This page lists the course requirements leading to the M.S. degree in Digital Investigation Management as of February, 2009. Courses listed here are subject to change.
Course Name Credits Integrated and Reflective Practice (MBA 500) 3 The Practice of Digital Investigations (DIM 500) 3 Project Management (MIT 505) 3 Legal Aspects of Digital Investigations (DIM 530) 3 IT Security and Strategy (MIT 530) 3 Current Topics in Digital Investigation Techniques (DIM 540) 3 Process Improvement and Operations (MBA 525) 3 Computer Forensics Laboratory Operation and Management (DIM 550) 3 Reflective Leadership and Planned Change (MIT 550) 3 Financial Decision Making for Management (MIT 525) 3 Research Methodology (DIM 570) 3 Digital Investigations for Civil Litigation (DIM 560) 3 Legal Issues for Management (DIM 580) 3 Integrative Capstone Project (DIM 590) 3 Total Credits: 42
Course descriptions:
Integrated and Reflective Practice (MBA 500): A first-term course that provides the basis of both the philosophy and the professional development perspective used in all subsequent courses. Students complete a thorough and multi-dimensional self-assessment that culminates in a personal learning roadmap to guide their journey through the entire graduate program. The emphasis of the content is on the importance of work-practice and experience as a basis for management development and on the use of experience for personal and organizational learning. Specific topic areas include learning style, action learning, dialogue, communication, personality type, and team communication. Short case studies will also address the integration of learning through several areas of practice. This course sets the stage for subsequent courses that are grounded in an experientially-based learning process while introducing the integrated content areas. Integrated and reflective practice is a fundamental pedagogy for the program.
The Practice of Digital Investigations (DIM 500): The foundation for this program of study, this course introduces the principles that are essential to the management of digital investigations, providing a framework that includes technical, legal, and managerial issues. Students will examine the mission of digital investigations from the various perspectives of the public and private sectors, including digital forensics in support of activities ranging from internal corporate investigations, responses to information security incidents, and policy auditing to third-party investigations, criminal investigations, and anti-terrorism information gathering -- and discussing the imperatives of each. As relevant, the impact of international and cultural issues, as well as geopolitics will be an essential part of class discussion. A moral, ethical, and legal framework will also be explored and developed, which can be used as a template for future courses. The capacity to make decisions based on organizational and personal values with which to pursue organizational goals will be explored.
Process Improvement and Operations (MBA 525): This course approaches an organization's operations and processes from both the initial design and continuous improvement perspective. Students will develop the ability to define, design and improve business processes; something now considered to be one of the most frequently cited skills for today's workplace. Special attention will be given to the linkage between operational and process improvement metrics to those based upon financial, economic and accounting information. This linkage cannot be overemphasized as skills developed in this course provide a foundation for economic modeling and planning. The sum of this will help define models of broad and optimized organizational performance measures such as scorecard type approaches. Among the areas of practice included are the governance of financial resources, the innovative use of operational data and the economics of improvement programs.
Project Management (MIT 505): This course is designed to introduce a systematic process for planning, organizing and controlling projects based on a practical methodology for completing projects more quickly with fewer problems. Students will develop and apply a framework within which to: better manage projects, exercise both hard and soft project management skills and affect organizational culture toward acceptance of project management. Areas of emphasis include an array of principles, methods, tools and techniques that can be applied to any type or size of project and in any organization. Course content is aligned with the Project Management Institute (PMI) processes and knowledge areas but will center on the process of project management. The course provides a perspective that is integrative, first, through its concept of end-to-end thinking which will be applied to the project management processes and, as well, to the business processes of a project's clients. Areas of practice addressed include the measurement and improvement of processes, the application to customer and marketing management and financial decision making.
Financial Decision Making for Management (MIT 525): This course is an introduction to the basic financial principles and tools required for organizational management. Students will develop the ability to respond to the concerns and motivations of the financial community or financial stakeholders which are important constituencies of any enterprise that ultimately impact the flow of money to every organization. Specific emphasis will be placed on the topics of understanding costs, the time value of money, economic analysis techniques, and methods of evaluating business proposals. The intent is to provide the learner with a "tool box" of practical, useful personal tools that will support the decision making process when business projects are being assessed. The course integrates well with the areas of practice that include performance measurement, process improvement and the need to be innovative in the application of financial techniques.
IT Security and Management (MIT 530): The security of information and information systems is inextricably linked to the operation and assets of any organization. Protecting the information network infrastructure is essential to protecting our businesses and organizations. This course provides the essentials of IT security from a management perspective. It examines the processes of security, including information assurance, privacy, backup and recovery, and disaster preparedness. This course provides an overview of information security processes for managers. Students will examine methodologies for implementing security, security policies, best current practices, privacy, backup/recovery, disaster preparedness and incident response. The outcome of this process is a strategic security plan.
Reflective Leadership and Planned Change (MIT 550): This course addresses the complexity and changing nature of business environments that challenge organizations and their members to become adaptive and innovative. This course is an introduction to a variety of leadership models and to the emerging role of all managers as agents of change. Students will develop the knowledge and skills for harnessing, navigating and leading change in their respective organizations; they will reflect on their experiences as a leader and assess who they are as a leader based on the models presented and used in the course. Areas of emphasis include personal leadership philosophy; change as an ongoing and dynamic process owned by everyone in the organization and the emergence of change leaders. Special attention will be given to change as a process that impacts people, affects organizational relationships, is driven by financial/market forces, and needs to be measured in terms of organizational results. Among the areas of practice addressed are human resources and organizational relationships, financial and operational results, the need to understand market driven changes and the role of values as evidenced by the organizational culture.
Legal Aspects of Digital Investigations (DIM 530): This course discusses advanced legal issues related to the seizure of digital devices. The course will review such laws as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFA), Electronic Communication Privacy Act (ECPA), and Privacy Protection Act (PPA), with particular attention paid to evolving decisional law surrounding the Fourth Amendment and device devices. Liaison to other agencies, law of other countries, and international laws will also be examined. Issues related to trial preparation, presentation of digital evidence, use of expert witnesses, and providing testimony will be examined in detail. Special attention will be paid to jurisdictional differences related to digital investigations and cybercrime, particularly as they relate to rules of evidence; e.g., Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) compared with the different state standards based on Frye, Daubert, or other criteria. Students for this course will be expected to have basic familiarity with criminal law and procedure.
Current Topics in Digital Investigation Techniques (DIM 540): This course examines advanced computer and network forensics issues, techniques, and procedures. Topics will include mobile device forensics (cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, etc.), examination of network devices, current research topics in digital forensics, and best practices in digital investigations.
Computer Forensics Laboratory Operation and Management (DIM 550): This course focuses on the management of a digital forensics laboratory. Topics will include best practices in lab operation, policies and procedures, case management, evidence management, and personnel training and certification. Issues related to workflow, information storage, technology, equipment, and security of evidence and other information will also be integrated into activities about operating a modern computer forensics lab. American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) accreditation and compliance with standards such as ISO 17025 will also be discussed.
Digital Investigations for Civil Litigation (DIM 560): The course introduces principles of digital investigations that are specific to civil litigation. While litigation support services typically utilize many of the same tools, processes, and procedures as public sector criminal investigations, public sector use of computer forensics frequently involves issues that the public sector does not often consider, such as data recovery and restoration, erasure of media, and electronic discovery. Students will examine case studies of public sector digital investigations to compare with private sector methodologies.
Research Methodology (DIM 570): This course provides an overview of the research process from the experimental, developmental, and evaluative perspectives. Techniques for planning and designing these different types of projects as well as the methodologies for data collection, evaluation, and analysis are examined. Students will gain an understanding of related statistical measures. The development of conclusions based on the data analysis in terms of predefined hypotheses and/or project goals and objectives will also be discussed.
Legal Issues for Management (DIM 580): This course will address the legal and ethical issues related to operating public and private sector organizations. Topics will include the nature and evolution of business ethics in the twenty-first century; labor law to include compensation, medical and employee privacy, hiring, termination, and legal distinctions between employees and independent contractors; and disclosure requirements to include Sarbanes-Oxley. Grant application sources and reporting requirements will also for covered for both the public and private sectors.
Integrative Capstone Project (DIM 590): This course will provide students with the opportunity to integrate all disciplines and competencies that have been learned in this program into a single work-based project, internship experience, or other appropriate activity. The project will be the culmination of a student's studies integrated in their area of specialization or expertise. In cooperation with an advisor, the student will design, research, and implement a project that is comprehensive in nature and which addresses, to the extent feasible, all core areas of knowledge around which the program has been built.
DISCLAIMER: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this page but it is not the definitive curriculum. The printed college catalog is the official documentation of course requirements.
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