Students can also receive graduate degrees in existing programs with a specialization in infosec areas. To do this, the students enroll in a traditional major, take a core of common courses, and then are able to take electives related to their interests. Masters students may choose to research and write a Master’s thesis that involves further study in a particular area of interest, or they may simply take 30 or more credit hours of coursework. PhD students must choose a specialized topic for their dissertation research. The most common major for students interested in information security is Computer Sciences, but degrees are also associated with Electrical & Computer Engineering, Management, Philosophy, Political Science, and many other departments associated with CERIAS.

Note that specific requirements for individual department degrees are given on departmental WWW pages. What follows is a summary of the requirements for a CS graduate degree, serving as an example of what is expected. You need to consult one of the definitive references to get the whole picture. ([CS graduate degree requirements are available on the WWW; information on other graduate programs can be found by starting at the grad school www page.)