This graduate certificate program is for people who are interested in science and methods for ensuring secrecy, integrity, availability, and legitimate use of information systems. The certificate may be pursued concurrently with any of the graduate programs in the Volgenau School.

Admission Requirements

1. Hold a four-year (120 credits) baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.
2. Have earned a grade point average of 3.0 or better in the last 60 credits of undergraduate study.
3. Submit a departmental self-evaluation form, which can be obtained from the department. This form provides summary information concerning background and preparation for the program.
4. Provide a brief (one- to two-page) statement of educational and work experience in the computing field that includes a statement of career goals.
5. Show proof of a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), if required. The test should have been taken within five years of applying for admission. ISE has the following policy with regard to the GRE. The test is required for each applicant unless the applicant
   • has an undergraduate degree in science or engineering from a U.S. university and graduated with a GPA of 3.0 or better in the last 60 hours; or
   • has a graduate degree in a related field from a U.S. university; or
   • has been admitted as a non-degree student and meets all the following requirements: has an undergraduate degree from a U.S. university, has an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better in the last 60 hours; and received at least a B in all foundation courses taken at GMU or elsewhere.
6. Submit the appropriate application form with three letters of recommendation from persons directly knowledgeable of the applicant's professional and academic competence.
7. TOEFL for international students.

Applicants must possess knowledge equivalent to that provided by the following courses:

• INFS 501   Discrete and Logical Structures for Information Systems
• INFS 515   Computer Organization
• INFS 590   Program Design and Data Structures
• SWE 510   Object-Oriented Programming in Java

Students must also possess the equivalent knowledge of CS 571 and CS 555, or the prerequisite courses required for the selected electives. Students not enrolled in a graduate degree program at Mason should apply for the certificate program through the Graduate Admissions Office of the Volgenau School. Students enrolled in a Mason graduate degree program should apply to ISE for admission into the certificate program. Admission into the certificate program does not guarantee acceptance into any MS program.

Certificate Requirements

To obtain the certificate a student needs to take:

1. Two required courses
   • ISA 562   Information Security Theory and Practice
   • ISA 656   Network Security
2. Three elective courses from
   • ISA 564   Security Laboratory
   • Courses at the ISA 600-level and 700 level, excluding ISA 697, ISA 796, ISA 797, and ISA 798.

If you enrolled prior to Fall 2007, please contact the MSIS Student Advisor (iseadvsr@gmu.edu) for information on the previous requirements for the ISA certificate

For Further Information

Additional information on the program is available from the MSIS Student Advisor (iseadvsr@gmu.edu)

Financial aid information is available at the GMU Office of Financial Aid