CPE 101: Acceptable Fields of Study
Follow these steps to determine if specific CPE is acceptable:
Step 1: Determine if the CPE earned is fraud-related.
Step 2: Determine if the CPE earned is ethics-related.
Step 3: Determine if the CPE earned qualifies for non-
fraud and non-ethics CPE.
Visit CPE 101: How to Earn CPE Credit for the types of CPE accepted by the ACFE.
Step 1: Determine if the CPE earned is fraud-related.
All CPE credit earned through ACFE courses and educations events is considered fraud-related.
Additionally, if CPE credit earned through another source falls within one of the following categories, it will be considered fraud-related under the ACFE CPE guidelines:
Financial Transactions and Fraud Schemes
Fraud Auditing and Forensic Accounting
Asset Misappropriation/Embezzlement
Financial Statement Fraud Schemes
Bribery and Corruption
Theft of Intellectual Property
Financial Institution Fraud
Check and Credit Card Fraud
Insurance Fraud
Securities Fraud
Money Laundering
Consumer Fraud
Health Care Fraud
Bankruptcy Fraud
Tax Fraud
Computer and Internet Fraud
Public Sector/Government Fraud
Contract and Procurement Fraud
Law Related to Fraud
Individual Rights During Examinations
Civil Fraud Actions
The Law Related to Fraud
Testifying as an Expert Witness
Criminal Prosecutions for Fraud
Basic Principles of Evidence
Investigation Techniques
Analyzing Documents
Interview Theory and Application
Covert Examinations
Sources of Information
Accessing Information Online
Data Analysis and Reporting Tools
Computer Forensics
Tracing Illicit Transactions
Fraud Examination Reporting Standards
Fraud Prevention and Deterrence
Theories of Crime Causation
White-Collar Crime
Organizational Crime
Occupational Fraud
Fraud Prevention Programs
Fraud Risk Assessment
Fraud Risk Management
Corporate Governance
Management’s, Directors' and Auditors’ Responsibilities Regarding Fraud
Punishment and the Criminal Justice System
Step 2: Determine if the CPE credit is ethics-related.
The ACFE accepts ethics training from other organizations provided the primary course topic is ethics or ethics-related. In general, courses that focus on the following topics will meet this requirement:
Ethics and Professional Conduct
Ethical Practice in Business
Personal Ethics
Ethical Decision-making
Corporate Ethics
Also, some courses may be counted toward both your fraud-related and your ethics-related CPE requirements. For example, courses offered by the ACFE in the following topical areas would be considered both fraud-related and ethics-related CPE.
Ethics for Fraud Examiners
ACFE Code of Professional Ethics
Step 3: Determine if CPE activity qualifies for non-fraud and non-ethics-related CPE credit.
If CPE credit does not fall within one of the subject areas listed above, it may be able to be claimed as non-fraud and non-ethics-related credit.
The ACFE will accept CPE credit earned in the categories below as non-fraud and non-ethics-related CPE credit. These categories are the ones set forth by NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy) as appropriate for CPE credit:
Accounting
Accounting (Governmental)
Auditing
Auditing (Governmental)
Administrative Practice
Social Environment of Business
Business Law
Business Management and Organization
Finance
Management Advisory Services
Marketing
Communications
Personal Development
Personnel/HR
Computer Science
Economics
Mathematics
Production
Specialized Knowledge and Applications
Statistics
For a more detailed description of each category, please visit www.NASBA.org.
Non-Education activities such as normal job duties, fraud examination and report writing are not considered for CPE Credit.
Online Ethics Courses
To address this new requirement, we have created a series of online courses that are accessible at the user’s convenience and provide instant grading and printable certificates of completion.
Ethical Issues for Fraud Examiners
Ethical Theory for Fraud Examiners
How to Build an Effective Ethics Program
Practical Ethics for Fraud Examiners