Utica College First College in U.S. to be an Education Partner with Preeminent Association for Financial Crime Specialists

UTICA, N.Y., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Utica College, the first college in the nation to establish a bachelor's degree program in economic crime investigation and a master's in economic crime management, has achieved another milestone:  it is the first college in the U.S. to become an education partner with the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS).

The partnership will extend some very important benefits to both online and on-campus Utica College students, including free student membership for up to two years, as well as the ability to take the CAMS certification examination upon graduation for a significant discount. Current ACAMS members will also benefit from a 10 percent tuition rate discount and a waived application fee when applying to Utica College's online programs.

ACAMS is known worldwide as the premier organization dedicated to enhancing the knowledge and expertise of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing detection and prevention professionals. ACAMS certification is widely recognized among compliance professionals across the globe, and is often a requirement of employment in both the public and private sectors.

The need for anti-money laundering experts grows daily, industry experts say.

"It's not only banks and credit card companies that need to hire these professionals. Due to an increasingly complex regulatory environment – and an ever-more sophisticated, high-tech  network of criminals - the need has extended to casinos, real estate agencies, precious metal and jewelry dealers, securities brokers, accountants, lawyers, insurance companies and more," said Suzanne Lynch, professor of practice and chair of economic crime programs at Utica College.

"Employers are looking for people with these specialized qualifications," said John J. Byrne, CAMS, ACAMS executive vice president. "Gone are the days of on-the-job training. The field is growing and changing quickly, a degree in economic crime from Utica College, along with ACAMS certification, is the best way to distinguish oneself as an expert fully qualified for anti-money laundering duties in business and government."

In addition, Byrne said, CAMS-certified professionals earn approximately 30 percent more than their non-certified peers.

ACAMS provides extensive professional resources to its more than 17,000 members in 160 countries, including customized training and peer networking opportunities.

"The interdisciplinary approach of Utica's economic crime investigation program delivers a broad-based approach and educational foundation to a profession that is constantly evolving to keep up with both regulatory demands and criminal creativity," said Byrne. "This coupled with the flexibility of completing the coursework online allows Utica economic crime and justice studies students to progress through educational advancement without stalling their professional careers in the process."

Part of Utica College's internationally respected suite of economic crime and justice studies programs, the economic crime majors are taught by a remarkably accomplished professional faculty, using the industry's most current tools and techniques. Students have access to advanced technologies available in the college's state-of-the-art Economic Crime, Justice Studies, and Cybersecurity facility. Utica College is home to the Economic Crime Institute, the Computer Forensic Research and Development Center, and the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP).

For more information about ACAMS, visit www.acams.org.  To learn more about Utica College's undergraduate economic crime investigation program, visit www.utica.edu/eci.  To learn more about the college's specialized online master's degree in economic crime management, visit  www.utica.edu/ecm.

SOURCE Utica College