Distance & Online Learning Advanced Specialty Certificate 5010ascert

Overview

BCIT is no longer accepting applications for the Securities Fraud Analysis Advanced Specialty Certificate. For more information, please contact Dr. Dean Hildebrand, Director of Forensic Science and Technology.

This 27-credit Advanced Specialty Certificate has been designed to meet changes that have occurred in the securities markets and in their economic, legal, and political environment following the fiascos of Enron, WorldCom, and others. These financial disasters have not only caused major losses to investors, but have also resulted in decreased confidence in market mechanisms and controls. In the area of securities fraud, it is often private-sector individuals who are best positioned to provide early warning of potentially fraudulent practices. Individuals in these positions include financial analysts, business valuators, financial planners, insolvency and restructuring professionals, underwriters, professional accountants, internal auditors, and others whose profession involves the analysis and assessment of a company's operating and financial situation. It is unfortunate but true that, in many major financial fraud cases, the warning signs of fraud are present for all to see, but they are unnoticed or overlooked by the very analysts whose job it is to advise others about just such indicators. The proposed certificate program will close this knowledge/skills gap.

This program aims to provide a well-rounded curriculum that focuses on financial analysis and other relevant skills for the purpose of detecting securities fraud. The intention is to strengthen the economy by preparing a growing pool of financial-analysis professionals with the skills required to detect fraud before significant losses occur, thereby contributing materially to investor confidence. The goals of this program are to provide students with the knowledge and skills to:

  • Review financial statements and other disclosures supplied by issuers and reporting entities for the purpose of identifying the presence of qualitative and quantitative indicators of potential securities fraud
  • Conduct directed, effective investigations of initial suspicions using open-source information, forensic interviews, and other means for gathering and analyzing evidence
  • Formulate reasonable conclusions and report findings in a clear and convincing manner
  • Assist in criminal or civil investigation and in prosecution or litigation, up to and including testimony in court or before an administrative tribunal

The Program

This program consists of nine three-credit courses, for a total of 27 credits. All courses are offered online. For particulars, please see the Program Matrix below.

Courses

Program delivery

The program will be delivered entirely by distance education, using BCIT's WebCT course platform and the Eluminate Live virtual conferencing capability. For some courses, students will be supplied with fully functional versions of commercial software that is used extensively in the field of fraud analysis for the purpose of allowing them to gain hands-on experience with these tools.

Particularly in the advanced-level courses, considerable use is made of case studies for the purpose of examining fraudulent accounting and reporting and exploring and applying methods of detecting such wrongdoing. Practical application will be a particular focus of the forensic interviewing course. In the forensic data analysis course, students are provided with proprietary computer-assisted audit software and data-mining software and assigned various analytical tasks involving sample databases.

The Centre for Forensic and Security Technology Studies offers flexible scheduling, which is determined by the student audience and part-time instructor availability. The Institute holds three academic terms per year, beginning in September, January, and April. To the greatest extent possible, course offerings are scheduled to allow students to cycle through their program of studies by taking one or more courses per term, as their professional and personal schedules permit.

Program matrix

1. Required Courses: Credits
  FSCT 7231 Forensic Interviewing for Investigators
course outlinenot currently available
3.0
  FSCT 8421 Investigation of Securities Crimes 3.0
  FSCT 8430 Tactical Analysis 1 3.0
  FSCT 8440 Forensic Accounting
course outlinenot currently available
3.0
  FSCT 8460 Corporate Fraud and Financial Crime 3.0
  FSCT 8490 Forensic Data Analysis
course outlinenot currently available
3.0
  FSCT 8491 Fraudulent Financial Statements
course outlinenot currently available
3.0
  FSCT 8520 Internet for Investigation 3.0
  LIBS 7002 Applied Ethics 3.0
 
Total Credits: 27.0

Check current availability of courses for this program.

Transfer credit

Do you have credits from another BC/Yukon post-secondary school? Do you want to know if they transfer to courses here at BCIT? Check out BCIT's Transfer Equivalency Database to find out.

Program Details

Grading

For all courses, the passing grade is 60%

Program location

Distance Education

Continue your education

Courses taken as part of this program may be applied towards completion of the Bachelor of Technology in Forensic Investigation, provided that the student meets the entry requirements for that degree program.

Graduating & Jobs

Job Opportunities

Current events in the legal and political arena (such as the Sarbanes Oxley Act in the U.S. and the proposed Canadian equivalent) are dictating an increase in analytical, compliance, and enforcement staff. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Graduates of this program may pursue careers as:

  • Investment analysts for institutional investors, such as insurance companies and pension funds
  • Bank and trust company lending officers
  • Compliance officers with securities brokerages, underwriters, and investment bankers
  • Analysts in private practice as investment advisors, bankruptcy professionals, and business valuators
  • Investigators and enforcement officers with agencies such as provincial securities commissions, RCMP Commercial Crime Section, Integrated Market Enforcement Team, and the Financial Investigations Commission

Apply for graduation

Upon successful completion of all program requirements, complete an Application for BCIT Credential [PDF] and submit to Student Information and Enrolment Services.

Allow approximately six to eight weeks for processing.

All financial obligations to the Institute must be met prior to issuance of any credential.

Credential

Advanced Specialty Certificate

Professional associations

Students admitted to this program will normally be members in good standing of a relevant professional association.

A number of professional associations have acknowledged that the education offered by BCIT Forensics offers knowledge and value beyond that which their members gain in attaining their basic professional credential. Accordingly, they award continuing professional education (CPE) credits for forensics courses taken at BCIT. These associations include:

  • Certified General Accountants Association of BC
  • Certified Management Accountants Society of BC
  • Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
  • Institute of Internal Auditors
  • American Society for Industrial Security
  • Information Systems Audit and Control Association

Faculty, Advisors & Staff

Advisory committee

  • Bud Bishop, Vancouver CCS
  • Joan Brockman, SFU (Criminology)
  • Brian Gardiner, CJW Forensics
  • Virgil Hlus, Clark Wilson LLP
  • David Jan, Canfor (CIRI)
  • Tina Peters, CGA Association of BC
  • Mike Ryan, Vancouver IMET
  • Fred Snyder, Dundee Wealth Management
  • Colin Topley, Topley and Company (CGA, CIRP)
  • Larry Wilkins, British Columbia Securities Commission

Contact Us

Email: forensic@bcit.ca

Phone: 604.412.7436

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