Interdisciplinary Knowledge to Protect the Cyber Infrastructure
The PhD in Information Assurance program at Northeastern University prepares students with a variety of backgrounds and interests to advance the reliability and security of cyber space as researchers, faculty members, and policy advisors.
In addition to focusing on technology to address global threats to cyberspace, the program provides an understanding of how law, policy, and human behavior influence the design and implementation of security measures. Highly trained professionals with this comprehensive knowledge are in great demand in industry, government agencies, and academia.
Students who choose the PhD in Information Assurance program gain:
A strong technical foundation and an interdisciplinary perspective
- The combination of a strong technical foundation with a policy and social science perspective makes the program unique in the Boston area
A path to a research-focused career
- The PhD program is a natural path for both students in the college’s Master of Science in Information Assurance program who want to pursue research and those with bachelor’s degrees and an interest in research-focused careers
Broad faculty expertise
- The PhD program draws on faculty in the College of Computer and Information Science and Northeastern’s electrical and computer engineering, criminal justice, and social sciences programs
Depth in information assurance research
- The Ph.D. program offers a wide range of research opportunities and reflects Northeastern’s overall strength in information assurance
An award-winning institution
- Designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in both information assurance education and research by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
- Home to the Institute of Information Assurance (IIA), an interdisciplinary research center overseen by both the College of Computer and Information Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering, and the recipient of a National Science Foundation grant to train the country’s next-generation cyber corps.
- Affiliated with the International Secure Systems Lab, a collaborative effort of European and U.S. researchers focused on Web security, malware and vulnerability analysis, intrusion detection, and other computer security issues.
- The lead institution in the ALERT Center, a multi-university Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence involved in research, education, and technology related to threats from explosives.
The benefits of the Boston area
- World renowned for academic and research excellence, the Boston area is also home to some of the nation’s largest Department of Defense contractors and government and independent labs such as MIT Lincoln Lab, MITRE, and Draper Lab.
