The Graduate Certificate in Cyber Crime Forensics is offered in collaboration with the School of Information Studies and the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology. The satisfactory completion of a sequence of courses will lead to a certificate in this growing area. Preparation includes a foundation in cyber crime theory, legal and policy issues of cyber crime, and digital forensic investigation.
Admission Requirements
Application Deadlines
Application deadlines vary by program, please review the application deadline chart for specific programs. Other important dates and deadlines can be found by using the One Stop calendars.
Application
- Students wishing to obtain this certificate must declare their intention by applying to the program office or director.
- All graduate certificate applicants—even those already enrolled in a UWM graduate program—must apply to the Graduate School.
- Graduate degree and previously admitted graduate non-degree students who decide to pursue a certificate program must submit the application before completing 6 credits in the certificate sequence.
- Applicants must possess a baccalaureate degree and have a minimum 2.75 cumulative undergraduate grade point average to be admitted into a certificate program.
Credits and Courses
The certificate will be available to all students who have already received a bachelor’s degree from any accredited university. Graduate students enrolled in any program who successfully complete the requirements of their program will be awarded the certificate at the time of graduation. Students who already have a bachelor’s degree will receive the certificate upon completion of the program requirements.
The Certificate in Cyber Crime will consist of 21 credits with the following courses (or equivalents) required:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CRM JST 421G | Cybercrime | 3 |
| CRM JST 422G | Cyber Crime, Law & Public Policy | 3 |
| INFOST 695G | Ethical Hacking I | 3 |
| INFOST 691G | Special Topics in Information Science: (Ethical Hacking II) | 1-3 |
| INFOST 691G | Special Topics in Information Science: (Computer Forensics) | 1-3 |
| Choose 2 from the following: | 6 | |
| Investigating the Dark Web | ||
| Sex Crimes, Human Trafficking, and the Internet | ||
| Criminal Evidence and Investigation | ||
| Information Security Management | ||
| Total Credits | 21 | |
A minimum of 15 credits must be taken at UWM. For those with a degree in Criminal Justice, past course credits will be evaluated for equivalency and will be approved by the department chairperson.
Additional Requirements
Transfer Credit
No more than 20% of the required credits may be taken at an institution other than UWM. These courses are subject to Graduate School transfer policy and must be approved by the director of the certificate program.
Grade Point Average Requirement
A minimum cumulative 3.00 grade point average in certificate courses taken at UWM is required.
Articulation with Degree Programs
- Credits and courses required for a certificate may double count toward meeting UWM graduate degree requirements subject to the following restrictions:
- Degree programs must approve the courses from certificates that can double count toward the degree.
- All credits taken in completion of certificate requirements may count towards a UWM graduate degree as long as they do not contribute more than 90% of the total credits needed to obtain the degree. (Note: Students in PhD programs must still complete the minimum residency requirements)
- Certificate courses used toward meeting degree requirements must be completed within the time limit for transfer credit.
- Courses completed for a degree may be counted toward a subsequent certificate, subject to all certificate policy requirements.
- A course may count toward no more than one certificate and one degree.
- Students may not earn a certificate subsequent to a concentration in the same area.
Time Limit
Certificate program time limits shall be established as follows:
- 18 or fewer credits/Three years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.
- 19 or more credits/Four years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.
For certificates that are designed as add-ons to degree programs and are awarded concurrent with the degree, the time limit shall be the same as that of the degree program.