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Fraud examiner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a fraud examiner. Fraud examiners usually study accounting, business, or criminal justice. 64% of fraud examiners hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 72 real fraud examiner resumes to see exactly what fraud examiner education sections show.

The most common colleges for fraud examiners are the Webster University and the Webster University.

There are also many online fraud examiner courses to help get the education required to be a fraud examiner.

What education do you need to become a fraud examiner?

What degree do you need to be a fraud examiner?

The most common degree for fraud examiners is bachelor's degree, with 64% of fraud examiners earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Doctorate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a fraud examiner?

You should major in accounting to become a fraud examiner. 20% of fraud examiners major in accounting. Other common majors for a fraud examiner include business and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for fraud examiners

Fraud examiners often get their degrees at Webster University, University of Phoenix, and The University of Texas at Arlington. Here are the most common colleges for fraud examiners in the US based on their resumes.
Fraud examiner common collegePercentages
Webster University8.70%
University of Phoenix8.70%
The University of Texas at Arlington8.70%
University of Connecticut4.35%
Adelphi University4.35%

Best majors for fraud examiners

RankMajorPercentages
1Accounting20.4%
2Business14.8%
3Criminal Justice14.8%
4Finance7.4%
5Economics7.4%

Best colleges for fraud examiners

The best colleges for fraud examiners are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

A fraud examiner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for fraud examiners. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become fraud examiners.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for fraud examiners

Advertising disclosure

1. Privacy Law and Data Protection

coursera

What does it take to comply with privacy laws? In this course, we’ll look at the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements. Better understanding privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information. First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal...

2. Privacy Law and HIPAA

coursera

What does it take to comply with privacy laws? In this course, we’ll look at the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements. Better understanding privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information. First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal...

3. Forensic accounting, fraud investigation and fraud analytics

udemy
4.3
(657)

The 14 hour course(50casestudies) helps to understand fraud examination, forensic audit,financial crime, data analytics...

4. Criminal Law in 120 Minutes: A Fast Track Course

udemy
4.6
(414)

A 2 hour fast track summary of Criminal Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...

5. Introduction to International Criminal Law

coursera

-- About the Course -- From the Nuremberg trial to the case against Saddam Hussein, from the prosecution of Al-Qaeda terrorists to the trial of Somali pirates – no area of law is as important to world peace and security as international criminal law. Taught by one of the world’s leading experts in the field, this course will educate students about the fundamentals of international criminal law and policy. We will explore the contours of international crimes such as genocide, war crimes,...

6. European Business Law: Understanding the Fundamentals

coursera

The European Union is one of the world’s largest and most important economies. This six week course is the first in a series of three that will provide students with an insight into European Business Law. The series ranges from considering the basic structures and principles of the European Union to focusing on various specialized areas of law. Each course will give the students an understanding of the laws and policies that regulate the internal market of European Union, as well as relevant...

7. Company Law: A Comprehensive Summary

udemy
4.6
(250)

An in-depth summary of Company Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations...

8. Build Powerful Compliance Programs & Prevent Corporate Fraud

udemy
4.4
(289)

Learn everything you need to know to build an effective and powerful compliance culture and prevent corporate fraud...

9. An Introduction to American Law

coursera

This course will give you a glimpse into six different areas of American law: Tort Law, Contract Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Civil Procedure. You will gain insight into the complexities and dilemmas that arise from the application of law in different settings, and what is distinctive about American approaches...

10. Cloud Computing Law: Data Protection and Cybersecurity

coursera

Vast amounts of personal information are processed in the cloud. But who is legally responsible for such ‘personal data’ in cloud environments? What duties do cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have? And what rights can you, as an individual, exercise under data protection law? If you’d like to find out, then this course is for you! First, we’ll look at how the European Union’s ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ (‘GDPR’) regulates the processing of personal data in cloud...

11. Law of Contracts in 60 Minutes: A Fast Track Course

udemy
4
(619)

A 60 minute fast track summary of the Law of Contracts, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...

12. English for Business and Law - Contract Law

udemy
4.5
(552)

An English language course for business and law...

13. American Contract Law II

coursera

Course description: Contracts I & II provides a comprehensive overview of contract law in the United States. The course covers most of the key concepts found in a first year law school class. Each lecture is based on one or more common-law cases, integrating legal doctrines with policy discussions. The course also covers key sections from the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which governs the sale of goods. By the end of the course, the learner should be able to understand: Formation defenses:...

14. European Business Law

coursera

The European Union is one of the world's largest and most important economies. This specialization is a 3-course bundle that will teach learners the fundamentals of European Business Law.\n\nIn the first course, Understanding the Fundamentals, the learner will examine core structures of the European Union and the main sources of law. This will include being able to understand relevant laws and regulations regarding the internal European Union market, understand how to apply the fundamental...

15. Employment Law Compliance Made Easy

udemy
4.7
(1,575)

A comprehensive course for management to understand key employment law issues in the workplace...

16. Forensic Accounting: Fraud Investigation! (Course 1 of 4)

udemy
4.5
(2,334)

Fraud Examination, Fraud Prevention, Fraud Detection, and Fraud Correction...

17. Audit - Financial Statement

udemy
4.4
(2,545)

Master the Art of Auditing Financial Statements: In-Depth Analysis, Techniques, and Real-World Case Studies...

18. Diploma Course in Labour Laws and Statutory Compliances

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4.2
(553)

Every HR and Entrepreneur should know - with FAQs...

19. Criminology and Criminal Psychology Certified CSI+ Course

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4.2
(339)

Learn Criminal Law and Start your career with certification of Criminal Law and Criminal Psychology, Learn Criminology...

20. Privacy and Data Protection, Certified GDPR Compliance

udemy
4.4
(493)

From theory to practice (junior and less than 1 year experience level)...

Top 10 most affordable universities for fraud examiners

The most affordable schools for fraud examiners are SUNY Farmingdale, usf sarasota-manatee, and florida international university.

If the best universities for fraud examiners are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for fraud examiners.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fraud examiners

The hardest universities for fraud examiners to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

Some great schools for fraud examiners are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for fraud examiners based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for fraud examiners

The easiest schools for fraud examiners to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, gwynedd mercy university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a fraud examiner without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for fraud examiners.

1. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Manor College

Jenkintown, PA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

898

Average fraud examiner salary by education level

According to our data, fraud examiners with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $82,927 annually. Fraud examiners with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $69,945.
Fraud examiner education levelFraud examiner salary
Master's Degree$82,927
Bachelor's Degree$69,945
Some College/ Associate Degree$60,090

Fraud examiner education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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