CBA School of Accounting Now Offering Internal Audit Fraud and Control (IAFC) Certificate

Mammel Hall – Accounting Professionals can now broaden their skill set and gain specialized internal audit, fraud and risk management knowledge and expertise with the UNO College of Business Administration’s (CBA) School of Accounting’s Internal Audit Fraud and Control (IAFC) Certificate. The IAFC courses provide a foundation for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) examination and certification.

“We hope that earning this certificate will encourage and prepare students to pursue the CIA credential. This certificate and potential professional certification will help students sharpen their skills and earn a standard of credibility and recognition of competence in the field,” said Dr. Jennifer Riley, accounting professor. She and her colleagues, Dr. Yuzhou Chen and Dr. Linh Le, both assistant professors of accounting, collaborated to develop the certificate.

The skills and knowledge gained through this certificate open wider career opportunities for new accounting professionals who have developed skills in traditional accounting areas of financial reporting, management accounting, and taxation.

Recent studies have found that the set of skills provided by this certificate program are in high demand in the labor market and could be beneficial for a broad target audience with different levels of experience and education. Internal control knowledge, which is a fundamental objective of this certificate, is found to be the top in-demand specialized skill, appearing in over 60% of all job postings in the sample,” Dr. Chen said.

“There are no other similar certificate programs offered by other major universities in the state of Nebraska,” said Dr. Le. “Internal audit and the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification enhances an individual’s value to their organization and the profession.”

“Dr. Riley, Dr. Chen, and Dr. Le have been visionary in developing this certificate to provide opportunities for and prepare our students to stay at the forefront of the profession.” said Dr. Roopa Venkatesh, Director of the CBA School of Accounting and Union Pacific Professor of Accounting. “It is an honor to have them as part of our School of Accounting contributing to our tradition of excellence. I am grateful for the steadfast support our faculty in the School of Accounting have received from the Nebraska community resulting in excellent collaborations amongst faculty leading to student learning and student success.”

To sign up, prospective students can go to:

Internal Audit, Fraud and Control Certificate >> University of Nebraska Omaha

Dr. Jennifer Riley is a Professor of Accounting, holds an active CPA license and CIA certification. She is an elected member of the Board of Governors of the local chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors. She has been teaching in the areas of fraud, risk, and internal controls for 20 years and developed the Principles of Internal Audit course offered beginning Fall 2024.

Dr. Yuzhou Chen is an Assistant Professor of Accounting. He teaches Principles of Auditing and Principles of Accounting I and conducts research on topics related to auditing and financial accounting. His research has been published in top journals such as Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, and Accounting, Organizations and Society.

Dr. Linh Le is an Assistant Professor of Accounting. Dr. Le teaches Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Analytics for Accounting and conducts research on topics related to corporate governance, information systems, and financial reporting quality. Dr. Le's research focuses on the intersection of corporate governance and accounting information systems, with a particular interest in examining the impact of information systems and top management characteristics on firm outcomes. Her research has been published in top journals such as Contemporary Accounting Research.