Fraud investigator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a fraud investigator. Fraud investigators usually study criminal justice, business, or accounting. 59% of fraud investigators hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,330 real fraud investigator resumes to see exactly what fraud investigator education sections show.

The most common colleges for fraud investigators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain fraud investigator certifications that you should consider. These fraud investigator certifications include Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Professional Certified Investigator (PCI).

What education do you need to become a fraud investigator?

What degree do you need to be a fraud investigator?

The most common degree for fraud investigators is bachelor's degree, with 59% of fraud investigators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 59%

Associate, 19%

Master's, 9%

High School Diploma, 8%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a fraud investigator?

You should major in criminal justice to become a fraud investigator. 32% of fraud investigators major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a fraud investigator include business and accounting.

Criminal Justice, 32%

Business, 21%

Accounting, 5%

Psychology, 5%

Other Majors, 37%

Most common colleges for fraud investigators

Fraud investigators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for fraud investigators in the US based on their resumes.

Fraud investigator common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	17.51%
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York	15.54%
Arizona State University	6.50%
Ohio State University	6.50%
Virginia Commonwealth University	5.08%

Show more common fraud investigator colleges

Best majors for fraud investigators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Criminal Justice	32.0%
2	Business	21.5%
3	Accounting	5.0%
4	Psychology	4.9%
5	Political Science	3.9%

Show more common fraud investigator majors

Best colleges for fraud investigators

The best colleges for fraud investigators are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A fraud investigator 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 investigators. 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 investigators.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

7. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

8. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

9. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

10. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

20 best online courses for fraud investigators

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2. Fraud Detection on Financial Transactions with Machine Learning on Google Cloud

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. Explore financial transactions data for fraud analysis, apply feature engineering and machine learning techniques to detect fraudulent activities using BigQuery ML...

3. Forensic accounting, fraud investigation and fraud analytics

4.3

(657)

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

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

4.5

(2,334)

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

5. Threat Investigation

If you are an associate-level cybersecurity analyst who is working in security operation centers, this course will help you understand how threat-centric SOC must prepare for analyzing new and emerging threats by implementing robust security investigation procedures • By the end of the course, you will be able to: • Understand cyber-threat hunting concepts • Describe the five hunting maturity levels (HM0–HM4) • Describe the hunting cycle four-stage loop• Describe the use of the Common...

6. Build Powerful Compliance Programs & Prevent Corporate Fraud

4.4

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

7. AML Case Investigation Skills

4.5

(1,289)

A guide to conducting AML case investigations, writing quality case narratives and the submission of STRs (STR filing)...

8. Investigative Journalism

4.4

(379)

How to find hidden sources. How to look for documents and people...

9. AML Compliance in Practice: Suspicious Activity Reports

4.6

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Learn the Fundamentals of SAR Filing in Anti-Money Laundering Compliance/KYC & How to write a stellar SAR Narrative!...

10. IFCI Expert Cybercrime Investigator's Course

4.6

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Protect your network - Put cybercriminals in jail. Learn computer forensics, malware analysis and hacker investigations...

11. Fraud Prevention, Dispute Resolution and PCI-DSS Masterclass

4.4

(827)

The fundamentals of fraud prevention and monitoring + dispute resolution + PCI-DSS requirements - now in one course...

12. Risk, Payments and Fraud

4.6

(1,052)

How to detect and prevent fraud in your online business...

13. Excel Data Analytics in AML Financial Intelligence Analysis

4.5

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Applying Excel Data Analytics in Anti-Money Laundering/Combating Financing of Terrorism Analysis & Investigations...

14. Financial Statement Auditing Cycles

4.3

(251)

In this course, we learn how public accountants plan and execute an audit...

15. Identity & Access Management - Azure Active Directory

4.5

(636)

Learn about Identity, Directory , SAML , OAUTH , Open ID Connect , Identity Security and Azure Active Directory...

16. Fraud Risk Analytics (Excel & AI based tools) and Prevention

4.4

(820)

Detect & Prevent Fraud Smartly Assess your company's maturity to manage fraud...

17. Accounting 101: Accounts Payable Best Practices For 2023

4.4

(1,180)

Avoid common mistakes and pitfalls when it comes to Accounts Payable. No more fraud, incorrect payments or voided checks...

18. Azure Active Directory Masterclass

4.6

(1,270)

Learn to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Azure Active Directory...

19. FATF Recommendations on High Risk Customers and Activities

4.5

(1,310)

Overview of FATF Recommendations on AML/ CFT for High Risk Customers and Activities PEPs and Correspondent Relationships...

20. Tesla Company Analysis: Strategy, Marketing, Financials

4.7

(838)

Acquire the #1 Skill Needed For Investment banking, Private equity, and Consulting - Company analysis...

Top 10 most affordable universities for fraud investigators

The most affordable schools for fraud investigators are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for fraud investigators 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 investigators.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fraud investigators

The hardest universities for fraud investigators to get into are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for fraud investigators 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 investigators 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

7. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. University of Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,300

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

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

The easiest schools for fraud investigators to get into are Nyack College, notre dame college, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a fraud investigator 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 investigators.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Manor College

Jenkintown, PA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

898

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average fraud investigator salary by education level

Fraud investigators with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $61,046 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, fraud investigators earn a median annual income of $49,803 compared to $41,534 for fraud investigators with an Associate degree.

Fraud investigator education level	Fraud investigator salary
Master's Degree	$61,046
Bachelor's Degree	$49,803
Some College/ Associate Degree	$41,534

Fraud investigator education FAQs

What is the best college for Fraud Investigators?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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