Division of Continuing Professional Studies
Career Outlook for Computer & Digital Forensics
As the number of crimes related to information security increases, computer and digital forensics has become a high-demand field. Computers are used in virtually all types of crimes, sometimes playing a key role in the commission of those crimes—as in financial fraud and identity theft—and other times serving primarily as repositories of conversations and files.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies – as well as many private companies – are constantly seeking individuals who can recognize and find cyber-evidence of false financial records, illegal transactions, money laundering, identity theft, financial fraud, child pornography and child exploitation, terrorist activity, and other criminal actions.
To succeed, you must be part computer expert and part detective. You may be needed to investigate industrial espionage or sabotage, theft of or destruction of intellectual property, cyber terrorism, computer hacking, firewall breaches, criminal fraud, or Internet abuse. But because digital devices are so prominent, you may also be involved in investigating more general crimes in which evidence may be stored on a computer or other digital equipment.
Program graduates may find positions as, legal consultants, law enforcement personnel, information technology specialists, network security administrators, Homeland Security officers, as well as systems analysts and administrators.
Earnings
Although there is no data specific to computer and digital forensics, if demand grows as projected, salaries in this emerging field should increase, as well. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, the average salary of network and computer systems administrators was about $60,000 in 2004.