Department of Justice Science -Certificate of Computer Forensics

Statement of Need
The certificate programs provide to both degree and non-degree seeking graduate students the opportunity to obtain graduate-level knowledge, training, and skills in CF. Offenders are increasingly using computers as "weapons" to commit crimes such as illegally downloading from websites or network servers, information, documents, or copyrighted materials or releasing "worms," "viruses," and similar "rogue programs" on computer networks to disrupt and "bring them down." As a result, law enforcement agencies will have to rely upon, to greater extent than ever before, local, state, and federal crime labs to provide experts in CF to uncover, retrieve, and protect evidence of such illegalities. CF as an area of specialization within the larger disciplines of Forensic Science and CIS is literally at the point where DNA analysis as an investigative and prosecutorial tool was 10-15 years ago. The need for CF-based skills continues to grow as personnel working at local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories develop requisite training to retrieve and preserve electronic evidence (e.g., digital documents and images, or similar material) stored on personal computers, including hard drives, floppy disks, zip drives, and related information storage devices. Additionally, CF training provides to those seeking positions in law enforcement agencies and state/federal crime labs the necessary tools to identify, and appropriately respond to, attacks on local- and wide-area networks. Finally, individuals certified in CF will be prepared to testify in state and federal court as expert witnesses in criminal and civil litigation.

The program will help thrust UAB to the forefront as a major source of training in both forensic science and computer and information science.

Purpose
The purpose of the "A" certificate program is to provide to degree seeking graduate students an opportunity to acquire specialized CF knowledge and training.

Curriculum
Requirements for the "A" Certificate (Total: 21 hours)

JS504 Special Topics: Introduction to Computer Forensics
JS675 Law, Evidence, and Procedure
JS670 Elements of Forensic Science
OR
JS679 Seminar in Forensic Science (1-3 hrs. Fall and Spring)
JS552 Questioned Documents
OR
CS5xx Special Topics in Digital Documents, Security, and Intellectual Property (new course)
CS534 Internetworking
OR
CS535 Computer and Distribution Networks
CS537 Network Security
OR
CS5xx/JS525 Special Topics in Computer Crime and Forensics
CS6273 (offered by Mississippi State University via the Internet)
CS5xx/JS526 Special Topics in Computer Science for Forensics (new course)

Requirements for Admission to the "A" Certificate Program
• Acceptance into and enrollment as a degree seeking student in one of the following graduate programs: MSFS, MSCJ, or MSCIS or in the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Program in Forensic Science (Ph.D.)
• Computer competency at the level of CS302 and CS303 (determined via standardized test (assessment)). If student does not have competency at the above level, he or she will be required to take both courses before being admitted to the certificate program
• Forensic Science competency at the level of JS110 (competency determined via standardized test (assessment) or by work-related experience). If student does not have competency, he or she will be required to take JS110 before admission to the certificate program.

Completion of the Certificate Program
• During the student's last semester in the program, he or she will apply for certification with the Graduate School and with each Department; Program Co-Directors (Skjellum in Computer and Information Sciences and Sloan in Justice Sciences) will approve all applications for certification.