Program in Information Assurance College of Science and Engineering St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University -- Nationally Recognized Excellence in Information Assurance

St. Cloud State University (SCSU) was chosen as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency (NSA). This major honor acknowledges SCSU's dedication to excellence in information assurance, and places it among the top academic programs in computer and information security in the nation.

Information Assurance Studies (IAS) at St. Cloud State University (SCSU)

The Herberger Business School and the Information Systems (IS) Department in the College of Science and Engineering jointly operate the Center for Information Assurance Studies (CIAS) at SCSU. The CIAS provides a supportive learning environment where students are challenged by the various domains of information assurance.

The program is intended for professionals desiring to work in a wide range of capacities in both technical and managerial roles to support and protect information infrastructure and conduct advanced research. Competency will be fostered in both management and technical areas such as database security, network security, risk management, and software system security.

The Master's Degree in Information Assurance Studies at St. Cloud State University

The master's degree program in Information Assurance (IA) at SCSU follows a traditional format of required core courses, electives, and a thesis or starred paper. Courses are offered in security protocols, cryptography, intrusion detection and prevention, database application security and auditing, security policy, information technology risk management, and digital forensics and ethics. Students may choose electives to concentrate on information management or network application.

Two avenues to a master's degree (MS) are available: a thesis option and a starred paper option. The thesis option requires 30 hours of coursework, including 6 thesis credits. The starred paper option requires 33 credits, including 3 credits given for the paper.

Research in Information Assurance at St. Cloud State

The Center for Information Assurance Studies provides a needed link between academia, industry, and the government. The Center fosters interdisciplinary cooperation aimed to facilitate cyber security, research, and teaching practices. Students have access to state-of-the-art computational facilities and ground-breaking research. They engage in joint projects with corporations and government agencies such as the NSA, the FBI, and US Army Computer Emergency Response Agency.

Eminent Faculty at SCSU

The faculty members of the IAS have distinguished themselves in both the classroom and in data security research. Noted experts among the faculty include Dr. Kate Mooney, a member of the Education Committee of the American Accounting Association, an editor for Issues in Accounting Education, and an appointee by Governor Tim Pawlenty to the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy. Professor Mooney also currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, a non-profit with a budget in excess of $70 million per year. Dr. Mooney's research specializes in fraud and forensic accounting, ethics, and public disclosures.

Professor Susantha Herath is a senior member of IEEE and a member of Editorial Board for the International Journal of Information. Dr. Herath conducts research into subjects such as network security, machine translation, natural language processing, neural and artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high performance dependable and secure systems.

Professor Jim Q. Chen is an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Internet Commerce and the International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management. He is a member of Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), International Association for Computer Information Systems (IACIS), and International Chinese Information Systems Association (ICISA). Dr. Chen's research chiefly involves decision support systems, e-commerce, information assurance, knowledge management, and web application development methodology.

Admission and Financial Assistance

For admission to the IAS Program at St. Cloud State, an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 is required along with satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record examination (GRE). Prerequisite coursework includes database modeling, network structure and architecture, operating systems theory, statistics, discrete structures and one year of programming.

Students may receive financial aid in the form of teaching or research assistantships, stipends or a waiver of some or all of the tuition and other fees.

Graduate assistantships consisting of 20 hours a week for the academic year. Reward: 8-credits of tuition waiver for both fall and spring semester and a $10,000 salary (stipend).

A two year National Science Foundation (STEM) scholarship is available for 30 graduate students in the STEM field. Please visit: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/SSTEM.

A Vibrant Campus

Saint Cloud State University is the largest unit of the Minnesota State Colleges and University System and the 2nd largest university in the state. It sits on a hundred acre urban campus in St. Cloud, Minnesota, fronting the scenic Mississippi river 65 miles north of the Twin Cities. St. Cloud has about 65,000 residents spread across 31 square miles with a thriving city center and ample downtown nightlife.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Master of Science (MS)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? Not reported
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? Not reported

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees 30 to 33 credits of coursework
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *Not Reported
• Out-of-state tuition *Not Reported
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitNot Reported
• Application deadlines for financial awardsNot Reported
• Types of financial support availableScholarship and/or loans, Graduate Assistantships

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students9
• Female Percentage22%
• Male Percentage78%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students9
• Part-time Percentage11%
• Full-time Percentage89%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino0%
• Black / African American20%
• White / Caucasian20%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian60%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races0%
• Unknown0%