SAIS Track Formalized in SIS; To Debut in Fall
July 25, 2005 - SIS is pleased to announce that a new concentration of study – examining the cutting-edge field of Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS) -- will be offered in the Fall of 2005 (06-01). This track is available to those seeking Master of Science degrees in Information Sciences or Telecommunications. In addition, those seeking to obtain a Certificate of Advanced Study can participate in this track of study. The curriculum was developed as part of a grant for Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service by the National Science Foundation, awarded in 2004 to SIS faculty members including Michael B. Spring (PI), James Joshi, Prashant Krishnamurthy, and David Tipper.
Providing security and assurance to information systems has emerged as one of the most daunting technological and social challenges of recent times. Major corporations and private industry are expending a great deal of resources to develop cybersecurity technology to secure their information systems. SIS is pleased to meet the expected demand for professionals trained in secure information systems by offering the SAIS track of study.
The SAIS tracks will consist of a set of required and elective coursework together with a practicum/capstone course. A core component of the coursework is a set of innovative laboratory exercises and classroom experiments that will illustrate theoretical concepts and technologies and will provide students with hands-on experience. The curriculum in SAIS has been certified by the Committee on National System Security (CNSS) as meeting all the national standards for Information Assurance (IA) education. Currently, there are only 12 institutions that have all the five certifications. Among these, only Pitt and Johns Hopkins are AAU accredited. Furthermore, Pitt is the only one with all the certifications in the state of Pennsylvania.
In addition to the required courses for a Masters Degree, students will take these core SAIS courses: Introduction to Computer Security, Cryptography, and Network Security. A series of elective courses will be offered including Security Management, Information System and Network Infrastructure Protection, Developing Secure Systems, and Security in E-commerce. Advanced courses that will be offered include Advanced Cryptography, Advanced Topics in Security Assured Information Systems, and Special Topics in Security Assured Information Systems. Complete course descriptions are available on the LERSAIS website.