National Capital Region offers new executive master's degree in information security assurance

Classes will begin at Virginia Tech in the National Capital Region in Spring 2010 for a new executive Master of Information Security Assurance, an innovative graduate program targeted to working professionals with experience in information assurance related areas who wish to pursue a graduate degree without interrupting their careers. The entire program is designed to be completed within 18 months.

“We are focused on graduating a cadre of highly qualified managers and leaders who can effectively address the emerging needs of critical information infrastructure assurance in both government and business sectors,” said Saifur Rahman, director of the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute and the graduate program. The program accommodates students with a variety of undergraduate backgrounds in science and engineering, Rahman said.

“However, as information assurance also requires specific knowledge in forensics, cryptography, and information security, and trust technologies, the [Master of Information Security Assurance program] is designed to give students an engineering-centric understanding of these areas,” said Rahman.

The cohort-based weekend only program is limited to 25 students. The instruction is based on face-to-face in-class lectures and seminars. In addition to classroom teaching, the program includes extensive hands-on laboratory experience, international field and case studies, and a semester-long project. Field study will be coordinated with international industrial and academic partners to expose students to information assurance standards and realizations on a global scale.

Classes will be taught at the Advanced Research Institute in the Ballston area of Arlington by Virginia Tech faculty members from the Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Computer Science departments. The program will also include adjunct faculty from academia, government, and industry in the both the United States and the European Union.

Find more information about the program and applying for the program.