Online Master of Science In Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance Investigations

With our M.S. in Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance Investigations program, you will acquire both the investigative knowledge and skills to find criminal activity and the expertise to know the legal, regulatory, and prosecution issues that come into play.

Money talks. It also behaves suspiciously at times.

With our M.S. in Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance Investigations program, you will develop the high degree of financial acumen needed to recognize clues to a crime when you see them, the different ways money can go rogue, the ability to trace its movements, and the leadership skills to head up an investigations team to bring it all out into the open.

Whether the financial intelligence points to money laundering, corporate fraud, human trafficking, terrorism, or the one that’s as old as human history — the bribe — you will have the solid analytical, report-writing, and presentation skills, as well as the team-building talent, required to deliver the evidence. And, to make it stick.

Specifically, by the end of the program, you will know how to:

  • Identify money laundering typologies (hard and digital currencies)
  • Identify the correct investigative tools and information sources used in investigations
  • Prepare Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and other reports
  • Analyze the legal requirements for investigations
  • Critique an investigation

Depending on your career goals, you can focus on a particular investigative track. Organized Crime, Sports Integrity, Financial Intelligence, Trafficking in Persons, and Healthcare Fraud are just some of the directions you can take.

Real-world practice leads to real-world readiness

A culminating capstone project will be your dress rehearsal for the job you land in the professional world. The project revolves around a case study using financial and cyber threat intelligence. You will review the data, process it, analyze it, and write a full report for your superiors.

You also will also have the opportunity to engage in student-led/faculty-supported research at our Cyber & Financial Crimes Investigations Center, with which the program is aligned. There isn’t another degree of this kind at any higher-education institution that has this close linkage to a functioning cyber and financial crimes fusion center.

Where You Will Work

The connections the program maintains with the professional world are broad and deep — and are a rich source of potential employers. These are just a few of the agencies with which we collaborate:

  • Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA)
  • High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA)
  • Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII)
  • International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI)
  • National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA)

In addition, we work with a number of financial institutions, cybersecurity firms, and federal, state and local law enforcement. Other potential employers include private-sector investigation firms and private-sector advising firms.

Your position? Investigator, policy and compliance officer, and internal review officer are some of the major roles you could play. The hiring market for investigators, especially with international knowledge and financial intelligence expertise, is extremely robust as international criminal activity spreads its tentacles over most of the planet.

100% Online

This means you can complete the program from anywhere in the world!

Flexibility: Based on experience, previous education and/or career goals, students can substitute other courses from the program for required core courses, basically, a ‘build your own degree’ concept.

Transfer Credits: Up to 6 credit hours can be transferred in to meet the degree requirements.

Finish in as Little as One Year

Our master’s degree in investigations is a 36-credit hour, 10-course degree that can be completed in around ten months. This accelerated curriculum allows you to earn your master’s degree at a pace consistent with your career goals while balancing it with your life demands.

Certificate Programs

If you are not ready to begin a master’s degree program, you may also start with one of our graduate certificate programs including Financial Crime Investigation, Cybercrime Investigation, Human Trafficking, Corporate Security, and many other fields.

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Envision Your Future

The job titles and salaries below will give you an idea of the possible careers you could pursue with this degree. In addition, those who work in law enforcement can increase their salary if they acquire knowledge of cyber and/or financial intelligence. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median salary of $67,290 for those with this expertise.

$95K

Financial Analyst

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

$125K

Financial Intelligence Officer

Source: Glassdoor.com

$67K

Fraud Investigator

Source: Payscale.com

Selected Courses and Programs
  • The course engages students in researching and evaluating current trends in money laundering, detection methods employed to uncover money laundering, and identifying preventive measures. Students will be exposed to international issues in money laundering, as well as the increasing presence of terrorist organizations, organized crime, and drug cartels in money laundering operations.

  • This course covers current issues and changes in the Banking Secrecy Act (BSA), implementation of the requirements of the act, and analysis of compliance issues. Students will identify how to use BSA reporting requirements in combating money laundering, human trafficking and smuggling, drug trafficking, and other types of fraudulent activities.

  • In this course, students examine identity theft investigations, specifically focusing on synthetic identity, credit-card fraud, and stolen identity tax-refund fraud. The course will examine how the frauds are perpetrated, how perpetrators launder their criminal proceeds, and where and how the perpetrators get compromised information. Current case studies will be analyzed.

  • This course provides an overview of the origins of Bitcoin and an explanation as to the "why" cryptocurrency was developed. Students will explore where crypto came from, who invented it, how it works, hot/cold/paper wallets, the security of the blockchain, and tracing cryptocurrency addresses. The course also examines how cryptocurrency exchanges operate around the world, consumer protections, and securities regulations. Also featured: the Dark Web as it relates to cryptocurrency and how criminals and terrorists are exploiting the lack of law enforcement oversight to launder illegal proceeds while they purchase/pay for illicit activities and goods. Upon successful completion of the course, students obtain a Blockchain Intelligence Group (BIG) certificate for "Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator.”

  • This course introduced students to the concept of cyber threat intelligence and the role it plays in financial crime investigations. Cyber threat intelligence is information that can be used by organizations to identify threats that have currently, or will, target their organization. A particular focus will be on how financial institutions can use cyber threat intelligence to collect information on threats and the actors behind them in order to mitigate attacks against their organization.

  • The University of New 51 offers a wide variety of in-depth courses that create a transformational educational experience for our students. To view the complete list of courses you'll take while pursuing a Masters of Science, check out the Academic Catalog:

Learn from professors who are dedicated to your success.

Our faculty are leaders and innovators in their fields, bringing both deep professional experience and academic rigor to the classroom.

Nationally Recognized Center for Career Development

All University of New 51 students have access to the many resources available through the University’s Career Development Center, which has been named one of the best in the nation by The Princeton Review.

From career assessments, networking, and job shadowing to on-campus interviews and salary negotiation, the Career Development Center provides the skills and connections to identify a meaningful career and an opportunity to pursue your passion.

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