*Subject to Revision

Mission

This program prepares highly-qualified professionals with both Cyberseucrity and Data Science expertise. The Information Systems and Computer Security (ISCS) Master of Science program at Tuskegee University is designed to fill the current and future needs for Information Assurance professionals to support the nation’s information infrastructure.  Information Assurance has become a critical issue for businesses as they encounter problems from external network attacks as well as internal issues due to lax control systems and compliance requirements.

Rationale

Protection of America’s critical infrastructure is an emerging national priority. Due to its implication for national security, there is great need to produce professionals trained in both Information Systems and Information Security for securing information and systems in industrial and governmental organizations. Current Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) trends point to an increase in need of people qualified in data science disciplines. These disciplines include big-data analytics, machine learning, and predictive modeling, among others. The proposed program is a multidisciplinary, 30 credit hour graduate degree program designed to produce a comprehensively educated professional in cybersecurity and data science.

Objectives

Truly gaining value from technology requires an understanding of how technology interacts with business processes, strategy, and policy. The CBIS’s Information Systems and Computer Security (ISCS) curriculum is unique in the sense that it integrates both the business and computer science disciplines into a coherent area of study. Students learn how to use methods and tools to make strategic decisions about information security issues, including identity theft and other forms of electronic fraud, computer viruses, hacking attacks, and even cyber warfare.

TU’s MSISCS program allows student to take courses tailored to their individual backgrounds. Students with experience in the law, social sciences, or business can strengthen their technical skills, while those with backgrounds in information technology can increase their business acumen and expand their understanding of information security as it relates to protection of individuals, companies, and other organizations.

While all students learn about the key issues in information security and business processes, electives let individuals customize their program to meet their own professional goals and those of their employer. The required project or thesis lets each student apply their knowledge and training by tackling a specific and current information security issue.

During this journey of discovery, the student will be educated in Tuskegee’s interdisciplinary tradition of innovation and investigation. The student will be trained as analytical problem solver adding value to organizations and society through the intelligent application of information systems and security management.

Program Description

The Master of Science in Information Systems and Computer Security (MS-ISCS) is an interdisciplinary program offered under a cooperative arrangement with various departments including Accounting, Economics, Finance; Management, and Computer Science. Students graduating from the major will help to fill the need for well-educated Information Systems and Security management specialists in the government, private sector, and academia.

The program objectives, identified as being critical to the accomplishment of this mission are:

1. Impart and enhance knowledge about information systems security
2. Expand and develop ability to secure and manage complex business systems
3. Instill and nurture social awareness, and the ability to function in a team
4. Instill and nurture a sense of ethics
5. Develop an understanding of strategic and policy issues

The program offers two options: Cybersecurity option and Data Science option

The program is broadly based and uses courses in the aforementioned departments. The program will consist of 24 course credits with 6 credits of research work for a Master of Science with thesis (30 hours). A non-thesis Master of Science will consist of 30 credits of courses (30 hours). The courses are divided into three categories: core, required, and electives. 

A student’s Program of Study Committee, in consultation with the student, determines the elective courses to be taken and the acceptability of transfer credits. The major professor will be selected from the discipline where the student is admitted.

The basic prerequisite for admission to this program is a baccalaureate degree in computer science, management information systems, accounting, finance, management, Information Technology, or a closely related field. The GRE or GMAT examination is required. Potential students with baccalaureate degrees in other related fields will be considered on an individual basis, possibly with provisional admission contingent upon the completion of deficiency courses.

Degree Requirements

The MS-ISCS degree requires you to demonstrate proficiency in Information Systems, Information Security, IT Strategy, Data Science, and fundamental skills.

MS-ISCS Degree Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business/ computer science or closely related field
• GPA of 3.0 or better at an undergraduate level
• Graduate Records Examination (GRE) /Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
• Statement of Purpose and three letters of recommendation

MS-ISCS Degree Requirements for International Students:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business/ computer science or closely related area
• GPA of 3.0 or better at an undergraduate level
• Graduate Records Examination (GRE) / Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• Statement of Purpose and three letters of recommendation

Helpful Information

• Cybersecurity Option
  • Curriculum
  • Program Balance Sheet
• Data Science Option
  • Curriculum
  • Program Balance Sheet
• Graduate School webpage (Graduate admission information)