Southern Arkansas University is excited to announce a new major in Cyber Criminology. The program was approved on April 19, 2019, by the Coordinating Board of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
The new BS in Cyber Criminology will produce highly-skilled graduates who possess a holistic understanding of cybercrimes. This program will not only emphasize the use of computer science skills to investigate and study crime, but will underscore theoretical human behaviors and victimization patterns related to cybercrimes.
“Two years ago, we were encouraged to start this major by the law enforcement community. Cyber Criminology merges two very popular fields of study – criminal justice and cybersecurity. We are excited to be providing this cutting edge field of Cyber Criminology as an attractive option for our students,” said Dr. Trey Berry, president of SAU.
Graduates will be trained for positions available in government agencies and law enforcement, financial institutions, health corporations, private protective services and other businesses. Careers in cyber criminology include cybercrime investigator, information security analyst, digital forensic analyst, and cybercrime security team member.
The University initiated the Cyber Criminology program because we found high industry demand for graduates with a nearly guaranteed job placement into a high-paying career with law enforcement or other areas.
Cyber Criminology touches upon aspects of cybersecurity, but incorporates an understanding of human behavior to prevent cyber crime. By teaching students about victim and offender characteristics, patterns and trends of victimization, and other aspects of human behavior, cyber criminology can provide businesses, government agencies, and the general public useful information about their likelihood of being victimized, as well as identify ways to protect themselves. This field can be beneficial in influencing policies geared toward reducing crime.
“The University initiated the Cyber Criminology program because we found high industry demand for graduates with a nearly guaranteed job placement into a high-paying career with law enforcement or other areas,” said Dr. Helmut Langerbein, dean of the College of Liberal and Performing Arts. “The program also combines areas of interest for many of our students: computers, the Internet and criminal justice studies.”
Dr. Elizabeth Gloyd will be teaching Introduction to Cyber Crime and a Senior Project course. Gloyd earned her BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University and her MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. She also received her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Florida State University.
This new program is a collaborative effort between SAU’s College of Liberal and Performing Arts’ Criminal Justice program and the College of Science and Engineering’s Computer Science program.
For more information about the new Cyber Criminology program, contact Dr. Deborah Wilson, chair of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, at djwilson@saumag.edu or (870) 235-4324.
