KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE PROGRAM/CONCENTRATION PROPOSAL
FORM 02/25/04
PROGRAM OR CONCENTRATION NAME:_Graduate Certificate in Information Security &
Assurance____
DEPARTMENT:__CSIS_______________________________________________________________
PROPOSED EFFECTIVE DATE: _Spring 2010__________________________________________
Check One or More of the Following and Complete the Appropriate Sections
_____New Program Proposal**
_X___Change in Program/Concentration/Degree Requirements
_____New Concentration Proposal
Sections to be Completed
All
III – VII, XII
I – VII, XII
**A new course proposal is required for each new course that is part of the new program
Submitted by:
_Michael E. Whitman, Ph.D.
Faculty Member
4/15/09_____________________
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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Department Curriculum Committee
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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Department Chair
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
______________________________________________________
College Curriculum Committee
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
______________________________________________________
College Dean
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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GPCC Chair
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
______________________________________________________
Dean, Graduate Collelge
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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Vice President for Academic Affairs
Date
___ Approved ___ Not Approved
______________________________________________________
President
Date
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA
NEW GRADUATE PROGRAM PROPOSAL
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Kennesaw State University
4/15/09
CSIS Department
College of Science and Mathematics
Proposed Start Date: Spring 2010
CIP:_11.1003_____
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Program Update
4/15/09
Page 2 of 8
I.
Program Description
Unique Aspects of Program
Institutional Importance of the Program
KSU's Strategic Plan
System and State of Georgia Goals
Staffing, Facilities and Enrollment
II Objectives of the Program
III Justification and Need for the Program
The MSIS Program was recently overhauled, radically changing the structure, adding new
courses and eliminating some existing courses. As such this Certificate – which uses MSIS
courses, is not longer possible as several of the courses have been eliminated, changed or
otherwise made unavailable.
IV Procedures Used to Develop the Program
The program was revised in consultation with industry information security experts. The faculty
that teach in this program are also certified information security professionals & managers.
Once the current courses were determined to be no longer available, replacement courses were
selected based on their similarities to the previous courses.
V Curriculum: Degree Program Requirements
(Revised content)
The graduate certificate program in information security and assurance designed for both technology and non-technology graduate students. It encompasses the following MSIS courses:
Required for certificate: (12 hours)
IS 8200 Legal & Ethical Issues in IS
IS 8930 Information Security Administration
IS 8300 Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning
And one course from:
IS 8900 Special Topics in Information Systems
IS 8910 Special Projects in Information Systems
IS 8918 Internship
Other course as approved by Certificate Coordinator
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Program Update
4/15/09
Page 3 of 8
Frequency of Offering
Twice Annually
Annually
Annually
Occasionally
As needed
As needed
TBD
Program Admission Requirements:
• Baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited in a manner acceptable by Kennesaw
State University. Admission will only be granted to students showing high promise of
success in the program.
• Minimum cumulative undergraduate adjusted grade-point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
• Successful completion of required undergraduate course work (or fulfillment of
preparatory knowledge clusters through
professional
work
experience).
Prerequisite knowledge areas includes:
o Basic knowledge of computer information systems, including proficiency in the
use of common PC-based software environments
o Quantitative skills including algebra, calculus, and statistics
o Knowledge of the principles and common applications of data communications
• Minimum score of 500 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) with a
minimum score of 30 in the verbal category, 30 in the quantitative category and 3.0 in the
analytical writing category.
OR
• Minimum total score of 1425 on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination
(GRE) with a minimum score of 400 in the verbal and 400 quantitative categories and 3.0
in the analytical writing category.
• Other criteria will be considered by the MSIS Admissions Committee for applicants,
including: -performance on previous computer science, information systems, and management coursework; -GPA attained in other junior/senior level course work; certificates
of attainment in computing-related training/self-study programs; -accomplishment in professional activities; -relevant work experience.
• A current résumé.
• Additional requirements for International Students as specified by the University.
Course Offering Schedule and Plan-of-Study
The following table is extracted from the MSIS Offering Schedule
Course
IS 8300
IS 8930
Total # of Courses
Fall
X
Spring
1
0
Summer
X
X
2
Growth and Flexibility
The Certificate is still in its infancy, and has a number of students indicating interest in the
certificate.
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Program Update
4/15/09
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Course Descriptions (from the MSIS)
IS 8200 Legal & Ethical Issues in IS
Prerequisite: Full admission to the MSIS program or permission of the graduate program
director.
This course is a survey of contemporary legal and ethical issues faced by IS professionals.
Topics include a review of applicable statutes and regulations that impact the IS organization.
Students will conduct on-line research and explore ethical issues at the leading edge of the
organization's technology frontiers.
IS 8300 Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning
Prerequisite: Full admission to the MSIS program or permission of the graduate program
director.
A detailed study of strategic and tactical planning for non-standard operations resulting from
events beyond the organization’s control. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Planning prepares the student to develop and execute plans to enable the organization to
recover operations and continue critical business functions in the event of a disaster. This
course includes an overview of incident response planning as a possible precursor to Disaster
Recovery and Business Continuity and also examines Crisis Management planning.
IS 8900 Special Topics in Information Systems
Prerequisite: Must be approved by graduate program director.
Exploration of selected contemporary topics of interest to the student and sponsoring faculty.
Can be repeated for credit.
IS 8910 Special Projects in Information Systems
Prerequisite: Must be approved by graduate program director.
Special projects and/or thesis option for students who wish to pursue advanced work on a
particular subject in a specialized area. Can be repeated for credit.
IS 8918 Internship
Prerequisite: Must be approved by graduate program director
IS 8930 Information Security Administration
Prerequisite: Full admission to the MSIS program or permission of the graduate program
director.
Examination of current standards of due care and best business practices in Information
Security. Includes examination of security technologies, methodologies and practices. Focus
is on evaluation and selection of optimal security posture. Topics include evaluation of
security models, risk assessment, threat analysis, organizational technology evaluation,
security implementation, disaster recovery planning and security policy formulation and
implementation.
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Program Update
4/15/09
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VI INVENTORY OF FACULTY DIRECTLY INVOLVED
As the table below shows, we have multiple qualified faculty members to teach each course.
These faculty members all currently hold graduate faculty status or are qualified to petition for
graduate faculty status. Moreover, the courses offer significant opportunity to integrate the
scholarship of teaching with classroom activities. Therefore, faculty members may teach
effectively, and then publish based on classroom experience and interaction with graduate
students. All instructors have research expertise in the area in which they will teach or in a
closely related area. Thus, the instructors have currency of knowledge in the course they teach,
and they should continue to develop their knowledge through research activities.
Course
IS 8200
IS 8300
IS 8930
Instructors
Whitman, Woszczynski
Mattord, Whitman
Mattord, Whitman
VII Outstanding programs of this nature at other institutions
Survey and comparative analysis.
Currently only Georgia Tech has a comparable program with their Masters of Information
Security: “This degree is offered by the College of Computing. This interdisciplinary program is
a cooperative effort of College of Computing and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.
The Information Security Master of Science program provides students with background and
insights into general and technical coverage of key elements of Information Security. The
general knowledge touching on the issues surrounding the impact of information security holds
on our lives, private citizen's concern for privacy, information security risks to business and
government, and the impact of laws and public policy. Technically, examining the general
dimension of providing security for information processing systems--secure operating systems
and applications, network security, cryptography, security protocols, etc.” (from
http://www.gtisc.gatech.edu/degree.html).
Unique Features of KSU’s program:
The KSU Certificate in Information Security and Assurance is geared toward managerial security
concerns, as advanced information security areas are typically managerial challenges – in
planning, personnel, security programs, and programs. The KSU program capitalizes on the
strengths of its established MSIS program, which has recently been dramatically updated to
reflect the needs of its constituencies.
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Program Update
4/15/09
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VIII Inventory of pertinent library resources
IX Facilities
X Administration
XI Assessment
XII Accreditation
Business Content Audit:
Referencing the Business Content Worksheet, does this program or concentration, incorporating
the information proposed herein, have “traditional business subject” content delivered by faculty
or programs administered by the Coles College of Business? *
_____ Yes
If “yes,” complete a Business Content Worksheet and obtain necessary
approvals as indicated.
___X_ No
_____ Exempt Graduate programs administered by the Coles College are exempt.
__________
*
All graduate programs exceeding 50% business content are automatically required to meet AACSB
International business accreditation standards. The purpose of the audit is to prevent the unintended,
undesirable compulsory inclusion of programs subject to AACSB standards.
XIII Affirmative Action Impact
XIV Degree Inscription
XV Fiscal and Enrollment Impact, and Estimated Budget
1. ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS
2. COSTS
A. Personnel -- reassigned or existing positions
B. Personnel -- new positions
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Program Update
4/15/09
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C. One-Time Startup costs
D. Operating Costs
3. REVENUE SOURCES
Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance
Program Update
4/15/09
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