2019–2020 Catalog

Master of Science in Information Assurance

The Master of Science in Information Assurance program prepares its students to assess, protect and recommend safeguard solutions for an organization's information assets. Students in the program are exposed to technical leadership strategies in preventing and protecting organizational assets from cyberattacks and developing strategies to mitigate them. Graduates of the Master of Science in Information Assurance program are likewise exposed to real-world information assurance case studies and advanced technologies with exposure to live lab settings.

Students who have not had courses in certain areas may be required to take additional coursework as a prerequisite for completing some of the concentrations.

The Master of Science in Information Assurance program will require computer literacy skills (such as word processing and use of spread sheets or databases) that are expected of information assurance professionals in the technology workplace. Students entering the program are expected to have a good knowledge of MS Office or equivalent.

The Master of Science in Information Assurance program is an exciting educational option for students looking to increase their understanding, advance their careers and expand their opportunities in the world of information assurance and computing security.

This program is not available in all states. See www.strayer.edu for the latest information regarding program availability. This program is available in an online only format in Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Credits earned from Strayer University do not automatically qualify the holder to participate in professional licensing examinations to practice certain information systems professions. General information about information systems licensure options is available from vendor-specific websites such as Microsoft,Project Management Institute, CompTia or EC-Council.

The university recognizes that the IT industry uses IT certifications as a means of vetting potential IT professionals in the fields of computer networks, database management, network security, technical support and more. Therefore, a number of carefully chosen courses have embedded IT certification training along with academic rigor in order to prepare students for being certified. Review the graduate-level CIS course descriptions in the course descriptions section of this catalog to determine which courses in this program have certification training availability and the requirements associated with each course. Certifications are the best means of validating a student's skills and knowledge.

Area I – Core Component

Required Courses

CIS 500Information Systems for Decision-Making

CIS 502Theories of Security Management

CIS 505Communication Technologies

OR

CIS 512Advanced Computer Architecture

CIS 527IT Risk Management

CIS 534Advanced Network Security Design

CIS 542Web Application Security

CIS 552Cybercrime Techniques and Response

CIS 558Information Technology Audit and Control

CIS 560Security Access and Control Strategies

Total Credit Hours:40.5

Area II – Concentration Component

Components to complete the Master of Science in Information Assurance.

Information Assurance Concentration

CIS 562Computer Forensics Planning

CIS 565Cryptography

CIS 598Graduate Information Assurance Capstone

Total Credit Hours:13.5
All courses are 4.5 quarter credit hours.

Total Credit Hours: 54.0