With cybercrime becoming an
epidemic in today’s society and
identity theft an all too common
issue, the demand for personnel
with a background in computer
safety is growing.
In response, Bucks created a
new class for the computer forensics
curriculum, cybercrime.
This three-credit course,
offered through the college’s
Math, Computer and Information
Science department, examines
the dynamics of cybercrime.
Lisa Angelo, assistant academic
dean, said “students will learn
about types of cybercrimes, computer
security, case studies and
hear guest speakers from law
enforcement.”
Professor Arta Szathmary
teaches the course. “They developed
cybercrime because many
students need to be aware of how
technology is affecting crimes of
the future,” she said. “While
Cybercrime was developed for
students studying criminal justice
and computer science, this course
will be available to all students
without a prerequisite.”
Szathmary, along with other
professors, have been working on
this curriculum for several years.
“There is a specific procedure
that is followed at Bucks to
research and develop the courses
before getting them approved by
the Curricular Revision Committee
and administration on campus,”
said Szathmary.
Kacy South, 20, a business
major from Levittown, said, “This
sounds like an interesting program,
but getting people to take
the class might be difficult. No one
thinks it can happen to them.”
However, 18-year-old criminal
justice major Ben Semmet has
witnessed the damaging effects of
cybercrime.
“My mom lost her bank card,
but when she found it, she discovered
that $200 was used on purchases
from different gas stations,”
he said.
According to the Bucks website,
cybercrime should be of particular
interest to criminal justice
majors .
For more information about the
cybercrime program, visit
www.bucks.edu/releases/Cybercrime.
html.