INI: The Information Networking Institute

ExecMSIA

Beginning in the fall of 2012, the INI will offer an Executive Master of Science in Information Assurance (ExecMSIA) for current and aspiring information technology executives seeking to propel their careers in the information assurance arena. Flexible to fit easily with a career, the ExecMSIA offers a concentration in Cyber Forensics and Incident Response or Resilience Management. An option is available for non-degree students to pursue certificates in these two areas.

Program Overview

The ExecMSIA is structured with flexibility to easily fit with a career, combining online sessions with periodic, short sessions on campus. Within two years, and with a schedule tailored to accommodate employed professionals, 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. 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.

Concentrations

Each student is required to take a set of core courses and a set of concentration courses in Cyber Forensics and Incident Response or Resilience Management.

The Cyber Forensics and Incident Response concentration equips the next generation of technical executives with the knowledge, skills sets and experiences to successfully plan for and manage the inevitabilities of cyber-attack. This concentration is ideally suited for experienced technical professionals currently in or pursuing leadership roles, such as Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

The Resilience Management concentration aims to bring the concepts of security risk management and business continuity into a convergent framework for current and aspiring professionals in leadership roles, such as Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO). The concentration of courses will explore how effective risk management translates into the emergent property of operational resilience.

Schedule

The program is 20 months, made up of five semesters. Each semester, students take 24 units, made up of two core courses during the first semester, and a combination of core and concentration courses in the remaining semesters.

Format

The program is delivered in an executive format that combines online sessions with periodic, short campus sessions. Core courses require a brief period of time on campus twice during the regular academic semester, at the start of the semester and either at mid-semester or at the end of the semester for each core course. Students are required to take two core courses during the first fall and one core course each semester thereafter in addition to concentration courses.

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. Read more about the program delivery.

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

Go deeper into this program

Program Delivery >> Curriculum >> Courses >> Admission

ExecMSIA:
Combining a cohort-based model with high-quality distributed education

TechVibe Radio Features ExecMSIA

The INI is pleased to be a part of the April 14 show of TechVibe Radio from the Pittsburgh Tech Council. Listen to the broadcast from the show archives.