Doctorate in Cybersecurity

This degree program helps students to advance their careers as consultants or professional managers in the Information Security and Assurance fields. In this program, students undertake solution-oriented applied field research projects which address relevant industry problems and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the practice of Information Assurance.

This program fosters the development of students who:

• Are recognized as practitioners with expertise in a specialized field of study relevant to the cybersecurity community
• Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the analysis of information assurance issues
• Utilize an evidence-based approach to solution identification when addressing problems relevant to the cybersecurity community
• Demonstrate competence in conducting solution-focused field research relevant to information assurance practitioners
• Make continuing contributions to knowledge and practice in the field of cybersecurity

Program Objectives

Upon completion of this degree program, graduates will be able to:

• Analyze, assess and critique the applicability of best practices in addressing information assurance issues
• Demonstrate secondary research competencies in the investigation and identification of problems experienced by information assurance practitioners
• Develop evidence-based recommendations for solutions which address problems relevant to the cybersecurity community
• Empirically assess the feasibility of a proposed solution for a problem affecting the cybersecurity community
• Articulate a thorough understanding of a specialized field of study relevant to the cybersecurity community

Qualifying Exam

Doctoral students enrolled in the DIA program must pass the Qualifying Exam. This exam is used to evaluate mastery of the concepts and foundations of applied research and is administered concurrently in weeks 4-8 of the RM9100 course in a separate course shell called IA9130 (0 credits).

Credit Requirements

The Doctorate in Information Assurance consists of a mini 62-semester credit, including 48 credits of pre-dissertation courses (consisting of 30 credits of Information Security content is taken from core and specialization courses, 6 credits of research methods courses, 6 credits of research methodologies courses, 6 credits of research-preparation courses) and 14 credits of dissertation development courses.

To ensure that doctoral students make steady progress towards the completion of their dissertations, the University has developed the Dissertation Project Plan. This plan consists of a series of deliverables students produce in research methods courses and dissertation courses.

Finally, prior to conferral of the degree, the doctoral candidate must successfully defend the doctoral dissertation in an oral presentation before the Dissertation Committee.

More info: https://www.ufairfax.edu/doctorate/cybersecurity/information-assurance/learn-more/ https://www.ufairfax.edu/doctorate/cybersecurity/information-assurance/