Baccalaureate programs in computer forensics

Abstract

Since the first baccalaureate program in computer forensics was introduced in 2004, this emerging multi-disciplinary field has been gradually accepted by the academia as the interest and demand of the knowledge and technology in computer security and forensics has been constantly grown. In this paper, all the baccalaureate programs in computer forensics currently offered in the U.S., based on the information available on the internet, are studied. In addition to the different types of the institutions and their geographical locations, the structures of the curricula in terms of the course offerings from various disciplines, levels and sequences of the courses, and other requirements, such as practical exercises and professional internships, are primarily analyzed. Moreover, the other resources for computer forensic education, e.g. national education centers for computer forensics and the recommended professional education standards, are discussed. It is hoped that the discussion and analysis presented in this work will be beneficial to those who are currently running or planning to start a baccalaureate program in computer forensics or in any other emerging fields.