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Doctor of Computer Science - Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Concentration

Effective February 2019, this program is no longer available for future enrollments at the Denver South campus.

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.

 

This program does not lead to additional licensure or certification.  As such, CTU has made no determination regarding prerequisites for licensure or certification in any state or jurisdiction.

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.

Outcomes

Doctor of Computer Science Outcomes

  • Develop the appropriate process of scholarly inquiry to examine industry phenomena.
  • Assess the evolution of knowledge within a chosen field and its influence on industry.
  • Employ effective practical applications of scholarly constructs in the context of evaluating industry-specific needs.
  • Contribute to the body of knowledge through ethical research, scholarly writing and dissemination of research or evidence-based practice.

Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Concentration Outcomes

  • Assess internal and external security threats and vulnerabilities. (PLO 1)
  • Evaluate security measures and controls for protecting organizational assets (PLO 3)
  • Determine the social, economic, and ethical impact of malicious attacks. (PLO 3)
  • Contribute to the body of knowledge by integrating security policies and measures to mitigate security threats. (PLO 2)

Degree Requirements

Courses: Core

CS814Current Topics in Computer Science and Information Systems

4
CS861Information Assurance

4
CS875Futuring and Innovation

4
CS880Foundations of Digital Systems Security

4
CS884Enterprise Security Architecture

4
EIS846Enterprise Tools, Concepts and Processes

4
EIS852Governance, Quality, Compliance and Ethics

4
EIS854Security Management

4
RES804Principles of Research Methods and Design

4
RES812Qualitative Research Methods

4
RES814Quantitative Research Methods

4
RES860Doctoral Research I: Principles of Research and Writing

4
RES861Doctoral Research II: Annotated Bibliography

4
RES862Dissertation Research Process

4
RES863Doctoral Research III: Dissertation Literature Review

4
RES864Doctoral Research IV: Dissertation Methods

4
RES865Doctoral Research V: Dissertation Introduction

4
RES866Doctoral Research VI: Dissertation Findings

4
RES867Doctoral Research VII: Dissertation Discussion and Conclusion

4
RES868Doctoral Research VIII: Dissertation Conclusion

4
ElectivesSelect four 4- credit courses from 800-level CS or EM or EIS courses

16
SYMP801Doctoral Symposium I

2
SYMP802Doctoral 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.

Locations

  • Virtual Campus

Area of Study

  • Engineering & Computer Science

Degree Level

  • Doctorate