Acceptable Fields of Study:

CPE must be in any of the following fields of study:

Fraud Examination
This field includes all subjects relating directly to the detection or deterrence of fraud, including but not limited to the following:

• Criminology or Sociology as it relates to fraud offenders
• Behavioral sciences
• Investigative, interview, and interrogation techniques
• Fraud auditing and forensic accounting subjects
• Ethics of fraud examiners and general ethics courses
• Loss prevention, law enforcement, and security-related subjects
• Legal training

Accounting and Auditing
This field includes the following general categories:

• Accounting and financial reporting subjects
• The body of knowledge dealing with recent pronouncements of authoritative accounting principles issued by the standard-setting bodies
• Any other related subject generally classified within the accounting discipline.

It also includes auditing subjects related to the following:

• Examination of financial statements, operations systems, and programs
• The review of internal and management controls
• The reporting on the results of audit findings, compilation, and review

Taxation, except as it relates to fraud, is accepted as non-fraud related hours.

Specialized Knowledge and Applications
This field includes the following:

• All management and supervisory training
• Personal development
• Management advisory services relating to fraud examination
• Industry-specific training (e.g., insurance, banking, computer sciences, and finance)
• Other specialized applications

Types of CPE Credit:

Participant Credit (Unlimited)
An unlimited amount of participant type CPE credits may be claimed each year. Participant credit is defined as instruction in a formal class setting. A formalized class is one that meets in a formal setting, and includes:

• an instructor;
• a written course outline;
• attendance that is required and recorded; and
• a certificate of completion is issued to the attendee.

One hour of credit is equal to at least 50 minutes of classroom time.

College courses may be claimed and computed at the rate of 15 credits of CPE for each semester hour completed. Transcripts must be obtained to support the claim for CPE. In-house training is acceptable, provided that it is offered in a formalized setting and meets the above criteria. Informal, on-the-job training may not be claimed.

Correspondence and self-study courses are acceptable for recommended CPE credit provided they (1) require a final examination and (2) issue certificates of completion.

In some publications, the acronym CEU is used, which means Certified Education Unit. Normally one CEU is equal to (1) 15 classroom hours, (2) one college semester hour, or (3) 15 credits of Continuing Professional Education.

Instructor Credit (Maximum 10 CPE Credits/Year)
A maximum of 10 CPE credits per year is allowed in this category. Instructors may claim CPE credit for the number of hours actually presented plus a maximum of 2 hours preparation for each hour of presentation for the first time the material is presented. Subsequent credit for preparation of the same presentation is not allowed. Full teaching credit may be claimed in every instance the subject is taught.

Author Credit (Maximum 10 CPE Credits/Year)
Time spent preparing articles and books related to the above-mentioned fields will be accepted for a maximum of 10 CPE credits per year. A detailed description of the book or article should be kept with annual CPE records.

Meeting Credit (Maximum 10 CPE Credits/Year)
Credit for attending certain meetings may be claimed for a maximum of 10 credits per year. Meetings must either (1) have a formal speaker or (2) relate directly to the competence of the Certified Fraud Examiner. Meetings must be at least 50 minutes in length for each hour claimed. Time for lunches, breaks, social gatherings, planning sessions, business meetings, and similar activities must be excluded.

Fraud Magazine™ CPE Service  

Earn continuing education credits by reading Fraud Magazine™. Choose any five issues of Fraud Magazine™(published within the past year), read the articles and take the quiz listed in the back of each issue. If you pass each of the quizzes you will receive 10 hours of continuing education credit towards your CFE requirements. Enjoy informative articles and intelligent columns while earning the continuing education credit you need as an anti-fraud expert.

Quizzes and the Fraud Magazine™ CPE Service Registration Form are available for download in the Members-Only section and costs $69 for ACFE Members.

*The Fraud Magazine™ CPE Service CPE credits apply only to the CFE status and not to any other professional designations. Fraud Magazine™ CPE Service is not registered with the National Association of State Board of Accountancy (NASBA).