The Department of Computer Science's MS degree in Information Security and Assurance prepares graduates to fill the current and future need for information security and assurance professionals. Graduates work in a wide variety of capacities, protecting the information systems of different types of organizations and supporting the nation's information infrastructure. The Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance provides students with the general and technical knowledge and skills to understand the relationship between information security and advancing information systems technology. The program gives graduates a theoretical understanding of the science and methodologies for ensuring the secrecy and integrity of data, as well as the availability and legitimate use of data and information systems.

Students focus on the technical and management aspects of information security and examine ways to provide secure information processing systems by investigating operating systems security, distributed secure system architectures, database security, software applications security, security policies, secure e-commerce, network and distributed systems security, cryptography, and security protocols. Graduates of the program are actively recruited by federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector. Typical employers include Internet-based companies, software companies, banks and insurance companies, and in general any organization that depends heavily on the use of IT. All classes are scheduled in the late afternoon and early evening to accommodate employed students.

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Admission is competitive among students who fulfill admission requirements for graduate study at the Computer Science Department of George Mason University.

Students seeking admission to the MS in Information Systems, the MS in Information Security and Assurance, or the MS in Software Engineering programs must satisfy the following requirements:

• Hold a four-year (120-credit) baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
• Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for the last two years of undergraduate work (60 credits)
• Submit transcripts of all post-secondary education
  • Unofficial copies of transcripts are acceptable for application review. However, upon admission, applicants will need to provide official transcripts before enrolling in the program.
• Submit two letters of recommendation from people directly knowledgeable of the applicant’s professional and academic competence, a one-page goals statement, and a work résumé
  • Note: If you are applying to the MS in Software Engineering, letters of recommendation are not required and your goals statement should be one to two pages, including a statement of career goals in software engineering.
• Complete the self-evaluation section of the online application
  • This information is used by the admissions committee to assess an applicant’s academic preparation for the MS program. In some cases, students with deficiencies in preparation may be admitted provisionally. See “Foundation Requirements” below for more information.
• Submit an official GRE General Test score report
  • The GRE requirement is waived for all applicants in Spring 2022 and Fall 2022
• TOEFL or IELTS is required of all applicants whose native language is not English, and who have not received a degree from a university in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand.
  • Required TOEFL iBT score: 80 points total overall with no section minimum
  • Required IELTS score: 6.5 overall

Foundation Requirements

To ensure that students have an adequate background in mathematical methods and computer science, the program requires the following four foundation courses, or their equivalents:

• INFS 501 Discrete and Logical Structures for Information Systems
• INFS 515 Computer Organization
• INFS 519 Program Design and Data Structures
• SWE 510 Object Oriented Programming in Java

Prospective students are asked to indicate on their application if previously taken courses may satisfy these foundation requirements. Provisional admission is offered if a student has some deficiencies in preparation, but is otherwise a strong applicant. (Note: Due to federal requirements, students on F1/J1 visas are not eligible for provisional admission.) In such cases, students are advised of the necessary foundation courses to be satisfactorily completed with a grade of B or better before beginning the core curriculum. Foundation courses do not earn credit toward the MS degree.

Students have one opportunity to test out of their required foundation courses before beginning their first semester. The exams are given before classes begin in January and August and may only be taken once. Students failing any one of the exams must take the equivalent course before enrolling in the core curriculum courses.

More information regarding the foundation courses and test out exams can be found on this page.

Tuition fee-2 years$58,000

Total fee-2 years$1,04,000