Doctor of Computer Science - Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Concentration
(From January 2014 to April 2017 this program was known as the DCS-Information Assurance program.)
The Doctor of Computer Science with a concentration in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance (DCS-CIA) is a 100-credit-hour terminal degree in computer science. The program includes 40 credit hours of core management courses, 20 credit hours of cybersecurity and information assurance concentration courses, 4 credit hours of symposium-related courses, and 36 credit hours of doctoral research. The research element will culminate in a dissertation.
The DCS-CIA program is designed to help students develop leadership skills in managing enterprise information systems with an emphasis on information assurance.
Doctor of Computer Science Outcomes
- Demonstrate fluency within the chosen discipline and the ability to support computer science strategy and technology in changing environments
- Develop synthesis proficiencies for strategic computer science solution generation in the context of internal and external technology adoption and application
- Integrate computer science theories, models, skills, and competencies in support of organizational missions
Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Concentration Outcomes
- Create a security framework for protecting organizational assets to operations and data
- Evaluate security solutions and models for securing the enterprise
- Assess threats and vulnerabilities from internal and external sources
- Formulate effective security awareness and prevention programs
- Evaluate risks to organizational assets and management of business continuity/disaster recovery
Degree Requirements
Courses: Core
| CS814 | Current Topics in Computer Science and Information Systems | 4 |
| CS861 | Information Assurance | 4 |
| CS875 | Futuring and Innovation | 4 |
| CS880 | Foundations of Digital Systems Security | 4 |
| CS884 | Enterprise Security Architecture | 4 |
| EIS846 | Enterprise Tools, Concepts and Processes | 4 |
| EIS852 | Governance, Quality, Compliance and Ethics | 4 |
| EIS854 | Security Management | 4 |
| RES804 | Principles of Research Methods and Design | 4 |
| RES812 | Qualitative Research Methods | 4 |
| RES814 | Quantitative Research Methods | 4 |
| RES860 | Doctoral Research I: Principles of Research and Writing | 4 |
| RES861 | Doctoral Research II: Annotated Bibliography | 4 |
| RES862 | Dissertation Research Process | 4 |
| RES863 | Doctoral Research III: Dissertation Literature Review | 4 |
| RES864 | Doctoral Research IV: Dissertation Methods | 4 |
| RES865 | Doctoral Research V: Dissertation Introduction | 4 |
| RES866 | Doctoral Research VI: Dissertation Findings | 4 |
| RES867 | Doctoral Research VII: Dissertation Discussion and Conclusion | 4 |
| RES868 | Doctoral Research VIII: Dissertation Conclusion | 4 |
| Electives | Select four 4- credit courses from 800-level CS or EM or EIS courses | 16 |
| SYMP801 | Doctoral Symposium I | 2 |
| SYMP802 | Doctoral Symposium II | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 100 |
Total Credit Hours: 100
Program Areas of Focus
The DCS program is designed to provide candidates with theoretical, research, and application capabilities in the field. The areas of focus are described below.
Foundations
The program provides a focus on computer science and information systems topics and an orientation to research and writing at the doctoral level. Coursework covers current topics in the disciplines as well as research methods and qualitative techniques. The research component results in a broad overview of the student’s area of concentration in order to put the research into context and inform the student’s selection of a research topic.
Acquisition of Knowledge
Once the foundations are in place, the focus is on student development of an in-depth understanding of the knowledge and research methods in his or her chosen area of study. While the focus is on developing a richer understanding of the discipline, the research courses include quantitative methods and the dissertation process.
Leadership and Professional Advancement
The program includes the two remaining concentration courses plus the final six doctoral research courses that are designed to help students to complete the research and dissertation.
Symposium
Doctoral programs at Colorado Technical University require a residential symposium. Additional information about CTU's doctoral symposium can be viewed in the Doctoral Symposium section of this catalog.
Graduation Requirements
In addition to the successful completion of the above 100 credits with an acceptable GPA, students must also satisfactorily complete their research proposal and final dissertation. The research proposal must be approved by the student’s Research Supervisor and University Reviewer. The dissertation, which must be approved by the student’s dissertation committee, is an extensive document that includes the research study. In addition, graduation requires presentation of the final dissertation.
Program Accreditation and Alignments
The Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency have recognized Colorado Technical University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense (CAE IA/CD). The CTU cybersecurity curriculum was certified thereby to map to the DHS/NSA cybersecurity knowledge units. This certification is valid through 2021.
Locations
- Aurora (Denver Area)
- Virtual Campus
Area of Study
- Engineering & Computer Science