Forensic accounting is concerned with the application of auditing, accounting and analytical skills to aid legal matters. Forensic accountants who are also known as forensic auditors provide proof or verify the evidence at the trial. Forensic science is the use of a variety of sciences to give the answer for legal questions that are connected with crime or civil actions.

Forensic Accounting Course and Opportunities

Candidates who wish to go for this course must have completed their graduate degree in accounting. They can go for a diploma course in Forensic accounting after this. For those candidates who want to work overseas, a graduate degree in accounting and CPA certification is required. After the completion of this course, candidates can find employment in fields like tax investigations, economic crime investigations, civil litigation support etc. In addition to this, Forensic Accountants can also find work in corporations and public accounting.

Forensic Science Course and Opportunities

Candidates who wish to pursue the course in forensic science must have a graduate degree in B.Sc. Forensic Science. They can go for this after finishing their 10+2 class. After graduation, candidates can take up postgraduate courses in Criminology and Forensic Science. The duration of this course is a year.

For those candidates who want to go for higher studies, a master’s degree would be preferable. They need to be a graduate with PCB, zoology, biochemistry, microbiology, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, B. Pharm etc. The candidates can find employment with the police or other law enforcement agencies in the legal system. They can also be employed in the crime investigation agencies of the government. In addition to that, they can get jobs as instructors in institutes that provide courses in this subject.

Key Differentiators between two courses

Forensic accounting is the area where data is provided by experts at trials that result from disputes or lawsuits. Forensic Science is the field in which substantial proof is gathered for the study of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), blood spill and other evidence. This is used to make a theory on the crime scenes, the victims and the criminals. While forensic accounting includes areas like Financial Accounting/ Frauds, Criminology and Ethics, Fraud Investigation, Legal Framework for Forensic Accounting etc, Forensic science is concerned with the analyzing the criminal evidence found at the scene or on a victim. The evidence thus gathered is reported as testimony either in court or to officials of law.