Cybercrime, stolen identities, lost electronic files, computer espionage ... so many things can go wrong in our increasingly heavy dependence on computer and Internet information. Cybersecurity — or lack of it — affects every aspect of our lives, from home to the workplace to the very core of national and homeland security.
Are you a problem-solver with a mind for details? A computer professional interested in improving your job skill level and career security? A concerned citizen who just wants to protect your own computer files? A forward-thinker looking to a job in government cybersecurity? Think Digital Forensics! It’s a fast track to a vital, high-paying and urgently needed career path.
What is digital forensics?
Also called computer forensics, it includes:
- Collecting and preserving legally admissible electronic evidence
- Recovering lost data or critical digital information
- Protecting networks or computer systems from security breaches
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What are its applications?
- Fighting cybercrime through local, state and national law enforcement agencies
- Tracking information trails for businesses from medical to financial institutions
- Data recovery by businesses and information technology services
- Protecting information vital to the success of any business
- Proving that computer fraud was committed (producing evidence admissible in a court of law)
- Proving that a cybercrime was not committed (producing evidence that proves someone is not guilty of wrongdoing)
- Understanding computer security to prevent personal identity and information theft
- Helping any business adhere to government standards and regulations
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Digital Forensics Degree and Certificate Options
Tailored program tracks allow you to specialize in three major digital forensics phases:
- Acquisition: Saving the state of a digital system
- Analysis: Using inculpatory evidence (supporting a given theory), exculpatory evidence (contradicting a given theory) and evidence of tampering
- Presentation: Policy and law specific to each setting
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Richland College is the only DCCCD college to offer Digital Forensics, a new program first offered in Fall 2007, with a two-year Digital Forensics Associate in Applied Sciences Degree.
Federal Grants Provide State-of-the-Art Lab, Curriculum and Faculty Training
Richland’s new Digital Forensics program was developed with the help of federal grants that ensure a cutting edge training program for the field.
A U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Title III grant funded the startup of the program and helped to build a state-of-the art lab environment and develop the degree plan and courses. The DOE promotes scientific and technological innovation in support of advancing the country’s national, economic and energy security. Cybersecurity is a critical part of its national security initiative.
The Cyber Security Education Consortium (CSEC), funded by a grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF), allows Richland to maintain up-to-date faculty training and curriculum to keep up with the ever-changing cybersecurity industry. The CSEC includes the state of Oklahoma’s Career and Technology Education System, four of its largest community colleges, and the University of Tulsa, which serves as the principal training provider for the two-year institutions it mentors. Community colleges in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Tennessee and Kansas are members of the consortium.
Transfer Opportunity
With Richland College a regional representative of the Cyber Security Education Consortium, our students have an academic path to feed into the University of Tulsa’s Center for Information Security to earn degrees from bachelor’s to doctoral levels, with opportunities for scholarships. Learn more about transfer opportunities to U-Tulsa’s Center for Information Security.
Other Degree and Certificate Options
The Dallas County Community College District offers nearly 350 career and technical degrees and certificates, plus 36 academic degrees. For more information, see a chart of our degree plans by location.