M.S. in Information Assurance
Coming Spring 2010- Masters in Information Assurance Online!!!
Beginning in the Spring 2010 semester, the Master degree program in Information Assurance will also be offered online! Students in the MSIA program will now have the option of completing their degree on-campus, online, or through a combination of the two in a hybrid format. Northeastern will continue to enhance our programs by offering our students the most flexible and high-quality learning experience in the country.
All program applicants will undergo the same admission process, regardless of how they wish to conduct their coursework. For more information on applying to the Masters in Information Assurance program, please click here.
Additionally, please feel free to visit the NUOnline FAQ page at www.northeastern.edu/online/about-us-faqs.asp for more information on taking online courses.
Master of Science Degree in
Information Assurance
Offered by
College of Computer and Information Science
&
College of Criminal Justice
Northeastern University is an NSA Center of Excellence in
Information Assurance Education and Research
Degree Programs > M.S. in Information Assurance
Northeastern University is offering a unique interdisciplinary Master of Science program in Information Assurance (IA). This interdisciplinary graduate program is designed to answer a critical shortfall of trained professionals in information assurance in the nation. This MS degree program draws on the expertise from two communities of practice, the College of Computer and Information Science and the College of Criminal Justice, as well as the designation by NSA of the University as a Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education. It aims through scholarship and practice to enable an understanding of the technology and social context of information assurance. The program will address the need for management to possess a common sensitivity, understanding and competence in the foundation, issues as well as technology of information assurance. The disciplines from which students enter include computer science, criminal justice, engineering, mathematics and business administration.
• Description of the Program
• Faculty
• Admissions Criteria
• Degree Requirements
• Specimen Curricula
• Course Descriptions
• Application Process
• Financial Aid Information
• Request More Information
Description of the Program
Information Assurance (IA) concerns the protection of information systems by ensuring confidentiality, data integrity and privacy, availability, user authenticity, and legitimate use of system resources. At the same time, an effective IA professional needs to understand the relationship between information technology and people, systems, society, policy and law. The educational objective of the program is to instill in students the ability to use IA-related technology and to realize the inter-relationship between technology and societal issues. Students are provided with the conceptual understanding of the science and the methodology for attaining information assurance.
Graduates of the program are expected to work in federal, state and local government, law enforcement agencies as well as industrial corporations and financial organizations.
The program may be pursued on a part-time or full-time basis. The program requires a mix of core and elective courses, culminating in a capstone project.
Faculty
Kevin Amorin
Kevin received his M.S. degree in Computer Science from CCIS in 2005. He holds the position of Network Security Manager for the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. He is also a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard University Extension School.
Kyle Courtney
Kyle received his M.S. degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in 2006. He received his J.D. degree from Suffolk Law in 2002. He is currently employed as a lecturer in Northeastern University’s School of Law. He has also taught at Colombia University School of Law and Emerson College.
Richard Moore
Richard received his Master's Degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University in 2005. He is an Information Security consultant for Fortune 500 and Federal Government Organizations. He holds industry certification's such as CISSP, CISM, GPEN, and sits on a
number of Boards and is a contributing author in the Computer Security Handbook version 5.
David received his M.S. degree in Information Assurance from Northeastern University in 2009. He holds the position of Security Manager at Harvard University Network and Server Systems. He is also teaching fellow at Harvard University Extension School.
Dennis Treece
Dennis currently holds the position of Director of Corporate Security for Massport. He is responsible for all aspects of security for Logan International Airport and has over thirty years experience in the security business. Dennis has worked with intelligence, security, and law enforcement agencies at all levels.
Leonard Wisniewski
Len received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Dartmouth College in 1996. He currently holds the position of Engineering Manager at Sun Microsystems and has over twenty years of experience in the field. He also has taught at Endicott College, Daniel Webster College, and Dartmouth College..
Admissions Criteria
Applicants must submit a completed application form, three confidential letters of recommendation, application fee of US$50 and official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. The GRE test is highly recommended, but only required for applicants that would like to be considered for financial assistance. International students must also submit official scores of the TOEFL examination and a Declaration and Certification of Finances (DCF) Form (if applicable). In addition, a recent professional resume with a detailed list of position responsibilities, and a written statement of purpose, career orientation and expected outcomes and benefits from the program should accompany the application. Acceptance to the program is granted upon the recommendation of the program's Graduate Committee after a review of the completed application.
Admission to this program requires a bachelor’s degree and knowledge of basic information technology concepts including a degree of mathematical maturity. A combined Graduate Record Examination score of 1100 and a writing score of 5 or a TOEFL score of 550 CBT/80 IBT is recommended.
To ensure that a student has an adequate background in mathematical methods and computer technology, a student is expected to have taken courses or have working experience in
Introduction to Computer Systems
Discrete Mathematics
Students who have deficiency in any of the above courses are expected to take the pre-requisite courses as assigned by their advisor.
Degree Requirements
The program requires a completion of 32-semester hours coursework over four semesters. A GPA of 3.0 is required for matriculation. Candidates may opt to take a heavier per semester workload but course selection for credit toward the degree must remain within the program guidelines. All candidates must complete the 4 semester hour core course, IA 5010, Foundations of Information Assurance, at least 2 4 semester hour courses from each of the two tracks listed below, 8 semester hours of electives, and a 4 semester hour interdisciplinary Capstone Team Project. A summary of the coursework is given below:
CORE:
IA5010 Foundations of Information Assurance 4SH
TECHNICAL TRACK:
IA5120 Applied Cryptography 4SH
IA5130 Computer System Security 4SH
IA5140 Network Security Practices 4SH
CONTEXTUAL TRACK:
IA5200 Security Risk Management and Assessment 4SH
IA5210 Information System Forensics 4SH
IA5240 Ethics, Privacy & Digital Rights 4SH
ELECTIVE:
All IA courses. Courses from Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Engineering and Business Administration are accepted as electives (with approval from the Program Director). Examples of electives are given below:
IA5976 Directed Study
IA5978 Independent Study
IA5984 Research
IA8982 Readings
CJ7224 Law and Psychology
CJ7252 White Collar Crime
CJ7242 Terrorism and International Crime
CS5500 Managing Software Development
CS5600 Computer Systems
CS5200 Database Management Systems
CS5700 Fundamentals of Computer Networking
CS6710 Wireless Networks
CS6540 Foundations of Formal Methods and Software Analysis
MGMT6215 Stategic Security Management
CAPSTONE:
IA7900 Capstone Project/Seminar 4SH
Specimen Curricula
The program for full-time students will be as follows:
First Semester |
Second Semester |
|
IA5010 Foundations of IA Elective from Technical Track
|
Elective from Technical Track Elective from Contextual Track |
Third Semester |
Fourth Semester |
|
Elective from Contextual Track Free Elective 8SH |
IA7900 Capstone Project Free Elective |
Total Semester Hours = 32
Course Descriptions
IA5010 Fundamentals of Information Assurance
In this course, students will build a common cross-disciplinary understanding in the foundations of information assurance. The course presents an overview of basic principles and security concepts related to information systems, including workstation security, system security, and communications security. The course introduces information security via database technology. Discusses legal infrastructure such as DMCA, Telecommunications Act, wire fraud, and other ethical issues. Covers security methods, controls, procedures, economics of cybercrime, criminal procedure, and forensics. In addition, the course will describe the use of cryptography as a tool, software development processes, and protection.. Students will develop an understanding of the Information Assurance profession and how they can be applied and appropriately support the business.
IA5120 Applied Cryptography
Prerequisite: IA5010 and permission of instructor
Provides a survey of both the principles and the practice of cryptography. Topics covered include symmetric encryption schemes including DES and AES; public key cryptosystems such as RSA, Discrete Logarithm; hash functions, authentication and digital signatures; key management and digital certificates. Discusses network security protocols and applications, including Kerberos and SSL.
IA5130 Computer Systems Security
Prerequisite: IA5010 and permission of instructor
Study issues involved in the security of computer systems. Topics include security models, authentication issues, access control, intrusion detection and damage control. Case studies and laboratory exercises are included.
IA5140 Network Security Practices
Prerequisite: IA5010 and permission of instructor
Study issues involved in the security of computer networks. Topics include firewalls, viruses, Virtual Private Networks, Internet Security and Wireless Security. Case studies and laboratory exercises are included.
IA5200 Risk Management for Information Assurance
Provides principles and methodologies for identifying and addressing information risk management issues in organizations. Students are trained in information security risk assessments and creation of security plans. Students are also trained to create policies and procedures to manage risks for identity and access management, network, database and application monitoring, and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Provides necessary knowledge and understanding of the requirements for compliance with US and International laws, Federal systems guidelines, standards, directives and industry best practices. Combines classroom lectures with practical projects and presentations.
IA5210 Information System Forensics
Designed to allow students to explore the techniques used in computer forensic examinations. Examines computer hardware, physical and logical disk structure and computer forensic techniques. Hands-on experiences will be conducted on DOS, Windows operating systems, Macintosh, Novell, and Unix/Linux platforms. Students will build on basic computer skills and gain hands-on experience with the tools and techniques to investigate, seize and analyze computer based evidence using a variety of specialized forensic software in an IBM-PC environment.
IA5240 Ethics, Privacy and Digital Rights
Understand the legal and ethical issues associated with information security including access, use and dissemination. Emphasis on legal infrastructure relating to information assurance such as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act and Telecommunications Decency Act, and emerging technologies for management of digital rights. Examine the role of information security in various domains such as healthcare, scientific research, personal communications such as email. Examine criminal activities such as computer fraud and abuse, desktop forgery, embezzlement, child-pornography, computer trespass, and computer piracy.
IA7900 Capstone Project:
The team project is intended to draw together candidates from diverse backgrounds (technical, legal and/or law enforcement) in a collaborative activity to address one or more security issues from an integrated perspective. The project is generally industrially oriented with a project proposal submitted and accepted prior to the semester in which the project is to be undertaken.
Application Process
Please visit the applications area of this Web site.
Financial Aid Information
• Link to Information on DoD Information Assurance Scholarship Program.
• Dean’s Scholarship: tuition scholarship subject to the following guidelines:
1. Full-time students in graduate degree and certificate programs are eligible for a graduate tuition scholarship of up to 1/3 of their tuition to a maximum dollar amount not to exceed the tuition charged for 4 semester hour in each term of full-time registration.
2. Part-time students in graduate degree and certificate programs are eligible for a graduate tuition scholarship of up to 1⁄4 of their tuition to a maximum dollar amount not to exceed the tuition charged for 2 semester hour in each term of part-time registration.
3. Provisional, special and other students are not eligible for scholarships.
For detailed information, contact the Office of Student Financial Services, 356 Richards Hall, (617) 373-5899.
Request More Information
For more information please contact msia@lists.ccs.neu.edu