ExecMSIA

After a series of internal discussions, the INI has decided to suspend the launch of the ExecMSIA while we modify the curriculum and plan with our faculty accordingly. Recruitment activities for the program will resume after these preparations have been made.

Program Overview

The Executive Master of Science in Information Assurance (ExecMSIA) is designed for current and aspiring information technology executives seeking to propel their careers in the information assurance arena.

The ExecMSIA is structured with flexibility to easily fit with a career, combining online sessions with periodic, short sessions on campus. Within two years, the ExecMSIA gives students access to the rich academic setting at Carnegie Mellon during campus visits and through cutting-edge distributed educational and collaborative technologies that connect students with each other and faculty support. The students become a part of a cohort of approximately 20-24 peers, who also pursue the program and add enrichment to each other's professional network. The peer relationships offer important support throughout the program and will be valued by students in the long term, well beyond the cohort's graduation day.

ExecMSIA graduates increase their technical knowledge, build their management capabilities and develop a strong network of contacts within their cohort and at the university, all of which are long-lasting benefits that broaden career prospects at graduation and in the future. Graduates are prepared to be leaders in the field of information assurance.

Schedule

The program is 20 months, made up of five semesters. Students take two courses each semester, the equivalent of 24 units per semester.

Format

The program is delivered in an executive format that combines online sessions with periodic, short campus sessions. The core courses require a brief period of time on campus twice during the regular academic semester, such as the start of the semester and either at mid-semester or at the end of the semester.

For each semester, students will complete six hours of coursework in online recitations, in 1.5 hour sessions held on four Saturdays during the semester.

Students engage in ongoing coursework, labs and projects, both individual and team-based, throughout the semester with the support of distributed educational and collaborative technologies.

Program Learning Objectives

Through this program, you strive to:

Gain a detailed understanding of the interdisciplinary aspects (technical, business, management, policy) of information assurance
Assess the information assurance risks faced by an organization
Manage the development, acquisition and evolution of a secure information infrastructure
Gain expertise in both theory and practice of information assurance
Acquire a detailed understanding of information assurance challenges in networks and systems
Gain expertise to manage the growing complexities associated with securing data and networks
Equip themselves with skills to assume senior leadership in information assurance