.15%
Financial Data	7.49%
Fraud Investigations	7.06%

Complete relevant forensic accountant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New forensic accountants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a forensic accountant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real forensic accountant resumes.

Research forensic accountant duties and responsibilities

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Gain accounting and auditing experience with this CPA firm.
Select and roll out ERP software to meet company requirements.
Complete all tasks for a full service CPA firm independently with little supervision.

Apply for forensic accountant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a forensic accountant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do forensic accountants rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Forensic Accountant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Cons

Business owners that do not know or understand compliance and GAAP, or the patience to follow the rules... generally common in small companies.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019