ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL

South Dak= ota Board of Regents

New Site: Request t= o Offer an Existing Degree Program

Use t= his form to request authorization to deliver an existing degree program at a new sit= e or by distance delivery. The Executive Director or the Board may request addit= ional information.

University	Dakota State University
Degree(s) a= nd Program	Master of Science in Information Assurance and Compu= ter Security
New Site(s)=	Internet
Proposed Implementation (term)	Fall, 2006

University Approval

To the Board = and the Executive Director: I certify that I have read this request, that I bel= ieve it to be accurate, and that it has been evaluated and approved as provided = by university policy.


President= of the University	&nbs= p;	Date

Aft= er approval by the President, a signed copy of the proposal should be transmit= ted to the Executive Director. On= ly after the Executive Director reviews should the proposal be posted on the university web site and the Board staff and the other universities notified= of the URL.

1. What is the need for this program in this site (these sites)? Wha= t is the expected demand for graduates in the site(s)?

A major study conducted b= y the Computer Security Institute (CSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (= FBI) indicated that over 90 percent of organizations surveyed had dealt with some sort of systems-security incident in the past year; these organizations est= imated total financial losses from such incidents at $455,848,000[1]. Based on that dollar figure alone = (and ignoring negative public relations and other attendant issues), it is appar= ent that information systems (IS) security is becoming a critical corporate iss= ue that directly impacts business operations since security violations inevitably r= esult in real financial losses. As a consequence, the employment market has seen a sharp increase in the demand = for qualified information assurance and computer security specialists.

According to the U.S. Dep= artment of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, “the information supersector = is expected to increase by 11.6 percent, adding 364,000 jobs by 2014” wi= th a growing emphasis on computer security specialists responsible for coordinat= ing and implementing the organizations’ information security[2].

Internet delivery of the = MSIA program targets information technology professionals interested in advancing their careers in this fast-growing market. These working professional cannot afford to and aren’t willing to disrupt their careers or existing employment to attend college on a full-time basis. A distance-delivered program is particularly attractive to these working professionals.

2. Is any regental university authorized to offer a similar program = at the new site(s)? Is any non-system institution offering a similar program= at the new site(s)? If either a= nswer is “yes,” identify the institution(s) and program(s) and expl= ain why authorization is requested.=

No other regental university= is authorized to offer a MSIA degree.

Due to the increasing demand for qualified information assurance and computer security professionals, a number of institutions are offering similar progr= ams online. Examples include James Madison University and Norwich University<= /st1:PlaceType>. These universities are simila= r to DSU in that both are NSA-designated centers of excellence in information as= surance education. Other examples of = graduate programs in information assurance and computer security include Boston University, Colorado Technical University, and Capella University. Offerin= g the program at a distance allows DSU to leverage its experience and infrastruct= ure in distance education and to compete with other distance-delivered programs= at a national level, by providing affordable and high quality education to wor= king professionals.

3. Are students expected to be new to the university or redirected f= rom other programs or both? Comp= lete the table and explain how the estimates were developed. How will the new site(s) affect enrollments in other campus and off-campus programs in the regental system?

Students are expected to be new to the university. Internet delivery of the MSIA prog= ram targets information technology professionals desiring to advance their care= ers in this fast-growing market. = These working professional are not willing to disrupt their career or existing employment to attend college on a full-time basis.

The program is designed to be completed in 2 years, wi= th students completing 18 credit hours / year for a total of 36 credit hours.<= /p>

	Fiscal Years*
	1st	2nd	3rd	4^th
Estimated	FY07	FY08	FY09	FY10
New to the university	5	10	10	10
Redirected from other programs	0	0	0	0
=3D Total in the program at the site	5	15	20	20
Credit hours, majors in program courses**	90	270	360	360
Graduates		5	10	10

*= Do not include current year.

*= * This is the total number of credit hours generated by the majors in the required= or elective program courses. The same numbers are used in Appendix B – Budget.

Impact on Existing P= rograms

This change in program delivery is expected to enhance total program enrollments, rather than decrease enrollments in the campus-based degree program.

4. Complete the table and explain any special circumstances. Attach a copy of the program as it appears in the current catalog. If any program modifications are requested, attach that form. Explain how the new courses will be delivered. Attach the new course request fo= rms.

Degree and title	Credit hours	Courses currently a= vailable from other universities available at this site	Courses currently a= vailable via distance	Courses new to this university
Core Course Require= ments	24	0=	8=	0=
Specialization Requ= irements	12	0=	8=	0=
Total, Degree =	36	0=	16	0=

The program includes 24 credits (8 courses) of require= d core courses and 9 credits (3 courses) of required specialization courses plus electives in each of the program specializations. The table below includes the list = of required courses, current delivery methods for the courses and the quality assurance review that’s been completed on the courses to date.

Course #<= /o:p>	Core Course Title	Current Delivery Method	Quality Assuranc= e Review
INFA	711	Computer Secur= ity Planning and Procedures	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	713	Managing Infor= mation Security Risk	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	715	Privacy, Fraud= and Identity Theft	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	719	Software Secur= ity	025,020	Review in process*
INFA	721	Computer Foren= sics	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	723	Applied Crypto= graphy	025,020	Review completed*
INFS	724	Project and Ch= ange Management	025,020, 018	**
INFS	754	Network Securi= ty and Intrusion Detection	025,020, 018	**

Wireless and Networking Security Specialization
INFA	717	Advanced Netwo= rk Security	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	751	Introduction to Wireless Security	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	753	Building and Securing Wireless Networks	025,020	Review in process*
		Elective<= /o:p>
Banking and Financial Security Specialization
INFA	741	Banking Assura= nce	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	743	IA in Financial Transactions	025,020	Review completed*
INFA	745	Securing Transactions	025,020	Review completed*
		Elective<= /o:p>
Internet and E-Commerce Security Specialization
INFS	732	Electronic Com= merce	025,020, 018	Review completed*
INFS	734	Client Server Technologies	025,020, 018	Review completed*
INFA	745	Securing Transactions	025,020	Review completed*
		Elective<= /o:p>

025 – DDN Host/= Send Site; 020 – DDN Receive Site; and 018 - Internet Synchronous

The courses marked with a single asterisk in the table= above were reviewed using the established EUC process – campus oversight th= rough completion of a checksheet on course readiness and a syllabus review. The courses marked with a double asterisk in the table were reviewed during the Higher Learning Accreditation review of the M.S. in information systems degree program (which included approval for delivery via distance) and therefore were not required to unde= rgo the EUC review process again.

5. How will you provide student ser= vices comparable to those available for students on the main campus?=

The program is currently delivered via the Dakota Digital Network (DDN) to USDS= U in Sioux Falls, SDSU in Brookings, USD in Vermillion, and Beresford= High School. Internet delivery of the program wi= ll leverage the existing infrastructure for course delivery and support. This includes instructional facilit= ies for the video recording of classes, e-learning facilities for digitizing and video streaming either face-to-face or DDN lectures and presentations, and WebCT course management system. Library and other support services are available via the university’s web site to students, regardless of location.=

6. Is this program accredited by a specialized accrediting body? If = so, address any program accreditation issues and costs related to offering the program at the new site(s).

There is no specialized accrediting body for this progra= m.

7. Does the University request any exceptions to Board policy for delivery at the new site(s)? Explain requests for exceptions to Board pol= icy. If no exceptions are requested, ent= er “None.”

None.

8. Costs, Budget & Resources Related to New Courses at the Site:= Explain the amount and source(s)= of any one-time and continuing investments in personnel, professional development, release time, instructional technology and software, other O&M, facilities, student services, etc needed to implement the progra= m at the new site(s). Complete App= endix B – Budget using the system form.

No additional resources a= re requested. Internet students = will access these course materials in much the same way that DDN or campus stude= nts access the materials. Internet delivery of the program will leverage the existing infrastructure for course delivery and support, mentioned above.&nbs= p; Currently, DDN-delivered course content is captured for digitizing a= nd video-streaming, so it’s available on the course web site, to support student learning regardless of delivery mode.

9. Additional Information. (Optional) Limit the number and length = of additional attachments. Identify with capital letters (C, D, E, etc). In = some cases, responses to questions from the Board or the Executive Director ma= y be provided as appendices. Letters of support are not necessary and are rare= ly included with Board materials.

None.