With the proliferation of internet-enabled devices, social media use and software-dependent organizations, securing and safeguarding data, information and business processes is an ever-increasing urgent concern, especially in a post-9/11 world. The information systems security specialization focuses on timely and distinctive skills that allow students to design secured information systems and make recommendations for the protection of sensitive corporate data in accordance with commerce and privacy regulations. Students learn how to plan, budget for, and implement secure network systems (LAN, WAN, wireless, mobile, IoT, AR) and lead organizational staff in the secure exchange of digital information across a variety of platforms. Topics include: VPN, firewalls, intrusion detection systems and defensive strategies, cryptography, social engineering, phishing, anti-virus, anti-spam, ethical hacking, ransomware attacks and application security techniques. Students also learn the managerial and administrative aspects of information security such as risk analysis, vulnerability analysis and remediation, network security architectures, policy development and enforcement, legal/regulatory compliance issues, risk management, business continuity planning, and disaster recovery preparation and execution.

Curriculum

Core Courses (4 units)

Specialization Courses (7 units)

About the Final Project

Students may pursue their capstone experience independently or as part of a team. As their final course, students take either the individual research project in an independent study format or the classroom final project class in which students integrate the knowledge they have gained in the core curriculum in a project presented by the instructor. In both cases, students are guided by faculty in exploring the body of knowledge on information systems while contributing research of practical value to the field. The capstone independent project and capstone class project count as one unit of credit.