Although an increasing number of colleges and universities around the globe have started to offer programs in computer forensics and digital investigations, this is still a relatively new discipline in undergraduate education.

Interestingly, though most of the programs in the United States were developed largely in response to requirements of the law enforcement community and to fill the needs reported in several national studies,^1–3 most of the growing needs for this skill set come from private sector organizations providing data recovery, electronic discovery (e-discovery), incident response, policy auditing, and third-party forensic analysis services.

As the discipline matures, the educational needs have come into sharper focus and several guidelines have started to appear.^{4, 5} The need for the next generation of leaders has also resulted in the need for advanced, graduate-level education in digital forensics, and definitions^{4, 5} and actual programs^6–8 are already being offered. The graduate proposals to date, however, are largely steeped in technology and computer science, preparing students for more rigorous research and development in the technical problems related to computer forensics, such as the need for more and better examination and reporting tools, coping with whole disk encryption, acquiring data from cellular telephones and other mobile devices, and combating anti-forensics tools. Students in these technical graduate programs are those who will be designing next-generation computer forensics analysis tools, techniques, and processes or shifting into computer forensics from another discipline.

Champlain College’s Computer & Digital Forensics (C&DF) undergraduate degree and academic certificate programs started in 2003 and have been previously described. ^{9, 10} As the college reviewed the need for graduate education, it was found that another critical need in digital forensics was not being addressed by advanced education—namely, management issues related to overseeing large cases, running computer forensics labs, hiring staff, conducting research, etc.¹¹

As a result, this article was written to discuss a proposed graduate degree program in Digital Investigation Management.

References:

1. Institute for Security Technology Studies. Law Enforcement Tools and Technologies for Investigating Cyber Attacks: Gap Analysis Report. Hanover, NH: ISTS, 2004. Available from http://www.ists.dartmouth.edu/library/215.pdf [cited 28 July 2009].
2. Stambaugh, H., Beaupre, D., Icove, D. J., Baker, R., Cassaday, W., and Williams, W. P. State and Local Law Enforcement Needs to Combat Electronic Crime. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, 2000. Research in Brief (NCJ 183451). Available from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/183451.pdf [cited 28 July 2009].
3. Stambaugh, H., Beaupre, D., Icove, D. J., Baker, R., Cassaday, W., and Williams, W. P. Electronic Crime Needs Assessment for State and Local Law Enforcement. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, 2001. Research Report (NCJ 186276). Available from http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/186276.pdf [cited 28 July 2009].
4. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Education and Training in Digital Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement, Educational Institutions, and Students. Gaithersburg, MD: NIST, Technical Working Group for Education—Digital Evidence, in press.
5. Yasinsac, A., Erbacher, R. F., Marks, D. G., Pollitt, M. M., and Sommer, P. M. “Computer Forensics Education.” IEEE Security & Privacy 1 (2003): 15–23.
6. Cohen, F., and Johnson, T. A. “A Ph.D. Curriculum in Digital Forensics.” In Proceedings of the 42nd Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS 42), ed. R. Sprauge. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Press, 2009.
7. Craiger, P., Ponte, L., Whitcomb, C., Pollitt, M., and Eaglin, R. “Master’s Degree in Digital Forensics.” In Proceedings of the 40th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS 40), ed. R. Sprauge. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Press, 2007.
8. Induruwa, A. “Managing the Pedagogy of Cybercrime Forensics Study at the Post Graduate Level: Challenges and Opportunities.” In Proceedings of CFET 2007: The 1st International Conference on Computer Forensics Education & Training, ed. D. Edgar-Nevill. Canterbury, UK: Canterbury Christ Church University, 2007.
9. Kessler, G. C. “Online Education in Computer and Digital Forensics: A Case Study.” In Proceedings of the 40th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS 40), ed. R. Sprauge. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Press, 2007. Available from http://www.garykessler.net/library/Online_C&DF_education.pdf [cited 28 July 2009].
10. Kessler, G. C., and Schirling, M. E. “The Design of an Undergraduate Degree Program in Computer & Digital Forensics.” Journal of Digital Forensics, Security, and Law 3 (2006): 37–50. Available from http://www.garykessler.net/library/C&DF_curriculum.pdf [cited 28 July 2009].
11. Kessler, G. C., and Haggerty, D. “Pedagogy and Overview of a Graduate Program in Digital Investigation Management.” In Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS 41), ed. R. Sprauge. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Press, 2008. Available from http://www.garykessler.net/library/Grad_Pedagogy.pdf [cited 28 July 2009].

Gary Kessler is the Program Director for Champlain College's Master of Science in Digital Investigation Management.