The Interdisciplinary Information Security (INSC) program offers both MS and Ph.D. opportunities. It is based on the observation that the overall space of information security/cybersecurity challenges is not confined to one traditional topic area such as computer science but encompasses issues of (at least) software, hardware, policy, education, finance, psychology, ethics, communication, and linguistics. Students graduating from the INSC program are well-prepared for a career in cybersecurity, information security, cybercrime investigation, privacy protection, security policy, or related topics. Graduates have senior positions with federal agencies including the SEC, NASA, DoD, DoE, and US Senate staff; with notable research institutions such as MITRE and Sandia; and at commercial firms such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
Students who are interested in a particular subject area - such as computer science or computer technology - should seek degrees in those traditional departments. The INSC program is structured around a multidisciplinary central core of classes that give students a fundamental grounding in basic issues of cybersecurity and encryption, network security, and related topics; in technology policy issues; and in information ethics. Thereafter, students pick courses, in consultation with their advisors, to specialize in a subarea of the field, such as cyber forensics or incident response. They also select complementary courses in related fields to broaden their understanding of related topics (e.g., homeland security policy or general forensic science). A Masters thesis or Ph.D. dissertation is required, showing that the student understands how to apply the course material to a real problem and then communicate the solution effectively.