VIENNA – Ohio Valley University will be offering a bachelor’s degree in Forensic Investigative Accounting, a first for West Virginia, the university said this week.

The new degree offering will begin in the fall of 2016 and enrollment into the program is now open.

OVU’s Forensic Accounting program is under the direction of Peter Ianniciello, CPA, CIA, CMA. Formerly an IRS revenue agent, an auditor for the U.S. Department of Defense and an auditor with Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ianniciello teaches accounting and auditing at OVU.

National studies have shown that the fastest growing segment in the accounting profession is forensic accounting, OVU said. According to Ianniciello, the Ohio Valley University Forensic Accounting degree program curriculum was developed in conjunction with the regional accounting firm Perry and Associates, Certified Public Accountants A.C.

Perry and Associates President Jodey Altier, who is a Certified Public Accountant and one of three CPAs in the Mid-Ohio Valley certified in Financial Forensics, will be instructing.

“As President of Perry & Associates I’m very pleased to announce our partnership with Ohio Valley University. I commend the university for taking the initiative to create such a dynamic program. There is a tremendous need for skilled forensic professionals. I foresee students graduating with knowledge and skills that set them apart from their peers. I know as a recruiting firm we look forward to the first round of graduates. They’ll be exceptional candidates,” Altier said.

According to Ianniciello, over the past several decades the United States Military, federal law enforcement, financial institutions, and corporations have been uncovering financial fraud intended to weaken the financial strength of the United States of America. These crimes are perpetrated by terrorists, spies, organized crime, narcotics dealers, corporate espionage, money launderers and various types of con artists, he said.

Financial investigations like the one conducted on Bernie Madoff showed a fraud that exceeded $18 billion, Ianniciello said. With the extensive use of the Internet for worldwide commerce, Internet financial fraud has become a major worldwide issue with no boundaries, he said.

More than 40 percent of all federal law enforcement officers are accounting majors, and to assist them federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation have added a forensic accountant position to aid in the investigation of complex financial crimes, Ianniciello said.

In the private sector, financial institutions and major corporations hire forensic accountants to investigate internal and external fraud and to protect the financial institution from violating anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act laws and regulations.

According to Ianniciello, “What is distinctive about OVU’s degree is the caliber of professors that will be teaching in our program, particularly in the higher level investigative and forensic based classes.” An example is retired FBI Special Agent John “Jack” Schaffer, Ph.D., who is a professor at Western Illinois University in the Law Enforcement and Justice Administration Department. He will teach Interrogation and Psychology of Cyber Crime in OVU’s program.

“Schaffer is internationally renowned for his involvement in major cases with the FBI during his time as a behavioral analyst assigned to the FBI’s National Security Behavioral Analysis Program,” said Ianniciello.

Attorney Thomas Kirk, the director of the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center, will serve as instructor of Introduction to Criminal Justice, Business Law and Laws of Evidence in OVU’s program. Kirk has been an assistant prosecutor, special assistant U.S. Attorney, commander of the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and colonel of the West Virginia State Police.

Jeff Sandy also will serve as an instructor at OVU. Sandy is a highly decorated Internal Revenue Service criminal investigation special agent and former sheriff of Wood County. He is a certified fraud examiner and a certified anti-money laundering specialist.

He received the Honor Award from the secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury and a Department of Defense Joint Services Achievement Medal for his financial investigations in Iraq. For over 36 years Sandy has investigated and supervised some of the nation’s largest financial fraud cases.

According to Payscale.com, the work of a forensic accountant “focuses heavily on investigating and analyzing financial evidence” and requires that those who work in the field “master accounting and financial analytical theories and practices to understand various funding mechanisms and monetary transfers.”

People who become forensic accountants must be adept at information gathering, analysis and familiar with accounting principles and government regulations, OVU said.

“OVU designed its Forensic Investigative Accounting degree program to exceed the material studied at master’s level programs available at large colleges and universities. By offering it as a bachelor’s degree program, it will immerse the student in accounting, information technology, criminal justice and forensic investigation for four years. This level of exposure to all the relevant disciplines is simply not available in a 30-credit graduate program. OVU’s program is for the serious-minded student that wants to get into this exciting field upon graduation. It also enables employers to find the critical help they need sooner,” Ianniciello said.

Successful students in Ohio Valley University’s forensic investigative accounting program will graduate prepared to take and pass the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exams.

Forensic accountants are hired by government and law enforcement agencies, accounting firms, financial institutions, insurance companies, law firms and large corporations.

Students can apply to OVU’s new Forensic Investigative Accounting baccalaureate degree program by visiting ovu.edu/forensicaccounting. For information on how to apply, visit ovu.edu/apply today or contact the program director Peter Ianniciello at 304-865-6083 or peter.iannaciello@ovu.edu.