Which are the best colleges for MS in Information Security?

clYk

Hi guys

Can you help me out with this? I am actually looking for a MS degree in Information Security so please suggest some best Institutions.

Thank you in advance

MSP-IT

I'm actually planning on going for the same, though I still have roughly a year left in my B.S. WGU, where I currently attend, offers a M.S. in Security and Assurance, and is quite affordable. Seeing as I know how the program works, I plan on continuing through the M.S. past graduation. I am very interested in seeing other programs compared to this one.

More information can be found here:
Online IT Degree | MS in Information Security and Assurance

CiscoKidd

I graduated from Capitol College in Summer 2010 with a M.S. in Information Assurance. I enjoyed that program alot. It was an online program but one thing I personally liked about it was that classes were all live so I didn't feel a big disconnect. During the course the professors would lecture, you could "raise your hand" and ask a question or comment, we had to do presentations and even group work.

Capitol College

Information Assurance (MS) | Capitol College

dmoore44

If you want the best college, you can't go wrong with Carnegie Mellon: Information Security & Assurance

bishun

WGU MSIS = ~$11,500 (2 years)
Capital College = ~$21,000
Brandeis = ~$30,000
Carnegie Mellon = ~$64,000

This isn't a complete list, this is meant to illustrate the difference in costs. Keep in mind these are for online courses. Your dedication to your studies is required even more so due to this less structured form of education. Bottom line is you're going to get out what you put in. For every individual who tells you it's Carnegie or nothing, there's a successful security consultant who despises university educations, and is looking for a 20-something year old hacker that thinks outside of the box.

f0rgiv3n

bishun wrote: »

WGU MSIS = ~ $11,500
Capital College = ~$21,000
Brandeis = ~$30,000
Carnegie Mellon = ~$64,000 for the Degree

Ahahahaha that is awesome. It makes you wonder how much more $34k invested in your degree would really get you after you're done?

yoshiiaki

Now does anyone know what would be the difference between "Information Security" and "Cyber security", at least in terms of an MS. I have seen both degrees as options, are they merely the same subject but called different names? or my guess is that Information Security is more of a manager's side of things while Cyber Security is more technical approach. I haven't gotten around to seriously looking into it as it will still be a bit before I graduate WGU but figured I'd ask while the topic was here.

sratakhin

f0rgiv3n wrote: »

Ahahahaha that is awesome. It makes you wonder how much more $34k invested in your degree would really get you after you're done?

Probably more than $1000 a year, if you plan to work until 65.
I've never even heard of the two colleges in the middle.

bishun

sratakhin wrote: »

Probably more than $1000 a year, if you plan to work until 65.
I've never even heard of the two colleges in the middle.

I think it might be shallow to say that you will earn more going to one school over the other, there's many people in IT w/o a degree period who earn great wages. Apply yourself at every level, do not attend a college you cannot afford, and if you have the skills you will likely end up in the same place as others who have the drive to succeed in their career.

If you want a ranking of the schools...

Brandeis is ranked 33 in the nation

Carnegie Mellon is 23 in the nation

YuckTheFankees

You also have to take in consideration where you might live after your masters because certain schools play a factor. If you were going to live PA, NY, NJ, etc.., then Carnegie Mellon would be an excellent choice (you have to think about all the past graduates who live in the area..NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!)..but if you want to live on the west coast, yes people will know of CM but you wouldn't get the same benefits as the east coast.

Getting a degree isn't only about cost, many factors should be included.

pinkydapimp

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

You also have to take in consideration where you might live after your masters because certain schools play a factor. If you were going to live PA, NY, NJ, etc.., then Carnegie Mellon would be an excellent choice (you have to think about all the past graduates who live in the area..NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!)..but if you want to live on the west coast, yes people will know of CM but you wouldn't get the same benefits as the east coast.

Getting a degree isn't only about cost, many factors should be included.

This. Location should definitely factor into your decision.

jfitzg

Dakota State University M.S. Information Assurance

MSIA - Master of Science in Information Assurance - Dakota State University

highly ranked well known college, certified NSA CAE (Center of Academic Excellence)

30 credit hours @$366.70/hr = approx $11,001.00 for tuition (plus other fees)
If you are a resident of South Dakota, tuition is a whopping $173.25/hr for a total of $5,197.50 TOTAL tuition. A steal either way!

edit: ranked #98 according to U.S. World and news report

Dakota State University | Best College | US News

sratakhin

#98 among schools in Midwest only. Probably much lower in the overall ranking. However, I heard that their program is pretty good.

Ivanjam

DSU seems to have a great MS IA program at an affordable cost. In addition, the have an online IS doctoral program with an IA track - very very intriguing!

bishun

jfitzg wrote: »

Dakota State University M.S. Information Assurance

MSIA - Master of Science in Information Assurance - Dakota State University
...

Did you attend this school jfitzg? If so, did you meet the Computer Science requirements they list in the application? I'm wondering how much of a focus is on CS topics. Any other general thoughts or opinions?

the_Grinch

I'd beg to differ on Carnegie Mellon not garnering you anything on the west coast. When it comes to computer science/information assurance, there will always be big names that everyone regardless of area will know. Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Institute of Technology, will all get your foot in the door without a lot of thought from employers. Regardless, the big thing is to make sure that whatever program you are looking at is a NSA CSE. Many might argue that fact with me, but the fact remains it means that they meet a standard set by an agency that is leading the information assurance charge.

As far as costs go, my assumption would be that someone is pursuing their Masters not just to put a check mark in a box on an application. Doing that for your undergrad makes complete sense and I can understand that. But at the Masters level you are talking about doing research and truly mastering the material. Me personally? I want to work with the best and the brightest in the field if I plan on getting a Masters. Plus when it comes time to teach, one way to set your resume apart from all the others would be to attend a highly rated institution with respected academics in the field.

Also, I'll throw in a shameless plug for my alma mater....

Information Systems Degree Online <---has a concentration in information assurance

YuckTheFankees

I did not say CM would not "garner" anything on the west coast, I said it would not have the same benefits as the east coast. Schools like Harvard, Standford, Princeton, and MIT are in their own little world. You can apply anywhere and they will probably say something about your schooling. Having a tier 2 school such as CM, GA Tech, Michigan, UCLA, etc will gather recognition but far more recognition in their respective region.

ptilsen

bishun wrote: »

For every individual who tells you it's Carnegie or nothing, there's a successful security consultant who despises university educations, and is looking for a 20-something year old hacker that thinks outside of the box.

That doesn't really seem relevant. That security consultant doesn't care if you have a graduate degree at all. Whether it's CMU or WGU makes no difference.

My opinion is that going to a well known school is highly preferred for a master's degree. If you're getting a graduate degree at all, you want one that will get respect and attention. The money is nothing compared to the time and effort you put it, and you want to get the most out of it.

That is not to say it's "Carnegie or nothing," but I personally wouldn't go for the cheapest you can find just on the basis that some people don't care much for higher education. Ultimately, what you want needs to be based on your goals. If you want to be a successful "hacker", I wouldn't get a IA/IS degree at all. You'd either not need a degree, or go for computer science and focus on security or low-level programming. If you want to manage or implement security, an IA/IS degree is going to help with employers. Whether or not it's necessary or worth it at all is a different conversation, and one we've had in too many threads.

I apologize if this has been linked already, but there is a list on TE of more well-known universities offering online programs:
Master List of B&M colleges offering online IT degrees

There are plenty missing from the original post. CMU is of course worth mentioning. I would also mention Iowa:
Information Assurance Master

powerfool

I think as one mentioned Carnegie Mellon is always a top choice. Also, if you aren't interested in another school or an MBA for other reasons, James Madison has an Information Security MBA... it is a normal MBA with courses in accounting, finance, management, etc, but EVERY course focuses on infosec concerns related to its topics, fairly interesting.

eansdad

dmoore44 wrote: »

If you want the best college, you can't go wrong with Carnegie Mellon: Information Security & Assurance

If money is no object then +1 to this. I would love to go here when I finish my BS if I could afford it. If you just want a Master's degree then WGU has to have the least expensive I've seen. One thing about the WGU MS degree is that they could not get NSA CAE certified after trying for at least 2 years. Personally at the Master's level I want more than what WGU can offer. For a BS learning on my own is fine (11+ years in IT, I think I've earned a BS by now) but for a Masters I'd rather learn from a professor I can interact with and classmates I can talk to on a more frequent basis.

sratakhin

I always thought that Master's degrees are for folks who already earn enough to be able to afford graduate schools. Well, unless that graduate program is in Women Studies or Sociology...

I got my Bachelor's degree from one of the cheapest state colleges around, but it doesn't really matter as it's just an undergraduate degree. For MS, looking for the cheapest possible program just doesn't make sense.

the_Grinch

My assumption is, for most people the Masters is a way to get into teaching. Unless you're trying to fast track to a GS9 position or really want the knowledge I don't see the point (other then maybe trying to work at Google or one of the other big names). In any case, be it teaching or Google, the name will matter immensely. As others have said, you don't want to skimp on your graduate education. Find the right balance and examine your reasons for wanting it.

Doyen

powerfool wrote: »

I think as one mentioned Carnegie Mellon is always a top choice. Also, if you aren't interested in another school or an MBA for other reasons, James Madison has an Information Security MBA... it is a normal MBA with courses in accounting, finance, management, etc, but EVERY course focuses on infosec concerns related to its topics, fairly interesting.

I know this is an old topic, but I just wanted to say that your comment intrigued me when it was originally posted about the idea of gaining an MBA with a specialization/focus on InfoSec. My undergrad is in infosec and I also intend to get an graduate degree in information assurance. I have seen that an MBA can be very flexible in careers. That type of MBA will also allow me to gain knowledge in business while still staying on the track of infosec- especially with CISA and CISSP.

I recently looked into James Madison University Information Security MBA and liked the fact that it can also be done online with little residency, however when I saw the cost of out of state tuition, it became a letdown. 42 credits x $1,095 is about $46,000 for the program. However, it is a great deal for residents of VA with 42 credits x $410 = $17,220. The program looks solid, especially with the AACSB accreditation. For me, the program is expensive (like most AACSB accreditation schools are), but may be worth it if an employer is willing to offer some sort of tuition reimbursement.

I have been looking into Northcentral University's Computer Information Security MBA program. It is a program that is offered completely online with no residency as 8 week classes for under $23,000. I like the specialization program that is more information assurance focused and they are ACBSP accredited. It also looks like it can be completed in 2 years (without transfer credits).

I've been leaning towards NCU's MBA program after my Information Assurance degree. Though I've been told that 4 classes of WGU's MSISA would transfer into NCU's Computer Information Security MBA program, they advised that it would be "redundant learning" for that degree specialization and I that I would benefit more from a specialization in Applied Computer Science or Accounting (for CISA, CPA, or teaching). Any thoughts on that or on the infosec MBA program?

EDIT:
With JMU's tuition around $46,000, I could get an NCU's MBA in Information Security plus their post-graduate degree in Advanced Accounting for $16,000 more for a total of around $38,000. Why would get an Advanced Account degree? It would allow me to teach business classes on the side and also allow me to take the CPA. A member at my ISSA chapter has the CISSP, CISA, & CPA combo in her infosec field, which is quite inspiring in conversation. Has anyone heard of this combo before?