Admissions

Admission to the program is highly selective; there are many more qualified applicants than there are places in the program. The challenge for the School of Computer Science every year is to select a class from a highly qualified pool. The Information Security Admissions Committee looks for compelling reasons to admit candidates, and the Statement of Purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores, GPA, and prior courses of study are all reviewed carefully. The Admissions Committee welcomes additional pertinent information that will aid in making objective and informed decisions.  A strong background in computer science, including C programming and discrete math, is highly recommended for all applicants.

Students are admitted to the Master of Information Security Program (MS INFS) only once a year. The application deadline is February 1 for admission to the following Fall semester.

Application Requirements

• An undergraduate degree in computer science or equivalent
• Completion of the on-line application.
• Receipt of three recommendation letters (requested within the on-line application).
• Scores from the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required. Applicant scores are expected to be at least 500 in the Verbal, 700 in the Quantitative, and 3.0 in the Analytical sections before the applicant is considered for admission to the Information Security program.
• The desirable minimum GPA is 3.0/4.0, though most candidates score higher.
• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for candidates from non-English speaking countries who have not studied in the United States for at least one year. The minimum accepted score is 100 for the Internet-based TOEFL exam; most candidates, however, are well above this score.
  

A student who is enrolled in another graduate program of the Institute may pursue an MS INFS while that student is also pursuing his or her degree in the other major. To be granted permission to pursue the MS INFS, a student must submit to the Graduate Student Affairs Office in the School of Computer Science the material required for admission to the MS INFS program. This includes original transcripts, letters of recommendation, and GRE General Test. If the student is approved by the Information Security Admissions Chair to pursue the degree, the student will be notified in writing. At no time will a student outside the College be allowed to pursue a concurrent degree without prior permission of the School of Computer Science.