Earn your Cybersecurity Degree from University of Fairfax
Doctorate of Information Assurance
The University of Fairfax Doctorate of Information Assurance (DIA) is distinguished among cybersecurity leaders. Our doctoral students have diverse professional objectives – such as becoming a cybersecurity leader, policymaker, applied researcher or academic. Your admissions advisor will guide you to pursue the doctoral program that best fits your career goals and interests.
As a doctoral student, all of your courses here will explore relevant cybersecurity policy issues in enterprise management, you’ll complete a cybersecurity project in each, enabling you to make immediate and lasting workplace contributions. You’ll learn from leading, practitioner cybersecurity faculty whose cybersecurity colleagues can become an integral part of your professional network throughout your career.
We have incorporated the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework into our degree programs. The NIST framework provides a structured approach for managing and reducing cybersecurity risks, and our courses align with the framework’s five core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. By incorporating the NIST framework into our curriculum, we are preparing our students for successful careers in a variety of industries and government agencies that require compliance with the framework.
You can access your project-driven courses online from any location, when it’s convenient for you, and easily communicate with your instructors and classmates. You’ll progress through your coursework in a group, which provides opportunities for collaborative learning and support, as well as more personalized instruction.
Close communication with your advisor and the University’s unique Dissertation Project Plan enable you to complete manageable milestones that ensure you’re making steady progress toward completing your dissertation and reaching your goal.
This program is offered in both a full distance education and a hybrid delivery format which allows students to take a portion of their coursework in a residential setting.
University of Fairfax incorporates
into the Doctorate of Information Assurance curriculum.
Visit our eLearning page for more details on AWS Academy and our innovative course delivery methods.
Doctorate of Information Assurance Required Courses
IA7020: Information Security Systems and Organizational Awareness
IA7030: Legal and Ethical Practices in Information Security
IA7040: Information Security and Organizational Change
IA8010: Business and Security Risk Analysis
IA8110: Certification and Accreditation
IA8021: Cloud Cybersecurity
IA8031: Cybersecurity Insurance
IA8190: Forensic Evaluation and Incident Response Management
IA9150: Strategic and Technical Trends Information Security
IA9200: Research Topics in Information Security
RM8500: Research Foundations
RM9100: Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
IA9130-CX: Comprehensive & Qualifying Examination
CEX 8220: Security Program Strategies and Implementation
CEX8230: Legal and Ethical Management Issues in Information Security
And, 8 Dissertation courses (RM9150, RM9200, RES8110, RES8120, RES8121, RES8130, DST8110, DST8130X) to move you through the dissertation writing and defense process.
Minimum credits required for Doctorate of Information Assurance: 621
1Credit hours may exceed the minimum stated if dissertation deliverables are not completed within the expected timeframes.
Potential Careers for Doctorate in Information Assurance graduates:
When you graduate with a DIA at Fairfax, you will be prepared for many exciting careers in this growing industry. Our graduates have gone on to work in high-level positions in the United States Navy, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Lockheed Martin, Cisco Systems, Wells Fargo, and more!
Whether you want to work as a Chief Technology Officer at a major enterprise or teach at a university level, we will help you develop the skills to succeed in your chosen career.
Transfer Credits
A maximum of nine semester credits equivalent to our courses in content, credit and level and taken for graduate credit, as part of a degree or graduate certificate program, from an accredited institution may be transferred.
Cybersecurity Education Path
Distinguish yourself and advance your cybersecurity career by following the University of Fairfax Online Cybersecurity Education Path. No matter which graduate program you pursue, all of your courses will explore relevant cybersecurity policy and management issues, and you will complete a cybersecurity project in each course. You can apply what you learn and make significant contributions in your workplace right away.