Catalog information for PhD INFT DFOR
Program information for PhD INFT DFOR
The Information Technology (INFT) PhD is a signature degree of the College of Engineering and Computing. The program focuses on the science, engineering, and technology of information processing, an area of study ripe for innovation in a world driven more and more by data. It accommodates rigorous and cross-disciplinary PhD study that does not fit with PhD program requirements of a single CEC department. The PhD in INFT includes several concentrations to provide program focus.
The Digital Forensics concentration emphasizes preparatory coursework from the school’s digital forensics curriculum and closely related areas. After coursework completion, students work with a dissertation advisor and committee to initiate and execute research in one or more aspects of the digital forensics domain. This research will advance the state of the art, practice, and science in the digital forensics domain, and research results will be published in leading journals and conferences dedicated to this field. Upon completion of their research, students defend their doctoral research to their committees and the public.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 72 graduate credits. Of the 72 total credits required for degree completion, 48 credits must be coursework and 24 credits must be research.
- Coursework:
- IT 700 & 701.
- At least 18 credits of coursework must be 600 level or higher and completed with a grade of B- or better.
- The overall GPA presented for graduation must be 3.5 or higher.
- Students who enter the program with a conferred, concentration-relevant Master’s degree:
- May reduce their specialized coursework requirement by up to 30 credits with approval of their Concentration Director and the College of Engineering and Computing Office of Graduate Studies (CECGS). See Academic Policy 6.5 (Credit by Exam, Reduction or Transfer).
- Research:
- Successful completion of 24 research credits inclusive of:
- IT 990, 1 credit
- IT 998, 1-11 credits
- IT 999, a minimum of 12 credits
- Successful completion of 24 research credits inclusive of:
- Formal establishment of a Dissertation Director and dissertation committee.
- Comprehensive exam (oral) after completion of coursework.
- Development and acceptance of a research proposal.
- Advancement to Candidacy.
- Execution of the research, culminating in a written dissertation and public final oral defense successfully defended and approved by the student’s dissertation committee.
Digital Forensics Coursework
Courses are selected from the following list:
DFOR 637 Cloud Forensics
DFOR 673 Registry Forensics – Windows
DFOR 674 Mac Forensics
DFOR 675 Linux Forensics
DFOR 710 Memory Forensics
DFOR 720 Digital Audio Video Forensics
DFOR 730 Forensic Deep Packet Inspection
DFOR 761 Malware Reverse Engineering
DFOR 769 Anti-Forensics
DFOR 772 Forensic Artifact Extraction
DFOR 773 Mobile Application Forensics and Analysis
DFOR 775 Kernel Forensics and Analysis
ECE 611 Advanced Computer Architecture
ECE 612 Real-Time Embedded Systems
ISA 673 Operating Systems Security
ISA 764 Security Experimentation
ISA 785 Research in Digital Forensics
Course descriptions are here:
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
Information Security Assurance (ISA)
Other CEC courses with the approval of a faculty advisor/dissertation director.
Faculty Dissertation Advisors
Prior to starting the degree, or while engaged in coursework, the student works with their advisor and faculty to identify and confirm a dissertation director (dissertation committee chair). The student and dissertation director then establish a dissertation committee (3-4 additional GMU graduate faculty for a total committee of 4-5 members). The faculty below are currently engaged in relevant digital forensics research and may be available as dissertation directors. Other CEC faculty may also be engaged in relevant research, and all CEC graduate faculty are eligible to serve as dissertation directors for the PhD INFT program. Students have the option to contact faculty members directly or consult their program academic advisor for guidance on potential advisors. The following professors are available for students to reach out to:
Sai Manoj Pudukotai Dinakarrao
Dissertation Format
PhD INFT students may choose to prepare a dissertation written in the traditional “treatise” form or the “article dissertation” form. The treatise form is one long document which requires distillation of research into academic publications either in parallel with dissertation preparation or subsequent to dissertation completion. The article dissertation form, in contrast, merges creation of academic research publications with creation of the dissertation itself. More information on the article dissertation form is here.