Note 1: All MSDF students can take the "CDA 6946: Internship" as a 3-credit elective (as one of the two electives in fulfilling the 6-credit non-thesis option). If you want to take the internship course, you must find a semester-long internship position by yourself in the cybersecurity or digital forensics related fields (UCF Information Security Office provides limited unpaid internship, please contact: SIRT@ucf.edu). Once you have secured the internship position, contact Cliff Zou at changchun.zou@ucf.edu to register this course.

Note 2: All students need to request permission from Ms. Elexis Ritz < elexis.ritz@ucf.edu >, Criminal Justice Graduate Program Advisor, to register for Criminal Justice classes (CCJ or CJE course prefix). There are limited openings for MSDF students in those CCJ/CJE classes, so register early.

Note 3: Except CCJ, CJE courses, you can register ANY course in the course list by yourself as long as you are enrolled in the Digital Forensics Master program. The prereqisite described in course catalog are not active in most cases. However, if you are enrolled in the ONLINE MSDF program, you can only register those online courses or online sessions (0V61 or 0W61) of those courses.

Note 4: The course teaching schedule for each academic year is almost the same. Thus you can use the current academic year schedule to plan for your future class taken.

Summer 2026

CDA 6946 Internship (contact Cliff Zou at changchun.zou@ucf.edu if you are interested)

CHS 5518.C060 The Forensic Collection and Examination of Digital Evidence (online)

CCJ 5015.A061 The Nature of Crime (online)

CCJ 5456.B061 The Administration Of Justice (online)

CCJ 6704.C061 Research Methods in Criminal Justice (online)

CCJ 6706.C061 Data Analysis in Criminal Justice I (online)

Fall 2026

CDA 6946 Internship (contact Cliff Zou at changchun.zou@ucf.edu if you are interested)

CHS 5504.0W61 Topics in Forensic Science (online)

CGS 5131.0V61 Computer Forensics I (online)

CIS 6206.0061 Electronic Discovery for Digital Forensics Professionals (online)

CIS 6395.0001 Incident Response Technologies (0001: TuTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM; 0061 online)

CNT 6519.0061 Wireless Security and Forensics (online)

IDC 5602 Cybersecurity: A Multidisciplinary Approach  (0001: Th 5:00PM - 7:50PM; 0091 online session)

CCJ 5015.0061 and .0062 Nature of Crime (online)

CCJ 5456.0061 and .0062 The Administration Of Justice (online & in-campus at Tu 6pm-8:50pm)

CCJ 6704.0061 Research Methods in Criminal Justice (online)

CCJ 6706.0061 Data Analysis in Criminal Justice I (online)

CJE 6688.0061 Cyber Crime and Criminal Justice (online)

Spring 2027

CDA 6946, Internship (contact Cliff Zou at changchun.zou@ucf.edu, if you are interested)

CAP 6135 Malware and Software Vulnerability Analysis (0001: TuTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM; 0061 online)

CNT 6418.0061 Computer Forensics II (online)

CIS 6207.0V61 The Practice of Digital Forensics (online)

CIS 6386.0V61 Operating Systems and File System Forensics (online)

CNT 5410L Cyber Operation Lab (0001: Mo 10:30AM - 1:20PM; 0V61 online)

CHS 5596.0W60 The Forensic Expert in the Courtroom (online)

CCJ 5015.0061 & .0062 The Nature of Crime (online)

CCJ 5456.0061 & .0062 The Administration Of Justice (online)

CCJ 6704.0061 Research Methods in Criminal Justice (online)

CJE 6688.0061 Cyber Crime and Criminal Justice (online)

CCJ 6706.0061 & .0062 Data Analysis in Criminal Justice I (online)

CJL 6568.0061 Law and Social Control (online)

The MSDF degree program requires 30 credit hours of which at least half of the course work must be at 6000 level.

Required courses (12 hours):

• CGS 5131: Computer Forensics I
• CNT 6418: Computer Forensics II
• CHS 5504: Topics in Forensic Science
• CIS 6207: The Practice of Digital Forensics

Restricted Elective Courses (12 hours):

Group A: (computing and technology, choose two courses, 6 hours)

• CAP 6133: Advanced Topics in Computer Security and Computer Forensics
• CNT 6519: Wireless Security and Forensics
• CAP 6135: Malware and Software Vulnerability Analysis
• CIS 6395: Incident Response Technologies
• CIS 6386: OS & File System Forensics
• CNT 5410L: Cyber Operation Lab

Group B: (criminal justice and electronic discovery, choose one course, 3 hours)

• CCJ 5015: Nature of Crime
• CCJ 5456: The Administration Of Justice
• CJL 6568: Law and Social Control
• CCJ 6074: Investigative and Intelligence Analysis, Theory and Methods
• CCJ 6704: Research Methods in Criminal Justice
• CCJ 6706: Data Analysis in Criminal Justice I
• CJE 6688: (formerly CJE 5688) Cybercrime and Criminal Justice
• Note: All students need to request permission from Ms. Elexis Ritz < elexis.ritz@ucf.edu >, Criminal Justice Graduate Program Advisor, to register for Criminal Justice classes (CCJ or CJE course prefix). Students can take alternative Criminal Justice courses as they fit in a student's research interest and are approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Group C: (forensic science and legal studies, choose one course, 3 hours)

• CHS 5596: The Forensic Expert in the Courtroom
• CIS 6206: Electronic Discovery for Digital Forensics Professionals
• CHS 5518: Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence
• PLA 5587: Current Issues in Cyberlaw

Thesis Option (6 hours):

• CAP 6971: Master's thesis (two semesters)

Non-Thesis Option (6 hours):

• Take one elective and "CDA 6946: Internship", or take two electives. The electives can be any courses from the list of Restricted Electives above, or the following electives.
• IDC 5602: Cybersecurity: A Multidisciplinary Approach
• IDC 6600: Emerging Cyber Issues
• IDC 6601: Behavioral Aspects of Cybersecurity

Computer Science

CGS 5131, Computer Forensics I. (3 credits) This course covers legal issues regarding seizure and chain of custody, technical issues in acquiring computer evidence, popular computer file systems, and reporting issues in the legal system.

CNT 6418, (previously CGS 5132), Computer Forensics II (3 credits) The purpose of this course is to teach the concepts of computer system security models, fundamentals of computer networking and the layered protocol architectures, detection and prevention of intrusion and attack, digital evidence collection and evaluation, and the legal issues involved in computer forensic analysis.

CIS 6207, Practice of Digital Forensics. (3 credits) This is a capstone course that allows students to demonstrate the ability to combine all they have learned. Students will work on several case studies that require them to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to practical assignments.

CAP 6133, Advanced Topics in Computer Security and Computer Forensics (3 credits) Advanced topics in computer security and forensics such as cryptography, automatic intrusion detection, pattern matching and statistical techniques, firewalls, and vulnerability scanning.

CNT 6519, Wireless Security and Forensics (3 credits) This course provides advanced study for those students with an interest in areas such as wireless computer security, security management, cryptography, computer forensics, and related areas.

CAP 6135, Malware and Software Vulnerability Analysis (3 credits) Analysis of malicious code including viruses, worms, Trojans, and buffer overflow vulnerabilities encountered in software packages.

CIS 6395, Incident Response Technologies. (3 credits) An advanced course covering topics related to computer incidents and intrusion response.

CIS 6386, Operating System and File Systems Forensics. (3 credits) The course will provide students with a practical understanding of the fundamental procedures required to correctly conduct digital forensics on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh operating systems, file systems, and associated applications.

CAP 6946, (or CET6946), Graduate Internship (3 creditd)

CAP 6971, Master's thesis (6 credits)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

EEE 6347, Trustworthy Hardware (3 credits)Introduce the concept of trustworthy hardware. Review scientific publications in the area of trustworthy hardware. Design, analyze, and evaluate trustworthy embedded systems.

Forensic Science

CHS 5504, (prevously CHS 5503), Topics in Forensic Science. (3 credits) Topics in Forensic Science will include the history of forensic science, basic forensic science principles as applied in various forensic specialties, current issues in digital evidence, and professionalism.

CHS 5596, The Forensic Expert in the Courtroom. (3 credits) A study of the uses of technically- and scientifically-trained expert witnesses at trial.

CHS 5518, Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence. (3 credits) This course will cover the nature of digital evidence collection and examination under the constraints of law and courtroom procedures.

Criminal Justice & Legal Studies

PLA 5587 Current Issues in Cyberlaw. (3 credits) Advanced examination and discussion of free speech, copyright, trademark, patent and privacy issues in the online environment through interactive class discussions, online discussions, postings, case study reviews, and legal research projects.

CCJ 6074, Investigative and Intelligence Analysis, Theory and Methods. (3 credits) This course is designed to familiarize the student with the complex analytical techniques and procedures used to support criminal investigations and criminal intelligence efforts.

CCJ 6706, Quantitative Methods and Computer Utilization in Criminal Justice. (3 credits) Application of statistical software to quantitative and qualitative methods in Criminal Justice.

CJE 6688, Cybercrime and Criminal Justice. (3 credits) Deals with the problem of cyber crime and the criminal use of the Internet. Includes investigation, enforcement and legal issues.

Program of Study (POS) Form:

All enrolled students must submit the initial POS form by the end of the student's second major term (based on full-time enrollment) and must be on file by the end of the term prior to the term of expected graduation. When any course plan changes, the student needs to re-submit a revised POS form. The form needs to be signed by Program Coordinator.

You can fill the online Program of Study (POS) form at:
Non-thesis POS form
Thesis POS form

Registration Form for "Graduate Internship" Class or "Thesis" Class:

A student who wants to register the "Graduate Internship" class or "Thesis" class must fill out the following online Special Request Form. After obtaining approval from Dr. Zou, college staff will register you in the course.
Special Registration Access Form

Course Override Form:

If a student cannot online register a class due to lack of prerequisite or restriction, he or she needs to fill out the following online course override dynamic form. After obtaining approval from Dr. Zou, college staff will register the student in the class.
Course Override Form

Past Syllabus for most MSDF courses:

CGS5131: Computer Forensics I
CNT6418: Computer Forensics II
CIS6207: The Practice of Digital Forensics
CNT6519: Wireless Security and Forensics
CAP6135: Malware and Software Vulnerability Analysis
CIS6395: Incident Response Technologies
CIS6386: OS and File System Forensics
CNT5410L: Cyber Operation Lab
CIS6206: Electronic Discovery for Digital Forensics Professionals
CHS5518: Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence
IDC5602: Cybersecurity: A Multidisciplinary Approach
IDC6600: Emerging Cyber Issues
IDC6601: Behavioral Aspects of Cybersecurity
IDC6602: Usable Cybersecurity and Privacy