State Approves RIT's Master's Degree in Computer Security and Information Assurance

In response to the growing demand for experts in the field of computer forensics, New York state has granted approval to Rochester Institute of Technology's new master's degree program in computer security and information assurance. The program will get underway at the start of the winter quarter.

Unlike other universities that offer programs in computer security, this degree is executed at the college level, utilizing the entire faculty in the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences (GCCIS). The college is made up of three departments: computer science, information technology and software engineering.

The degree consists of a half dozen core courses dealing with technical, business, ethical and administrative aspects of security. Additionally, areas such as risk management and the cost of security will be analyzed.

Hans-Peter Bischof, associate professor of computer science; Stephanie Ludi, assistant professor of software engineering; and Luther Troell, associate professor of information technology, put together the framework for the program, after spending a month at Carnegie Mellon University in July 2003 for intensive training.

“The lack of security is the biggest threat to the computer industry and there is a need for experts who can avert potential hackers and viruses,” said Troell. “This master's degree will fully prepare students for a career in computer forensics.”

“This degree is an example of the wide range programs we are proud to offer our students,” explains Jorge Diaz-Herrera, GCCIS dean. “Our college has unmatched state-of-the-art laboratories in networks security and forensics. This has caught the attention of the National Security Administration and we have begun looking at establishing strategic partnerships with the NSA.”

GCCIS is also currently developing other master's programs and a Ph.D. program that could be offered in the next several years.

RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences is the largest comprehensive computing college in the nation, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in computer science and information technology and an undergraduate program in software engineering.