Author: Toni Berbick, Associate Professor of Accounting
Belmont Abbey College has approved two new Accounting Minors to compliment the revised Accounting Program Curriculum: The Cyber Audit Minor and the Fraud Minor.
The new curriculum reflects the new format and content of the CPA exam and is based on the ACIPA’s Evolution Module Curriculum and the content on the CPA exam effective 2024. The first minor is in Cyber Audit Risk and Compliance (Cyber Audit) and the second is Fraud and Forensic Investigations Minor (Fraud Minor). In addition to providing students with the skills and competencies required of a newly licensed CPA, both minors address the global skills gap in these two areas. These two new minors complement existing minors available to Accounting Majors including a Minor in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Information Security, Cyber Security, Criminal Justice and Pre-Law.
The Cyber Audit Minor is designed for Business and Accounting students who want to complement their major by adding the valuable and highly sought-after skill set of IT Audit. The Cyber Audit Minor compliments the existing Cyber Security Minor offered by the Computer Science Department at the Abbey. While the existing Cyber Security Minor focuses on data risk from and technical perspective, the Cyber Audit minor focuses on operating and control risk based on a foundation of Accounting Information Systems. This was a joint effort between the Accounting and Computer Science Departments.
The Cyber Audit minor was developed with the guidance and support from members of the Charlotte Chapter of ISACA, including Mr. Steve Spittler, CPA, CISA – Senior Audit at LPL Financial and Charlotte ISACA Academic Relations Committee Chair; Ted Wolff, CISA – IT Audit and Risk Management Professional, recently retired from a position as a Senior Leader in Vanguard’s Global IT Risk & Control; and, Kyle Conn, CPA, CISA – IT Divisional Risk Advisor at Vanguard. Their experience and insight were invaluable and I am most grateful for their time and support.
The Fraud Minor is designed for Criminal Justice and Accounting majors interested in pursuing a career in Risk Assurance, Compliance, Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, and Anti-Money Laundering. Students will learn the skills necessary to identify financial fraud, how to assess and mitigate the risk of fraud and understanding the criminal investigative procedures. The required coursework is designed to meet the hiring demands of accounting, banking, investment and insurance institutions as well as federal and state regulatory agencies and law enforcement authorities.
The Fraud Minor was developed with collective guidance from members of the Charlotte Institute of Internal Auditors, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, federal, state and regional law enforcement agencies and major banking, investment and insurance firms in the region. This minor was a joint effort between the Accounting and Criminal Justice Departments at Belmont Abbey College.
I am grateful for the support and guidance from Dr. David Williams, Vice Provost and for the vote of confidence from Dr. Travis Feezel, Provost, Dr. Brad Frazier, Dr. Julie Beeman, Mr. Gupta, and Dr. Alessandro Rovati. It is truly a pleasure to work in a such a collegial and empowering environment.
This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.
