I am a sophomore in college and just switched my major to accounting, I have been doing some research and found out that I will need 150 credits in order to obtain my CPA license. I want to become a forensic accountant so I was thinking of picking up forensics as a second major ignorer to meet the 150 credits but my school does not offer it, are there any other majors that you would recommend?
Make sure you do at least one internship as you study - one of which ideally would be in forensic accounting.
Forensics/criminal justice are sub-disciplines of sociology, so one option is to double major in soc. Some people double major in psych. Another idea is to double major in something like business management or finance - something directly related to your field. Or you could pick up a minor in one of these fields; or in Spanish or another needed language (Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Pashto, etc.), which might help you get a job with certain government agencies.
For the extra credits, if you don’t want to do a double major or a minor, you could take some classes that will help you in your future career. If your school doesn’t offer forensics, that’s fine. You can take classes in criminal justice, sociology, psychology, business law, finance, and communications (in terms of being able to present ideas to others, to communicate with others.) It can also help you if you take some classes that might help you be more employable - for example, if you want to work for the FBI, having strong computer skills and knowing some Spanish or another in-demand language can help you, so you might take classes in those fields.
You don’t have to double major in anything. But if you are thinking of a complementary field to accounting for forensic accounting…honestly, computer science is probably your best choice.
I also agree with the suggestion of a critical language.
Crim and Soc classes have absolutely nothing to do with Forensic Accounting. Since there are schools that offer specific degrees in forensic accounting. you will need to take classes that can compete with that. Forensics by itself is more of a crime scene investigation type of major (think chem and bio). Forensic accounting is very different. Forensic accounting is really not an entry level job either, you need to get some experience as Forensic accountants are considered experts and will be testifying in court. Getting. your CPA is essential and you should look at getting your CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner). Do a few internships, talk to your career center about agencies where previous students may have interned getting experience in forensic accounting. See if you are able to cross register at other school that may offer forensic accounting classes and be able to transfer those credits in. That is what students at my schools do as we do not offer forensic accounting.Students here generally continue on for their MBA in order to fulfill the 150 credit requirement. Your alumni office is another valuable resource. They may be able to to connect you to graduates who are working in forensic accounting that you can speak to and get advice from people already doing the job. We host networking nights for our students to connect with alum. Your faculty should also be able to connect you to graduates in the field. God luck to you, Forensic Accounting is a great field to get into!
I would just get the Accounting degree. The 150 credits will include more accounting type courses. Talk to your advisor about what courses you need to graduate as well as which ones to take for forensic accounting.
it may be that you need to take extra courses…for example here is a Certificate in Forensic Accounting program at Georgetown https://scs.georgetown.edu/programs/381/certificate-in-forensic-accounting/curriculum
Accounting and finance are typical double majors, but not sure if that will help with your targeted field of work/employment.