Fifteen graduates who are all members of the Abu Dhabi Police were among the first batch of Masters of Science in Information Technology graduates last week. They graduated in the presence of Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and President of Zayed University (ZU).
The Masters of Science in Information Technology, with the specialisation of Cyber Security Digital Forensics, is the first masters programme offered in the UAE. "The programme was at first limited to four courses on Cyber Security at the request of Abu Dhabi Police," said Dr Leon Jololian, College of Information Technology dean. "As the demand grew, the programme was then expanded to a masters degree," he added.
Nowadays, crimes that occur through electronic devices and computers continue to rise. This type of crime is very dangerous as it has no geographical boundaries and can be done from any place in the world, representing a significant threat to national security, ZU officials said.
"This professional and specialised masters programme aims to serve the nation's need to combat digital crime," said ZU assistant provost Dr Chet Jblonski.
Serving country
Abdullah Nasser, one of the graduates, who dreams of becoming a lecturer at the police college, explained: "Today we are facing technological crime. I took this masters programme to serve my country."
Ahmad Bin Hadi, another graduate, believes that as this crime is not traditional any more, the police and authorities should explore advanced techniques as opposed to traditional ones in combating such crimes.
"I am happy," exclaimed the proud mother of Mohammad Obaid. "I supported my son and was behind him setting a milestone in his path."
