What are authorities finding on the computers, flash drives and confiscated cell phones? How do you investigate the cloud for data breaches? What happens when a hacker compromises a multi-national network? How are drug traffickers using the Microsoft Xbox to communicate illicit activities? Digital devices and data are often the smoking guns in today's most ingenious crimes. Unlocking these secrets, preserving the evidence and upholding the laws of compliance are passions of those who go into the digital forensics field.

Champlain's award-winning Computer & Digital Forensics Bachelor of Science program is the premier destination in the country for those who want to go into this exciting field. Starting in your first year with a deep forensics curriculum, you will spend all four years developing a deep skill set in this exciting, emerging field.

Student Academic Experience

Our Upside-Down Curriculum gets you started in a deep forensics curriculum, including Cyber Crime and Introduction to Networking & Security in your first semester. You will develop expertise in computer and digital forensics; Android/iPhone/iPad mobile device forensics; digital forensic tools used by government/private companies; cybersecurity; and operating system, file system and network forensics. Our wide variety of computer forensics classes incorporates the software and tools used in the field, providing you with the skills and techniques you'll need for a successful career.

Faculty

Learn from digital forensics experts with extensive fieldwork experience and ongoing affiliations with the digital forensics community, including forensic consultants, authors of books and software, and they've developed procedures used nationally and internationally. They bring their expertise to the classroom with a passion for educating the next generation of digital forensics leaders. Meet our faculty.

Specializations

A specialization or a minor is a required part of your Computer & Digital Forensics education. Your faculty advisor will help you map out the best path to reach your desired career or graduate studies goals. You can choose to specialize in Computer Science, Cyber Investigation, Cybersecurity: Threats & Mitigation and Digital Forensic Science (BS/MS Five-Year Program), or choose to minor in one of our many options.

Internships & The LCDI

Each course takes a detailed, hands-on approach that prepares you to succeed in digital forensic internships. In addition to external internships, you can get unparalleled, hands-on experience in paid positions in Champlain's on-campus Senator Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation (LCDI)—a fully equipped, state-of-the-art digital forensics laboratory where students engage in leading-edge research and have the opportunity to work with professional digital forensics investigators conducting actual investigations. Check out some of the recent internship locations our students have worked at.

Study Abroad

We highly encourage and support our Computer & Digital Forensics majors to take a semester of international study. You have the option to study abroad at one of the Champlain Abroad campuses during your junior year, in either Montreal, Canada or Dublin, Ireland. Many of our students study in Dublin, where they take the Mobile Device Forensics and Technical Writing courses. Explore our study abroad experiences.

National Recognition

• The National Institute of Justice named Champlain's bachelor's and master's degrees as Model Electronic Crime and Digital Investigation programs.
• The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Champlain College as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. 
• Champlain was the first school in the Northeast designated as a National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence by the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center.