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Master of Science Degree in Information Assurance
The Masters of Science in Information Assurance (MS-IA) is a multi-disciplinary 30 credit hour graduate degree. It is designed to produce a comprehensively educated information assurance professional. It will be taught by three UDM Colleges. The aim is to produce rigorously and comprehensively educated leaders to engage in the serious business of protecting the nation's information infrastructure.

Protection of America's critical infrastructure is an emerging national priority. Due to its implications for national security, the responsibility for this program has been placed jointly with the National Security Agency (NSA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Universities who meet the rigorous criteria established by these two federal agencies are granted designations as Centers of Excellence in IA education. This is a highly competitive annual process involving rigorous review of the target curriculum by national experts.

The curriculum of the University of Detroit Mercy received its Center of Excellence (CAE/IAE) award at West Point on June 8, 2004. This is a national distinction. There are only sixty-seven Centers of Excellence among the over 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States. Moreover, only universities who have been designated by this process are eligible to participate in the IA training and education programs funded by the federal government.

The Future of the Field
Information Assurance will be a key defense against terrorist threats to homeland security and it is also of vital importance to businesses and organizations concerned about theft. The number of information security professionals worldwide is expected to almost double in the next five years to 2.1 million, and the cost of education in the field is expected to reach $1 billion next year in the United States alone.

Joint IA Degree - Perpetual Schedule