Information Assurance and Cybersecurity, MSIA

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION ASSURANCE • MSIA

The Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity emphasizes the skills necessary for cybersecurity leadership, ensuring the development and implementation of cybersecurity resources in today’s business environment. This program is designed to prepare students with the skills to develop cybersecurity policies, plans, and strategies in compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and standards to correctly and efficiently prioritize and allocate cybersecurity resources.

Curriculum

The master’s degree program in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (MSIA) aligns with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework Executive Cyber Leadership specialty within Oversee & Govern.
Topics may include information security planning, project assessment and mitigation, application security, network security, digital forensics, and legal and ethical issues related to cybersecurity. Students will also choose an area of concentration through electives and complete a thesis under the direct guidance of a faculty member. These elective courses will provide depth in the different technical and administrative aspects of cybersecurity, with topics including health care security, business continuity, and comprehensive issues.

Foundational Knowledge Requirements:

All students admitted into the Davenport University Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity are expected to have the necessary undergraduate preparation, as outlined in the Admissions Requirements, prior to entering the 600-level courses. Students who have not successfully completed equivalent undergraduate courses will be required to complete the following graduate (500-level) foundational courses or the undergraduate level equivalent courses. A grade of “B” or better must be earned in each course to show proficiency.

Graduate Level Foundational Courses:

Core Courses - 24 Credits

IAAS 600 - Information Security Planning 3 Credits
IAAS 660 - Project Management and Risk Mitigation 3 Credits
IAAS 667 - Legal and Ethical Security Topics 3 Credits
IAAS 710 - Application Security 3 Credits
IAAS 715 - Network Security 3 Credits
IAAS 735 - Advanced Computer Forensics 3 Credits
IAAS 786 - Research Techniques for Information Assurance 3 Credits
STAT 615 - Analytical Statistics for Management 3 Credits

Elective Courses - 3 Credits

Select one of the following:

GPMT 699 - Certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) Preparation 3 Credits
IAAS 651 - Applied Cryptography 3 Credits
IAAS 670 - Wireless and Mobile Security 3 Credits
IAAS 675 - Health Care Security 3 Credits
IAAS 738 - IT Business Continuity and Best Practices 3 Credits
IAAS 740 - Comprehensive Issues 3 Credits
IAAS 790 - Information Assurance Internship 3 Credits

Capstone - 4 Credits

CAPS 795 - Information Assurance Thesis 4 Credits

Total Credits: 31

MASTER’S THESIS

A thesis paper forms the capstone of this Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity program. The capstone is a comprehensive research paper encompassing the learning from the students’ coursework in the program.

The final thesis paper is to be completed under the guidance of your faculty advisor or university-designated faculty member during the CAPS 795 - Information Assurance Thesis course. More details on the master’s thesis and capstone process may be found in the Capstone Guidebook, available from your faculty advisor.