Virginia Commonwealth University · Department of Forensic Science, College of Humanities and Sciences

MS in Forensic Science — Digital forensics and incident response Concentration

Master'sMSConcentrationOn campus

Overview

A 42-credit, full-time, two-year Master of Science in Forensic Science; the digital forensics and incident response concentration adds courses in computer, storage, mobile and IoT device forensics, incident response and ethical hacking for forensic applications to the forensic science core and directed research.

Official program name: Forensic Science, Master of Science (M.S.) with a concentration in digital forensics and incident response
Awarded degree: Master of Science · major: Forensic Science
Source: forensicscience.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Cybersecurity focus: Cybersecurity concentration — Digital forensics and incident responseA formal cybersecurity concentration, track or specialization inside a broader degree such as computer science or information technology. The awarded degree is the broader one.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
School: Virginia Commonwealth University — Department of Forensic Science, College of Humanities and Sciences
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: Richmond, VA
Specializations: Digital Forensics — formal concentration / track (“Digital forensics and incident response”)Incident Response — formal concentration / track (“Digital forensics and incident response”)
Tracks / concentrations: Digital forensics and incident response
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Required credits: 42 graduate credit hours
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: full-time, two-year program (full-time)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: forensicscience.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms: Fall
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Why this program is listed

Formal digital forensics and incident response concentration with seven required concentration courses within the MS in Forensic Science.

Concentration courses in digital forensics, forensic computer and storage device analysis, incident response, cybersecurity/networking/ethical hacking for forensic applications, and mobile and IoT device analysis.

Source: forensicscience.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We list cybersecurity bachelor's, master's and research doctorates at institutionally accredited US schools — dedicated degrees and formal concentrations, never certificates or electives-only degrees. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Formats, online delivery, campus visits, internships and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the school states it.

Formats offered: On campus
Source: forensicscience.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Full-time
Source: forensicscience.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Other

Directed research in forensic science is required.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
The DFIR concentration is excluded from the program's FEPAC accreditation.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredBachelor's degree in a discipline appropriate to the concentration
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 2.9 — Undergraduate GPA exceeding 2.9 on a 4.0 scale
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
Mar 1 · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Tuition for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Scholarships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for its level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; service scholarships require government service after graduation. Scholarships & funding guide

Graduate teaching assistantships Assistantship
Stipend
Eligibility: All incoming M.S. Forensic Science students are automatically considered
Duties: Assisting in laboratory preparation and assistance
Source: forensicscience.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Accreditation, ABET and CAE

Three different things: the school's institutional accreditation, ABET accreditation of this exact program, and the school's NSA CAE designation.

Institutional accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

ABET program accreditation

This program does not appear in ABET's accredited-program database. ABET accreditation is program-specific and optional; the school's other programs or its institutional accreditation do not imply it.

NSA CAE designation (school)

CAE in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) · 2019 - 2029Validated program(s) of study: B.S. in Computer Science with a Concentration in Cybersecurity (POS-CD)Source: maps.caecommunity.org · verified October 11, 2026
CAE in Cyber Research (CAE-R) · 2020 - 2030Validated program(s) of study: B.S. in Computer Science with a Concentration in Cybersecurity (POS-CD)Source: maps.caecommunity.org · verified October 11, 2026

A CAE designation belongs to the institution and its validated program of study; it is not accreditation and does not certify every degree. Accreditation & CAE explained

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 11, 2026.

bulletin.vcu.edu/graduate/college-humanities-sciences/forensic-science/forensic-science-ms-concentra — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 11, 2026
forensicscience.vcu.edu/academics/graduate/financial-support/ — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
forensicscience.vcu.edu/academics/graduate/ms-in-forensic-science/ — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
NCAE-C institution directory (National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity) — Source, verified October 11, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026

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Same degree level and focus. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

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Cybersecurity Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Virginia Commonwealth University. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.