Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Algorithmic Assurance
Routine bookkeeping is automating rapidly, and the accounting graduate who can only do it is in trouble. What is not automating is judgement, assurance and the audit of the automated systems themselves — an entirely new professional territo...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Accountant
- external and internal auditor
- data analytics auditor
- algorithmic assurance specialist
- forensic accountant
- tax analyst
- financial controller
- risk and compliance officer.
Employer types
- Audit and professional services firms
- banks and insurers
- corporate finance functions
- the Auditor General and public audit institutions
- revenue authorities
- regulators
- non-governmental organisations
- and technology companies requiring algorithmic assurance.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A guaranteed professional market with clear certification pathways, differentiated by an assurance specialisation that is scarce worldwide.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Algorithmic Assurance. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| DBF 110 | Financial Accounting I Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| DBF 111 | Business Law and Regulatory Environment Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| DBF 112 | Data Analysis and Spreadsheet Modelling Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| DBF 113 | Economics for Accountants Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| DBF 130 | Financial Accounting II and Reporting Standards Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| DBF 131 | Cost and Management Accounting Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| DBF 132 | Programming and Databases for Performanc | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| DBF 133 | Business Statistics Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| DBF 210 | Auditing Principles and Practice Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| DBF 211 | Taxation Law and Practice Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| DBF 212 | Audit Data Analytics Practicum Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| DBF 213 | Corporate Finance and Financial Management Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| DBF 230 | Algorithmic and Systems Audit Performanc | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| DBF 231 | Corporate Governance, Ethics and Independence Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| DBF 310 | Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| DBF 311 | Public Sector Accounting and Value for Money Audit Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| DBF 330 | Assurance Capstone: Live Audit or Performanc | 8 | 0-2-14 |
| DBF 331 | Advanced Reporting, Consolidation and Analysis Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
Total credit units: 132
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Algorithmic Assurance
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
132
22 CU of 132 CU completed by the end of this step (17%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems Fluency CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual Judgement CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace Performance CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C12Stewardship and Public ContributionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning · Ethical and Contextual Judgement · Professional Conduct and Workplace Performance. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Prepare and interpret financial statements under applicable reporting standards.
- PLO 2Plan and execute an audit engagement including risk assessment and evidence.
- PLO 3Apply data analytics and continuous auditing techniques to full populations of transactions.
- PLO 4Audit an automated or algorithmic system for control, bias explainability and compliance.
- PLO 5Apply taxation law and prepare compliant returns and computations.
- PLO 6Conduct forensic investigation and present findings that would withstand challenge.
- PLO 7Apply professional ethics and independence obligations under pressure.
Why this programme exists
Routine bookkeeping is automating rapidly, and the accounting graduate who can only do it is in trouble. What is not automating is judgement, assurance and the audit of the automated systems themselves — an entirely new professional territo...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes including Mathematics, Economics or Entrepreneurship, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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