Haslam College of Business
Advanced Audit Graduate Certificate
Auditors provide an independent check that a company’s financial statements are accurate and reliable. The Advanced Audit graduate certificate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business prepares accountants for that work in public accounting or corporate internal audit. Four graduate courses build the skills needed to conduct effective audits and can be completed on their own or alongside a master’s or doctoral degree.
Graduate Certificate
Program Overview
Haslam’s Advanced Audit graduate certificate builds skills in auditing, assurance, internal controls and forensic accounting. The curriculum covers the range of assurance work, including external audit and professional standards, internal auditing, IT controls behind modern financial systems and analytics and risk assessment that increasingly drive how audits are planned. Courses are taught by faculty in the college’s Department of Accounting and Information Management (AIM), whose graduate accounting programs rank among the top 25 at public universities nationally. Students can earn the certificate on its own or complete it alongside a UT master’s or doctoral degree. Applicants are expected to hold an accounting background, but those from other fields may be admitted after completing prerequisite coursework.
Graduate Certificate
Why Study Advanced Audit?
Assurance is the foundation of accounting, giving investors, lenders, boards and regulators confidence in financial information. As financial systems grow more complex, demand is rising for professionals with strong assurance expertise. This certificate develops those skills through a department recognized by the accounting profession.
Nationally Ranked Program
Haslam’s graduate accounting programs placed No. 25 among public universities and No. 48 nationally in 2026 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Business Schools specialty rankings. The accounting program holds AACSB’s separate accounting accreditation, which a small share of business schools worldwide have earned.
A Full Range of Assurance Work
The certificate is not limited to the external audit. Its courses cover internal auditing and forensic accounting, advanced audit and assurance services and the IT governance and controls that underlie a company’s financial systems. An elective in analytics, professional standards or risk assessment sharpens students’ skills.
Built Around Your Path
The certificate can be completed on its own or in conjunction with a UT master’s or doctoral degree. The certificate must be completed within five years, making it achievable for professionals who work full-time. An accounting background is expected, but applicants from other fields can qualify by completing prerequisite coursework in financial accounting and business processes.
Graduate Certificate
Advanced Audit Careers
Audit and assurance offer a stable, versatile career path in accounting. Graduates pursue roles in external and internal audit, IT audit, forensic accounting, risk and compliance across public accounting firms, corporations, government agencies and other industries.
The certificate can also support progress toward the Certified Public Accountant and specialized credentials, such as the Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Fraud Examiner.
Graduate Certificate
Featured Courses
Haslam’s Advanced Audit graduate certificate consists of four graduate courses: three required, plus one elective chosen from three options.
The three required courses include:
- ACCT 512 — Internal Auditing and Forensic Accounting
3 credit hours
Professional standards and contemporary issues relevant to internal auditors and forensic accountants; actual practice cases are used to illustrate application of materials - ACCT 518 — Advanced Audit and Assurance Services
3 credit hours
Professional standards and contemporary issues relevant to assurance providers; actual practice cases are used to illustrate the application of advanced auditing concepts - INMT 540 — IT Audit, Governance, and Frameworks
3 credit hours
Focus is on IT Governance (including IT management frameworks, enterprise eisks management and IT risks and controls), the IT audit process and managing/auditing enterprise resource management systems
Elective options include:
- ACCT 504 — Analytics and Disruptive Technologies I
3 credit hours
Focuses on foundational data analysis methodologies and disruptive information technologies relevant to business processes and financial and organizational decision-making; cases, hands-on projects and real-world activities are applied to enhance learning - ACCT 511 — Professional Standards of Auditing
3 credit hours
Auditing’s role in society from an internal and external perspective, audit methodology, role of internal control in auditing and application of auditing procedures to both low risk and high-risk transaction cycles - ACCT 519 — Risk Assessment and Financial Statement Analysis
3 credit hours
Integration of financial statement analysis and auditing standards to conduct audit risk assessments
To receive the certificate, students must:
- Complete the Graduate Certificate Course Verification Form
- Apply to graduate from the certificate program through MyUTK
Graduate Certificate
Admissions & Aid
Applications are submitted through Haslam’s application portal.
Who Can Apply?
The Advanced Audit graduate certificate can be completed on its own or in conjunction with a UT master’s or doctoral degree. Applicants are expected to hold a baccalaureate degree in accounting. Students from other disciplines may be admitted, but may need prerequisite coursework as described in the Graduate Catalog. Recommended background knowledge includes principles and intermediate I and II financial reporting and accounting and business processes.
Academic Standards
Students must maintain an average 3.00 graduate GPA across all certificate courses in the program and complete the requirements within five years of applying for the certificate program
Ready to learn more?
Have a question about prerequisites, courses or how the certificate might fit with a degree you’re already pursuing? Contact Haslam to learn more.