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Recommendations for Graduate Programs?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the beyond-undergrad dept.

xblanksx asks: "I am a soon to be college graduate and I have been looking into graduate programs pertaining to computer forensics and computer crime investigation. So far the only program I have been able to find is the 'High Technology Crime Investigation' program offered through GWU. Since I am finding it rather hard to find any other programs, what other graduate programs might be out there pertaining to computer investigations?"

4 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. CSI-ish by NETHED · · Score: 3, Interesting

    By no-means am I trying to demean you or your goals (first year chem grad-student), but that is very much a niche sounding field. Personally, I would go to a FBI field office and ask them, tell them what you want to do, and unless you find an ass they'll probabbly help you (as it can help them).

    Also, I saw ITT-Tech advertising with just such a program, so that might degrade your college-graduate status. (Damn it, that piece of paper is WORTH SOMETHIN')

    Frankly, I think that the much-bally-hoooed "age of digital warfare" has been upon us, but we just see it as furniture. Spyware and malware is or should be illegal, finding the perp should be an FBI enforcement issue. I doubt highly that terrorist organizations are sitting on thier collective laurels with respect to digital and information warfare. I'm SURE the army has 'information warriors' in thier propaganda arm.

    Anywho, best of luck to you my fellow Gen-Xer (Are we still called that? Or maybe echo-boomer).

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    --sig fault--
  2. What do you want? by rwash · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What are you looking for in a graduate program? If you are looking for a bunch of classes to teach you computer forensics, I'm not sure where to direct you. I think that's a little too specialized for most graduate programs to meet. If you are looking to conduct research into better ways of doing computer forensics, then I am willing to bet that most good computer security groups would love people working on that. You can look at schools with good computer security research groups like Berkeley, MIT, Cambridge, Princeton, Rice, UCSD, etc.

  3. 2 schools of thought by baronben · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I spent the last year doing a graduate program search (for geography, not CS, but same things apply), so the tips are fresh in my mind.

    There are two schools of thought on how to search for a grad school. The first is to find a professor that you like and then look at the program. The best way to do this is to look through all the papers that you've written as an undergrad and look for the names that show up often in your bibliography. These are people who are interested in what you like. Chances are, they are surrounded by other people doing what you like. Take a look at the program that they teach in, do they offer classes that you like, are other people publishing things that interest you. The danger here to two fold. The first is that the person who you like is a jerk in person, you can find that out by corresponding with them by e-mail, see if they pay attention to you and treat you with respect. Ask your current professors about the person, most academic fields are pretty small, and word gets around. If you ever visit the campus, talk to their grad students and other people in the program. This is the best approach to take if you plan on either doing a ph.d, which is mostly working with an advisor one-on-one, or plan on staying in the same place for both masters and ph.d. One last hint, make sure they'll be staying at the institution, I almost got burned on this one.

    The second school of thought, better if you're getting a masters and then moving into the private industry, is to find a program that interests you. Since you seem to have tried this, I won't add much more here except to say that I hear at Carnage Melon has a good computer security program, not sure if its what you're looking for though.

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    Sleep is for the weak!
  4. Purdue CERIAS by Iaughter · · Score: 3, Informative

    Purdue University's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security.
    http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/

    It's a well-known and top-notch program, one of the first of its kind.

    Its head is Eugene Spafford, who seems to be well-known in tech circles and is part of the Center's claim to fame.

    CERIAS offers, I think, both masters and PhD's.

    I looked at it a few years ago, but I'm sure that it's still worth looking into. I think that their site recently was dugg for some security checklist or something ...