Information Security (Infosec) MBA

In addition to a MBA degree, all graduates receive the NSA-approved certificate: Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals.

This program uses a "blended" format of instruction where the students meet with faculty face-to-face once every eight weeks in Reston, Va., on a Saturday at the beginning and end of every course. The rest of the course is completely Web-delivered, using leading-edge synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods. The entire program lasts 27 months. The program is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Information technology is changing the business environment

Our civilization is undergoing fundamental transformations; how people communicate, how goods and currency are exchanged, how we perceive time - everything is changing. The root cause behind these changes is information technology.

Executives have the enormous challenge of leading organizations through this revolutionary and tumultuous era. They still need to lead people, think strategically, manage both knowledge and physical resources, and communicate clearly. But now that information technology has permeated every aspect of business, they also need new skills and a new vision. And they need to understand how to protect the integrity of their transformed operations.

James Madison University is on the leading edge of information security education.

Since January 1997, JMU's College of Integrated Science and Technology (CISAT) has offered a master's degree in computer science concentrating in information security. The program was started under a grant from the National Security Agency and currently serves students from the Department of Defense, FBI, NSA, Defense Intelligence Agency and many private sector corporations. Moreover, the Center for Research in Information Systems Security Education makes its home in CISAT at JMU.

Program Overview

The Infosec MBA program began in August 2000 with its first cohort group.  One course is taken at a time and each course lasts 8 weeks. The entire program lasts 27 months, including holiday breaks.

The program includes 10 core MBA courses, covering the basic business topics such as accounting, finance, marketing, management, and strategy. Each of these core coursesaddress some issues of information security as it relates to the specific discipline. Additionally, 4 courses focus specifically on information security topics that managers in today's business environment need to know.

Our Infosec MBA program effectively utilizes a 'blended' format. Each course includes critically important 4-hour face-to-face Saturday meetings in Reston, VA at the beginning and end of every course. The rest of the course is completely web-delivered, utilizing leading-edge synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods.  Synchronous online sessions are when the entire class meet with the instructor online for a discussion; asynchronous online activities are those that students do at their own time, such as simulations, discussion boards and multimedia cases. This type of program maximizes teaching efficiency and effectiveness, while maintaining student flexibility.

Prerequisite Courses

Students who do not hold an undergraduate business degree must take certain prerequisite courses to be eligible for admission into the MBA Program. These prerequisite courses can be taken on campus at JMU or at other accredited institutions of higher education, including community colleges, that offer an equivalent course. If there is a question whether a course taken at another school meets this requirement, please contact the Director of the MBA Program for his approval.

The three prerequisite content areas are:

• Statistics
• Financial Accounting
• Foundations of Economics (Micro and Macro Economics)

Tuition

The tuition for all students of Infosec MBA is $775 per credit hour. 

Professors and technology combine to provide a delivery system that maintains high academic standards while being flexible and considerate of each student's needs. The program emphasizes personal interaction in small classes with quality students. Students connect to the Internet and access courses, discussion forums, realistic online labs, and virtual classrooms.

JMU InfoSec is time and space independent. There is no requirement to come to the JMU campus. All courses are delivered asynchronously through the Internet. The program is cohort-based, so all courses are offered in a prescribed sequence. All students in the cohort take the same two courses per semester. Students also are required to participate (few times a week) in weekly classroom discussions; work on group and individual projects; and deliver their assigned work by deadlines. Students may take one course per semester, if they don’t have enough time to devote to two courses. This is not recommended, as it may take them twice as long to finish.

Each course is 3-credit hours. The program requires 33 credit hours of graduate coursework. Expect to complete the program in 5 semesters plus a summer course. A thesis is not required from students but is encouraged. Non-thesis students take a comprehensive exam in semester 4.

At the end of each semester, students must demonstrate course competency by completing a final exam for each class.