As of January of 2010, many colleges and universities around the country are still developing their computer forensics degree programs. There are colleges that are currently offering a two year and four year degree in computer forensics. There are some universities which are offering a masters degree in computer forensics as well. Because of the limited amount of colleges around the country offering a degree in computer forensics, a student may have to travel to another state to complete a computer forensics degree program.
Many other computer forensics degree programs that are available can be completed through computer forensics online degree courses. These courses will allow a student to study from home but this also means that the student may need to provide their own personal lab and testing environment for the course work. An online computer forensics degree program is a great alternative for those students who do not wish to travel to complete their study.
On the path to acquiring a computer forensics degree, students will learn techniques that will help them understand computer networking technologies, computer hardware, as well as various software technologies and scripting languages.
A list of common course objectives is listed below:
- Wide range of operating systems and computer networking knowledge
- Introduction to programming for the development of websites, applications and scripts
- Use of network security tools to simulate attacks on a network
- Researching careers involving the use of computer forensics
- Practice acquiring digital evidence without altering or damaging the original mediums
- Analyzing the legal aspects of computer crimes and other high-technology crimes
As computer forensics becomes more of a mainstream science, some software developers have begun specializing in applications and software which simplifies the process of collecting and examining digital evidence. During the course of study for a degree in computer forensics, the student can expect to conduct mock examinations of digital evidence with this software.
Popular computer forensics software suites include EnCase Forensic and FTK by AccessData. Most computer forensic degree programs will offer the trial or limited versions of this software which will allow it to be used to acquire evidence and examine limited volumes of evidence.
A student studying for a computer forensics degree and a career in computer forensics will be expected to acquire certifications such as the CISSP, CCE, GCFA, CFCE and more. There are more specialized certifications with some computer forensics software as well. One such certification is the ENCE or EnCase Certified Examiner certification.