Master of Science in Information Systems & Security Management

*Subject to Revision

Mission

This program prepares highly-qualified professionals with both Information Systems Management and Information Security Management expertise. The Information Systems and Security Management (ISSM) 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. The proposed program is a multidisciplinary, 30-33 credit hour graduate degree program designed to produce a comprehensively educated professional.

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 Security Management (ISSM) 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 MSISSM 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 & Security Management (MS-ISSM) 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:

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

The program is broadly based and uses courses in the aforementioned departments. The program will consist of 27 course credits with 6 credits of research work for a Master of Science with thesis (33 hours). A non-thesis Master of Science will consist of 27 credits of courses and 3 credits of project (30 hours). The courses are divided into three categories: core, electives, and thesis research.

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.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the graduate program in Information Systems & Security Management is as follows:

Core Courses (18 Credits)

ISSM 530, 3 credits, Information Security
ISSM 531, 3 credits, Network Security and Management
ISSM 532, 3 credits, Info. Security Policy and Risk Analysis
BUSN 504, 3 credits, Information Security Economics
BUSN 505, 3 credits, Information Security Operations Management
BUSN 506, 3 credits, Financial Security Systems

Electives (9 Credits)
(3 courses from the list)

BUSN 507, 3 credits, Supply Chain Information Security Management
BUSN 508, 3 credits, Information Resource Management
BUSN 509, 3 credits, Legal and Social Informatics of Security
ISSM 533, 3 credits, Information Assurance Management
ISSM 534, 3 credits, Software Security
ISSM 535, 3 credits, Incidence Response and Recovery
ISSM 536, 3 credits, Mobile Security
ISSM 537, 3 credits, Computer Forensics
ISSM 538, 3 credits, Web Application Security
ISSM 539, 3 credits, Data Analytics with R
ISSM 540, 3 credits, Big Data Analytics
BUSN/ISSM 580, 3 credits, Special Topics

Department Lists

Any other approved 500 level BUSN/ISSM courses

Project/Thesis

BUSN 599, 3 credits, ISSM Project
BUSN 600, 6 credits, Master’s Thesis

Degree Requirements

The MS-ISSM degree requires you to demonstrate proficiency in Information Systems management, Information Security Management, IT Strategy, and fundamental business skills.

MS-ISSM 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-ISSM 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