The Digital Forensics Degree

Digital Forensics Program Mission

Technology is constantly changing and so is the business of protecting sensitive information. Students who earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Forensics will be prepared for a burgeoning career field fighting worldwide “cybercrime” and protecting digital resources from hacking, fraud, and malware viruses.

What is Digital Forensics?

Digital forensics, also known as computer forensics, is the acquisition, discovery, collection, analysis, and reporting of evidence found on computers and networks. Anti-cybercrime professionals work with these devices, as well as routers, servers, and the Internet to analyze increasingly complex digital crime scenes. More and more, digital evidence is used for civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings, so the evidence must be obtained and used in a way that ensures the admissibility in a court of law.

Digital Forensics is a young and growing field. Graduates will be entering a market where opportunities are expanding and companies are looking for the brightest in a new tech revolution.

Digital Forensics Program Learning Goals

Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Digital Forensics are able to:

• Demonstrate communication skills through the organization of a project or presentation including documentation understandable to users (e.g., requirements specification, risk management plan, assumptions, constraints).
• Articulate the key technical issues in conducting an investigation in a digital crime scene environment.
• Discuss and utilize e-evidence collection and preservation methods.
• Analyze common network attacks and evaluate various countermeasures to defend against them.
• Integrate business and technology skills in a sector context.
• Apply project management methodology in order to design and develop information technology projects.

Prerequisites for Upper Division Courses

• Successful completion of general education course requirements
• Successful completion of COMP125

Program Outline
To receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Forensics, students must earn 120 semester credit hours. Unless noted otherwise, all courses carry three semester credit hours. Program requirements are listed on the following page.

Concentrations
Students majoring in Digital Forensics may select six upper division business courses in one of the following six concentrations to add an additional focus to their studies:

• Accounting
• Finance
• Government Contract Management
• Healthcare Management
• International Business
• Marketing

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN DIGITAL FORENSICS

LOWER DIVISION REQUIREMENTS (60 Credits)

General Education Requirements (18 Credits)

• COMP 125 The Digital World
• ENGL 101 English Composition I
• ENGL 102 English Composition II
• GNED 112 Student Success Strategies
• MATH 106 College Mathematics
• MATH 110 College Algebra

Lower Division Core Courses (36 Credits)

Required Management Courses (9 Credits)

• BUS 110 Foundations of Business
• BUS 202 Critical Thinking and Decision Making
• BUS 230 Business Ethics and the Legal Environment

Required Digital and Computer Forensics Courses (27 Credits)

• COMP 140 Introduction to Data Communication and Networking
• COMP 150 Information Systems Essentials
• COMP 235 Introduction to Programming and Logic
• COMP 236 Survey of Operating Systems
• COMP 251 Computer Systems Technology
• CBSC 225 Security and Data Loss Prevention
• CBSC 230 Computer Forensics
• CBSC 245 Cyber Law
• CBSC 265 Network Security Management

Electives (6 credits )

UPPER DIVISION REQUIREMENTS (60 Credits)

General Education Requirements (12 Credits)

• ENGL 395 Research and Report Writing
• MATH 323 Research and Statistical Analysis
• PSYC 201 Principles of Psychology
• SCIE 312 Environmental Science and Sustainability

Upper Division Core Courses (48 Credits)

Required Computer and Digital Forensic Courses (30 Credits)

• CBSC 301 Introduction to Digital Forensics
• CBSC 305 Introduction to Cybercrime and Homeland Security CBSC 310 Computer Security
• CBSC 325 Computer Forensic Tools
• CBSC 405 Security Policies and Procedures
• CBSC 415 Network Defense and Countermeasures
• CBSC 435 Firewalls for Security
• CBSC 495 Network Security Design
• COMP 315 Security Administration I
• COMP 316 Security Administration II

Electives (18 Credits)
Any 18 credits or one of the concentrations below

• Accounting Concentration
• ACCT 307 Cost Accounting
• ACCT 308 Assurance and Audit Services
• ACCT 312 Risk Analysis
• ACCT 402 Corporate Taxation
• ACCT 450 Advanced Financial and Tax Accounting
• BUS 320 Advanced Business Law for Accounting
• 
  Finance Concentration
• FIN 310 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
• FIN 320 Asset Management
• FIN 330 Corporate Finance
• FIN 340 Financial Reporting and Analysis
• FIN 350 International Banking and Finance
• FIN 400 Derivatives and Risk Management
• 
  Government Contact Management Concentration
• MGMT 308 Government Contract Law
• MGMT 326 Principles of Federal Acquisition (FAR and DAR) MGMT 330 Purchasing and Material Management
• MGMT 332 Cost and Price Analysis
• MGMT 350 Contract Administration
• MGMT450 – Contract Modification and Options
• 
  Healthcare Management Concentration
• HLTH 303 Information Systems for Health Systems
• HLTH 400 Societal Health and Policy Issues
• HLTH 403 Global Health Administration
• HLTH 405 Healthcare Financial Management
• HLTH 435 – Strategic Healthcare Planning
• MGMT 411 Total Quality Management
• 
  International Business Concentration
• BUS 310 Export/Import Marketing
• MGMT 303 International Business Management
• FIN 350 International Banking and Finance
• MRKT 424 International Marketing
• MGMT 440 International Organizational Development Strategies
• MRKT 450 New Product Development (US and Global) Marketing Concentration
• MRKT 350 Salesmanship
• MRKT 424 International Marketing
• MRKT 425 Consumer Behavior
• MRKT 427 Marketing Management
• MRKT 450 New Product Development (US and Global) MRKT 490 Marketing and Social Media

TOTAL CREDITS – 120 CREDITS