You probably don’t need to be reminded of the importance of information security and the hurdles that online security and information assurance professionals confront if you’re pursuing a Ph.D. in cyber security with an emphasis on infosec at Purdue University.
Data breaches and cyber-attacks occur on a regular basis, impacting government agencies, businesses, and personal lives, and all indications are that the issue will worsen before it improves.
Everything has already started to be digitized: personal records, personal and commercial transactions, entertainment, communication, and so on.
The Internet of Things is here for the long haul, which means that by 2023, there will be 200 billion linked “things,” anything from your vehicle to your house, which implies 200 billion additional possible vulnerabilities for cyber security professionals.
All of this, of course, implies an increase in the need for professional security personnel.
Forbes predicts 6 million cyber workers globally by 2019, but experts still predict a 1.8 million workforce shortage by 2022, a number that has risen in recent years and includes openings in financial services, software and networking, government, nonprofits, and education, as well as business services and healthcare.
To put it another way, the world needs highly trained, skilled cyber security personnel, and completing a Ph.D. is one method to satisfy that demand.
If you’re ready to go on, we’ve compiled a list of the finest online Ph.D. programs in cyber security.
Otherwise, keep reading to discover more about the many sorts of doctorates available in the subject of cyber security, as well as what a Ph.D. could potentially bring.
Table of Contents
Why You Should Get Your CS Ph.D. from Purdue University
Purdue University is currently working on a wide variety of information security initiatives. We have around 100 projects in the works, including more than 30 faculty members from a dozen different academic departments.
The CERIAS WWW sites provide a more detailed description of the academics and research programs. Most of these projects are available to graduate students and may be utilized to fulfill research requirements for masters’ and doctoral thesis work.
Not all infosec projects are available via CERIAS, and students are not required to work on a CERIAS project in order to get an infosec-related degree.
Purdue University will provide financial help to graduate students based on need and scholarship. Exceptional entering students may be eligible for certain fellowships.
Others are aided by departments or research initiatives.
It is uncommon for a new student to get financing from a faculty member’s research; in fact, most faculty members do not sponsor students until they have passed some of the qualifying tests.
However, some new students are eligible to work as teaching assistants. Financial assistance information may also be found in the graduate student information materials for each program.
Graduate degrees with a specialty in information security may also be obtained via existing programs. Students achieve this by enrolling in a typical major, taking a core of common courses, and then choosing electives that are relevant to their interests.
Is There an Option for Online Candidates?
On-campus and online Professional Master’s degree programs are intended for IT professionals in business and government who desire to progress in technical cybersecurity and privacy roles.
Visit the website of Purdue University which has information about various departments for further information and admission to any of the regular departmental programs.
What are the prerequisite requirements?
Students entering the graduate program at Purdue University should be prepared to start working on their degrees as soon as they arrive.
The number of semesters spent in residence before finishing each of the phases leading to a degree is limited. Students are required to have excellent, fundamental math abilities, such as a solid understanding of statistics, calculus, and linear algebra.
know how to build programs in a high-level programming language (C/C++/Java are preferred; Perl is also recommended).
Candidates should have an adequate command of spoken English to comprehend lectures and presentations, as well as to discuss assignments with professors and TAs
Candidates ought to possess a sufficient command of written English to document programs and create grammatically sound research articles, this is particularly important for master’s and doctoral students who must compose a thesis and research articles.
Students who have not prepared enough or who have fallen behind in their tasks may be tempted to use “shortcuts” in order to stay up.
Cheating, plagiarism, and faking work are all serious breaches of the student code of conduct and academic honesty, and instructors in the information security field take them very seriously.
Graduate students who break these norms are commonly reported to the dean of students for expulsion from the institution; international students will lose their visas in this circumstance.
As a result, it is highly advised that candidates ensure they have mastered these fundamental abilities before applying to Purdue’s graduate school.
Admissions are reviewed by the Graduate Committee of the Program, which is made up of a representative group of the participating faculty.
Unless the applicant has a master’s degree from a U.S. institution, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is needed unless the applicant has a master’s degree from a U.S. university, in which case it is waived.
Recognizing that interest in information security, as well as actual expertise in the field, may come from a broad range of undergraduate and graduate backgrounds, the program maintains a very open stance on prerequisite training.
Candidates should have completed the equivalent of an undergraduate major in one of the disciplines covered by participating departments, although it is not required. However, a solid computational background is required.
How to Apply
For further information on the minimal criteria, go to the institution’s website. Because the curriculum requires a lot of reading and writing, you should not apply if you are not fluent in English.
As your graduate program, please choose “Interdisciplinary Program in Information Security.” In the next area of the application, you may leave the default contact professor blank or list Eugene H. Spafford, the program’s director at Purdue University.
If you already have a contact in that discipline, feel free to include any other professor in information security with whom you’d want to collaborate.
Supporting documents must include:
- Transcripts
- GRE Test (Purdue grad school code is 1631, no dept code necessary)
- TOEFL Test – for degree-seeking whose native language is not English
- Recommendation letters
- Statement of Purpose – MUST include an essay addressing why you are applying to the interdisciplinary program instead of one of the departmental programs, e.g., CS or CNIT.
- Writing sample – typically an A-graded paper, in English, from a college-level course
The graduate school of Purdue University will notify you regarding your acceptance status at some point. The Interdisciplinary program has no teaching assistantships and just a few fellowship options. As a result, the program is unable to provide any financial assistance to its students.
The graduate school will notify you regarding your acceptance status at some point. In the interim, contact the Program’s Graduate Registration Advisor of Purdue University at advising@cerias.purdue.edu
If you have any concerns about the admissions process that aren’t answered on this page. Before contacting the adviser, please read this webpage thoroughly.
If you have not taken the general GRE exam lately for your master’s application or if you are unhappy with your prior scores, you must do so.
Purdue University Program Curriculum & Classes
A Ph.D. program at Purdue University typically begins with at least one year of graduate study, which includes certain mandatory courses.
After that, the applicant selects a field of study, selects an adviser, and takes a comprehensive test in the field of specialization (the “preliminary exam”).
The applicant then conducts an in-depth study for a period ranging from 6 months to 5 years under the supervision of the adviser.
Finally, the applicant prepares a thorough scientific description of his or her study (the dissertation), which he or she defends in front of a committee of academics, visitors, and community members in a public test.
The average duration to obtain a Ph.D. in computer science at Purdue University is around 5 years (assuming the student already has a strong undergraduate foundation in computer science).
Courses in operating systems and algorithm analysis, as well as (possibly) some courses in their area of specialization, are required for Ph.D. students in CS;
This is a subset of the courses required for the MS degree, and almost all Ph.D. candidates obtain their MS degree during their candidacy for the Ph.D.
Masters students at Purdue University have the option of doing research and writing a Master’s thesis including more study in a specific field of interest, or they may simply enroll in 30 or more credit hours of courses.
For their dissertation study, Ph.D. candidates must choose a specialist subject.
Computer Sciences is the most frequent major for students interested in information security, however, degrees are also available in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Management, Philosophy, Political Science, and many other CERIAS departments.
Individual departmental degrees have special prerequisites, which are listed on departmental WWW pages.
The prerequisites for a CS graduate degree at Purdue University are summarized here as an illustration of what is required.
To acquire the whole picture, you’ll need to visit one of the authoritative sources. (The Web has information on CS graduate degree requirements; start at the grad school www page for information on other graduate programs.)
Careers Options for Post-Ph.D. in CS with Focus on InfoSec
Because of the ongoing development of new technologies and the growing number of cyber threats, IT security is one of the most sought-after disciplines.
If you want to be the next Eugene Kaspersky and design software that protects the integrity and confidentiality of people’s sensitive information, this is the area to study.
There are many different forms of IT security (network, internet, endpoint, cloud, and so on), but they all have the same goal: to design tactics and tools to prevent viruses and hackers from obtaining unauthorized access to computer systems.
You will learn how systems and networks operate, the most frequent ways they are infected, preventative and protection strategies, and how to educate people on vital security actions by pursuing an IT Security degree.
You may work as an information security analyst, lead software security engineer, chief information security officer (CISCO), security architect, and other technical jobs after earning a Ph.D. in IT Security.
Graduates with a Ph.D. in cybersecurity are prepared for a number of computers and IT careers. Information security analyst, computer and information research scientist, and IT director are all possible careers.
