MSU Moorhead adds program to fight digital crime

Minnesota State University Moorhead will launch a new bachelor’s degree in cybercrime starting in the fall of 2026, making it one of the first programs in the region to combine cybersecurity, criminal justice, and sociology.

The new Bachelor of Arts in Cybercrime is designed for students interested in fighting crime in the digital age. The program aims to give future investigators both technical know-how and an understanding of criminal behavior.

Students will have the chance to work on real cases and learn to use open-source intelligence, or OSINT, a common tool used by security experts to gather information from public sources. The curriculum will cover how to uncover digital evidence, track online activity legally, and analyze crime patterns.

“Nearly all crimes have a digital footprint today,” said Karen Branden, program coordinator and professor at the university. 

“Finding criminals, gathering evidence, and creating justice for victims all rely on knowing how to pursue crime in both digital and physical spaces,” Branden continued.

The federal government projects jobs in information security analysis will grow 29 percent between 2024 and 2034, making cybercrime a fast-growing career field. University officials say the new degree will help fill an increasing demand for public safety, national security, and technology professionals.

More information about the program is available at mnstate.edu/cybercrime.

Minnesota State University Moorhead is part of the Minnesota State system and offers more than 130 academic programs and 17 graduate degrees. The university is known for programs in education, business, film and animation, social work, biosciences, nursing, and project management.