New UK postgraduate course in computer forensics and investigations

Computer Forensics and Investigations, a new postgraduate course from The UK’s Open University provides an introduction to the world of digital evidence collection, forensic computing and IT incident management. The course will enable people to know what to do in the first initial stages of investigation – being a ‘First Responder’ to a situation and helping an organisation prepare for problems before they happen.

Carefully constructed to balance the legal and technical aspects of this area, the course is relevant to IT professionals wishing to broaden their skill set, human resources managers who need to understand the issues and legal professionals seeking a new challenge.

Specially commissioned material has been written by a legal and technical expert in the field, Peter Sommer, who has acted as an expert witness in high-profile cases ranging from terrorism and fraud, Internet child abuse and international hacking to corporate espionage, defamation and murder. Peter also has had experience in Westminster and Whitehall as a specialist advisor.

This course will give a good grounding in forensic computing and equip students for further study. It is a 15-point postgraduate level course which can be used towards a postgraduate qualification. The first presentation of the course starts in May 2008, with registration closing at the end of March. The course will run again in November 2008.