February 1, 2026
An Exploration of the Grad School Decision in DF/IR
"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."
-Epictetus
I recently decided to return to school in pursuit of a Master’s Degree in my chosen field – Digital Forensics. I often have students ask me whether or not an MS degree is necessary in DF/IR. I suppose it isn’t, depending on what you want to do. There was a lot of research and option-weighing that went into this decision. I’m going to explore some of them here, and hopefully this will help the next person deciding whether or not to pursue a Graduate-level education in Digital Forensics. At the very least, maybe it will be a good reminder for me to return to when things aren’t as exciting as I’d like them to be in this pursuit.
Calculating Options
Like a lot of both private and public entities that conduct any kind of technical work that requires continuing education, my employer offers a portion of the training budget to me every year to pursue some things that would not only benefit me, but the organization as well. Toward the end of 2025, and while working on the 2026 budget, I was approached again about this question – Is there anything I want to pursue that falls within these parameters that we could discuss? The short answer was, no.
Why not? Over the years, I’ve found the vast majority (read: not ALL) of digital forensics training courses to be heavily influenced by vendors and/or watered down. I recall when I first started teaching for a large tool vendor, we would use a portion of the class introducing the basics of data storage. Topics like binary data storage and conversion of binary to decimal to hexadecimal. File systems, metadata and the limitations of our tools and the need for independent validation. Shortly before opting not to renew my contract with the training arm of the company, we were informed that this was all being removed from the curriculum. Why? I’m not sure, but I can speculate it’s because the button-pushers in the class “don’t need to know that stuff”, so why take up valuable training time with it? I supposed that’s a valid point, but I can also disagree with it.
Those of us that have been at this for a while have all had to sit through the boring, mundane file systems details (the choo-choo train), binary-to-hex conversions, manual data analysis, data carving, etc. There is a purpose to these exercises. They work a proverbial “muscle” that strengthens over time, and makes us all better examiners. They are the foundation of the work, just like the fundamentals of playing golf or driving or shooting a firearm effectively. When we cancel the fundamentals, we lose the foundation.
All that to say, I wasn’t really interested in attending another *insert tool-based training course/certification here*. Frankly, I bristle a bit at the folks who sign their emails and display their LinkedIn profiles with the alphabet soup of letters behind their names, the overwhelming vast majority of which mean nothing to anyone outside of our field, so who are all those letters supposed to impress?
But then what? A rolling stone gathers no moss, and I know from personal experience that sitting on the sidelines and watching the field pass you by has a ripple effect from which it is difficult to recover. That’s when it dawned on me – maybe it’s time to take the next step in my formal education to a degree focused on the field that is responsible for everything that has come before now.
My undergraduate degree (BS) in Criminal Justice was obtained in 1999. By virtue of that, I haven’t been a student in a program of any length since 1999. Have you ever thought about what’s different in higher education since 1999-ish? I can tell you, it’s a lot! The educational environment overall is vastly different, and to some degree, a bit intimidating. That said, the goal of obtaining a related MS degree seemed in line with my station in life and my station in the field, so it seemed like the next logical pursuit…
But where?
School Assessment
Those of you who are involved in this calculus, or have done it previously, know that there are several viable options for grad schools in the DF/IR space. The synergy lies in finding one that has a decent curriculum, provides the educational goals you’re seeking and is affordable, based upon the rubrick of whomever is paying for it – in my case, me. I contacted many of these programs, and here’s my impression of each:
- Illinois Institute of Technology, MS in Applied Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics: This program seemed comprehensive and really in line with what I aim to accomplish (beyond the obvious of obtaining an MS degree). It’s flexible and a very well-regarded school. That said, the program is very expensive – about $64,000 for the entire degree, if my calculations are correct. Cost-benefit has to weigh in somehow in the decision.
- Liberty University, MS in Criminal Justice – Cyber Crime: Liberty is a fan-favorite of military and law enforcement because they’re flexible, online and offer discounts. That said, the MS in Criminal Justice was a factor for me. My BS is in Criminal Justice. It’s fine, but I don’t think that degree carries the same weight as something focusing on Cybersecurity and/or Digital Forensics. The program is affordable, though – the whole degree would have cost about $16,000, and that’s assuming I couldn’t leverage any of my LE-affiliated contacts for a discount. Not bad, but not ideal in terms of degree to be obtained. Full disclosure: There are many other degrees at Liberty, so research all the options before kicking it out of consideration.
- University College Dublin – MS in Digital Forensics: This program looked awesome! A dedicated digital forensics MS, flexible, affordable and with the added benefit of potentially traveling to Ireland upon graduation… What’s not to like? Unfortunately, at the current time, they only accept active law enforcement into the program. Try as I might to leverage positions in police training, they would not accept my application to this program. If you’re reading this a few years after publication, check back. They informed me that they were working on a path for non-law enforcement for this degree program.
- Virginia Commonwealth University – MS in Forensic Science with DF/IR concentration: This program is near to my heart as I’ve been (a small) part of its inception and construction. I currently teach an undergraduate intro do DF course for VCU in the Forensic Science Dept., and this program would have been a natural evolution to my undergrad from VCU and my current work with the University. I also had it on good authority that admission would be no problem because of my work and relationship with the department. Unfortunately, there were two main factors affecting my decision not to apply to this program – inflexibility and cost. All classes are given in-person, and I work full-time (and then some). I can’t afford the time away from work to attend in-person classes, so the chosen program had to be asynchronous. Cost was a factor too, although less of one because some classes would have been free because I’m an Adjunct at VCU. This program is likely going to be a very good contender in the years to come.
- Capella University – MS in Cybersecurity and Applied AI: Another cybersecurity-focused program that’s flexible and seemingly has a good curriculum. It’s also pretty expensive. I found myself looking at other programs similar to Capella and asking, what makes Capella so much better that the degree cost around 4 times as much as some other places? I couldn’t come up with an answer, so it was a no for me and Capella.
- Champlain College – MS in Digital Forensics: Many people reading this are probably familiar with Champlain. It was a solid #2 or #3 for me, even though my initial contact with the College representative was less than positive. It’s moderately priced with rolling admission, and many people I know have completed this program and lauded it for its quality and practical application. They’re also pretty flexible with admission requirements.
- Middle Georgia State University (MGA) – MS in Information Technology, Cybersecurity & Forensics: This one was a sleeper. Admit it, you read the name of the school and probably said “where?” out loud. But the more I looked into the program, the more I liked it, and it became a goal to get admitted. This program is flexible, pretty comprehensive, and best of all – VERY affordable. This is where I landed, but it wasn’t without some persistence on my part.
Admissions, Persistence & Networking
Admissions at any university is the first major point-of-contact. The admissions parameters are set by the university and can sometimes be pretty stringent. In my case, I was initially not admitted to MGA. Frankly, my application got weeded out by an AI or similar engine due to lower than acceptable undergraduate GPA indicated upon submission of my application.
I was 22 when I completed my undergraduate coursework, and life quickly went into full-throttle after that, getting into law enforcement, having a family, buying a house, etc. At age 22, I had no notion of ever going to grad school (ok, maybe law school), but at nearly 50 years old now, I can look back on a body of work that has been built, honed, refined, cultivated and nurtured. It hasn’t always been pretty, nor has it always been “successful”, but it’s all part of what got me to where I am now. I implored the University to take these things into account when considering my admission. Initially, this was met with no consideration. But one of the other things I’ve cultivated – and teach my adult children to cultivate – is a decent network. I researched who I may know that went to MGA and may know someone in the program whom I could contact to get another look at my application.
Lo and behold, it worked. To say I’m grateful for all of that is an understatement.
So here I am, in my first semester as a Grad Student at MGA. So far, so good. This week’s assignment took me all weekend to finish, but nothing worth doing is ever easy or quick. If I’m studious and persistent, I’m confident the work will pay off and in a couple of years, I’ll be more qualified to teach at VCU than I already am ;) .
The Why
Shortly after I updated my online profile that I was enrolled in this program, a very trusted colleague asked me simply “why are you doing this?” It’s a valid question. I hold an executive-level position at a nationwide forensic services provider. I lead two of our internal teams and engage regularly with the community. Ostensibly, I don’t need an MS degree to accomplish professional goals, but ultimately it depends on what those goals are.
So here are some “whys”: I enjoy learning. My old shift sergeant used to dub me the “career student” because of all the training I attended. An MS degree to me is evergreen, not like a lot of certifications or other training. It helps to silence doubters. Everyone has them, and while I don’t give a lot of stock to their opinions, I also like to throw a high-hearty salute whenever good work is accomplished in spite of doubts. I enjoy teaching, probably too much. Maybe one day I’ll want to change the focus from practitioner to teacher, but that’s not a firm plan. It’s nice to have that option, though. It's nice to have options generally, which I think obtaining an MS degree helps foster.
At a meeting with the VCU curriculum group last year, several fellow practitioners in the room expressed that the only reason they obtained their Master’s Degrees is so they could teach. I wouldn’t say that’s why I’m doing it. It’s a potential reason why I’m doing it. Teaching jobs don’t grow on trees, and I thoroughly enjoy being a practitioner, so maybe I’m doing it just to say I did it – on my own and without any assistance from anyone. I own it all – the decision, the persistence, the work and the outcomes.
So if you’re considering your “why” about pursuing one of these MS programs in Digital Forensics, I hope this exploration has given you some pause for thought, or at least some direction. I don’t think an MS degree in DF/IR will get you (a lot) more money, but it will help separate you from other practitioners, and has the added benefit of enhancing the practice and acceptance of digital forensics as a bona-fide forensic science overall… And that’s a goal for which we should all strive.
About the Author:
Patrick Siewert served 15 years in full-time law enforcement and investigated hundreds of high-tech crimes to precedent-setting results, Patrick is a graduate of SCERS & BCERT and is a court-certified expert witness in digital forensics, mobile forensics and historical cell site location analysis. He has published dozens of articles and is cited in numerous academic papers. He was the Founder & Principal Consultant of Pro Digital Forensic Consulting, based in Richmond, Virginia (USA) and currently serves as Director of Digital Forensics and E-Discovery for a Nationwide (US) provider of DF/IR and e-disco litigation support services, while keeping in touch with the public safety community as a Law Enforcement Instructor in multiple disciplines.
Email: Patrick@ProDigital4n6.com
Patrick Siewert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-siewert-92513445/
Patrick Siewert on X/Twitter : @RVA4n6
Pro Digital (old) blog site : https://prodigital4n6.blogspot.com/