Online Doctorate in Cybersecurity
Doctor of Computer Science - Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
A key to staying one step ahead of cybercriminals may be a constant and vigilant monitoring of your systems and network. You could grow your expertise in managing enterprise systems through an understanding of Sarbanes-Oxley regulations, trust and privacy best practices, and enterprise tools such as CORBA and J2EE, XML, RDF, OWL, and UML with a Doctor of Computer Science degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from CTU.
Our doctoral program includes:
- An online curriculum with a residency component
- Multiple start dates throughout the year
- An opportunity to complete the program in three years
- Dissertation development integrated into the program
- In-person symposium experiences
At CTU, students come first. Our flexible online course schedule helps you to build a class schedule around your schedule. And with grants and scholarships available for those who qualify, a degree from CTU can be both achievable and affordable. Learn more below or fill out the form to speak with an admissions advisor.


Relevant Institutional/Programmatic Accreditation
CTU is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission www.hlcommission.org
National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cybersecurity 2014-2021*
CLASSES START
- February 16, 2021
- March 30, 2021
- May 11, 2021
TOTAL CREDITS
PROGRAM AVAILABILITY
- Online
Program Details
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Total tuition for this degree program will vary depending on your educational needs, existing experience, and other factors.
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Degree Requirements
Courses: Core
CreditsCourse Title Course Description Credit Hours CS814 Current Topics in Computer Science and Information Systems 4 CS861 Information Assurance 4 CS875 Futuring and Innovation 4 CS880 Foundations of Digital Systems Security 4 CS884 Enterprise Security Architecture 4 EIS846 Enterprise Tools, Concepts and Processes 4 EIS852 Governance, Quality, Compliance and Ethics 4 EIS854 Security Management 4 RES804 Principles of Research Methods and Design 4 RES812 Qualitative Research Methods 4 RES814 Quantitative Research Methods 4 RES860 Doctoral Research I: Principles of Research and Writing 4 RES861 Doctoral Research II: Annotated Bibliography 4 RES862 Dissertation Research Process 4 RES863 Doctoral Research III: Dissertation Literature Review 4 RES864 Doctoral Research IV: Dissertation Methods 4 RES865 Doctoral Research V: Dissertation Introduction 4 RES866 Doctoral Research VI: Dissertation Findings 4 RES867 Doctoral Research VII: Dissertation Discussion and Conclusion 4 RES868 Doctoral Research VIII: Dissertation Conclusion 4 Select four 4- credit courses from 800-level CS or EM or EIS courses 16 SYMP801 Doctoral Symposium I 2 SYMP802 Doctoral Symposium II 2 Total Credit Hours: 100 Total Credit Hours: 100
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Accreditations and Alignments
The Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency have recognized Colorado Technical University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense (CAE IA/CD). The CTU cybersecurity curriculum was certified thereby to map to the DHS/NSA cybersecurity knowledge units. This certification is valid through 2021.
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Related Areas of Study
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Admission Requirements
Program Areas of Focus
The DCS program is designed to provide candidates with theoretical, research, and application capabilities in the field. The areas of focus are described below.
Foundations
The program provides a focus on computer science and information systems topics and an orientation to research and writing at the doctoral level. Coursework covers current topics in the disciplines as well as research methods and qualitative techniques. The research component results in a broad overview of the student’s area of concentration in order to put the research into context and inform the student’s selection of a research topic.
Acquisition of Knowledge
Once the foundations are in place, the focus is on student development of an in-depth understanding of the knowledge and research methods in his or her chosen area of study. While the focus is on developing a richer understanding of the discipline, the research courses include quantitative methods and the dissertation process.
Leadership and Professional Advancement
The program includes the two remaining concentration courses plus the final six doctoral research courses that are designed to help students to complete the research and dissertation.
Symposium
Doctoral programs at Colorado Technical University require a residential symposium. Additional information about CTU's doctoral symposium can be viewed in the Doctoral Symposium section of this catalog.
Graduation Requirements
In addition to the successful completion of the above 100 credits with an acceptable GPA, students must also satisfactorily complete their research proposal and final dissertation. The research proposal must be approved by the student’s Research Supervisor and University Reviewer. The dissertation, which must be approved by the student’s dissertation committee, is an extensive document that includes the research study. In addition, graduation requires presentation of the final dissertation.
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Next Steps
Program details are provided lower on the page.