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New USF certificate program helps students keep companies safe

Certificate in Compliance, Risk, and Anti-Money Laundering will train students in assessing risk, complying with rules and regulations, and preventing money-laundering.

TAMPA -- Stakes are higher than ever for companies trying to avoid the pitfalls that come with doing business in the modern day. Whether trying to assess risk, preventing criminals from laundering money, or simply making sure that a business complies with the many rules and regulations applied to today's corporations. Job-seekers who have the analytical and critical-thinking skills they can apply to these problems are in high-demand, especially from the growing financial services industry locally.

That's why USF is announcing a new certificate program in compliance, risk, and anti-money laundering. Applications for the program are being accepted now.

The four courses in the certificate program, which students with an undergraduate business degree can take without being enrolled in a USF graduate program, will provide students with a strong foundation in risk identification, assessment and management techniques. The program also focuses on providing students with knowledge regarding compliance with various rules, laws, and regulations affecting businesses.

"Programs like this one at USF help make the Tampa Bay area attractive for companies in financial services, IT and cybersecurity," said Rick Homans, president and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation. "One of our competitive advantages as a region is having a strong workforce equipped to put companies on the cutting edge of business and technology."

In addition to the risk management and legal compliance course that provide a necessary foundation for students, additional courses delve into other ways to keep businesses safe. The forensic accounting course in the program -- taught by a former FBI agent with expertise in counter-terrorism -- specifically focuses on fraud prevention, detection, and investigation, including the litigation aspect of fraud. The information technology control and audit course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to add value to organizations as an auditor of IT-intensive accounting systems. The statistical data mining course will equip students with the skills necessary to apply advanced statistical techniques to "mine" data to glean actionable insights relating to meet anti-money laundering objectives.

Completion of this graduate certificate program will help prepare students to take the exam for the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification and will qualify them for a discounted rate. Applicants must hold an undergraduate or graduate degree in any business discipline from an AACSB-accredited institution or equivalent internationally recognized body, or a student admitted into any graduate program in the Muma College of Business or cybersecurity. For more information, admission requirements, and how to apply, visit: http://tinyurl.com/usfaml.