Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Information Assurance & Cyber Defense [BS] - Jackson College Articulation (2018-2021)


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This major is built off of an articulation agreement, a specialized agreement between a four-year university, in this case, Eastern Michigan University, and a community college. Faculty from both schools collaborated to design an agreement that facilitates the smooth transfer of course credit from a two-year associate’s degree program to a four-year bachelor’s degree program. 

This agreement is effective Fall 2018 - Summer 2021. Students have until Summer 2026 to graduate from Eastern Michigan University using this agreement.


 The Bachelor of Science in Information Assurance & Cyber Defense program prepares prospective students with the knowledge and skill set necessary for future computing and cyber security professionals to build, maintain and protect networks and computer systems in both government and industry.

The program has been designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Security Agency (NSA) as the Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Information Assurance (IA) and Cyber Defense (CD) education (DHS/NSA CAE-IA/CD).  The program is classified as a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program.

Learn

The Information Assurance and Cyber Defense program places emphasis on design, integration, administration, hardening, and protection of all types of computer information systems and network infrastructures in modern cyber environments. Students are immersed in solid theories as well as intensive hands-on practical experiences to enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities applied to all elements in modern computing disciplines. The curriculum covers:

  • Computing and networking theories/practices
  • System architecture and administration, integration and troubleshooting
  • Cybersecurity threat/risk evaluation
  • Incident response analysis and practice
  • Network/digital forensics and investigation
  • Penetration testing and system auditing
  • Cyber laws, legislation, policy/compliance, and project management

Opportunities

Per the U.S. Department of Labor 2014 handbook, computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $81,430 in May 2015, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $36,200. Graduates are in demand to work in private, public, and government agencies. 

Recent graduates have held positions at Snapchat, Google, Amazon, General Electric, Dominos Corporate, and Raytheon.

School Information


Information Security and Applied Computing 211 Sill Hall, 734.487.2490

Sean Che, PhD, Interim Director

Advisor Information


General Education (and other university requirements) Advising

GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology Student Services | Make an appointment, 203 Sill Hall, 734.487.9751 

Faculty Advisor

To find your faculty advisor, please see School of Information Security and Applied Computing Advisors.

Student Eligibility


A student’s eligibility to graduate from this major is determined by the following.

  • Apply and be granted admission to Eastern Michigan University (emich.edu/admissions).
  • Apply and be granted admission to their major (See Program Admission for specific information).
  • A completed associate degree, certificate, or adequate coursework. Students eligible to follow an articulation agreement typically transfer 60 credit hours to EMU. Eligible students who transferred in less than 60 credit hours had unique circumstances and were granted permission to follow the articulation agreement, by the Director of Community College Relations (emich.edu/ccr).

Interested students should meet with their community college advisor for information on the articulation agreement before transferring to EMU. After transferring to EMU, a student must consult with the Community College Relations Office to confirm eligibility.

Program Admission


Requirements for Admission

Students must meet the following requirement to be admitted to the ISAC program

  • Completion or transfer credit of IA 103  (or satisfied by CNS 201 - Network Security/Security+ @ Jackson) and IT 110  (or satisfied by CNS 101 - Network Fundamentals/Network @ Jackson) with a grade of B- or higher.

Application Process

Students who wish to be admitted to the IA/CD program must do the following:

  • Complete all requirements listed above. Students may be enrolled in one or two of the required courses listed above during the semester they apply.
  • The student shall inform their advisor of their decision to join the IACD program in person or by email.

Decision Notification Process

  • Students will be notified by letter and/or through e-mail after a decision is made. This notification will be made no later than the start of the semester following the application.

General Education Requirements:


A student with a Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) endorsement on their transcript only needs to complete the General Education Application Requirements of

To use MTA, a student must have an official community college transcript, with the “MTA Satisfied” endorsement sent to EMU’s Admissions Office. The MTA may be completed after admission to EMU, however, students should inform their advisor or they may be advised to complete additional courses for the general education program.

Students who do not have “MTA Satisfied” on their community college transcript, will be required to satisfy EMU’s general education requirements as applied to transfer students. For specific General Education requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 84 hours


All requirements must be met, as listed below.

Requirements for Graduation

  • Students can NOT apply courses at the 300-level or above to this program, if not taken at EMU
  • ALL students MUST take at least 45 credits at the 300-level or above in the IA/CD program
  • Students must maintain a minimum cumulative EMU GPA of 2.5.

Foundational Requirements: 12 hours


Information Assurance & Cyber Security Requirements: 51 hours


Restricted Electives: 21 hours


Choose 21 hours from the following courses. A maximum of 9 hours can be taken with an IA prefix.

Minor Requirement:


This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above. If sufficient credits hours are not transferred in, additional EMU credits must be completed to reach the minimum of 120 credit hours required to graduate.

Critical Graduation Information


This articulation agreement provides the following exceptions:

University Requirements

  • Under this agreement, EMU will waive the 60-hour rule and require that a minimum of 45 credit hours must be completed at the four-year college-level, with a minimum of 30 credit hours in courses offered by EMU.

Substitutions

  • COSC 146 Applied Programming and Scripting  may be substituted with IA 000, satisfied by CNS 210 - Python Scripting and Security @ Jackson.
  • Jackson College courses CIS 158 - Programming Logic (eq. COSC 000), CNS 121 - Microsoft Networking Client I (eq. IT 000), CNS 128 Powershell Scripting for Network Admin​ (eq. IT 000), and CNS 141 - Wireless Networking (eq. IT 000) may be used to satisfy “Restricted Electives” requirements.

Students are required to satisfy all requirements listed below, not waived or modified above

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
    • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
    • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.

 


Effective Dates: September 1, 2018 until August 31, 2021.

This agreement is consistent with the 2018-2019 catalog. Students have until Summer 2026 to graduate from Eastern Michigan University following this agreement. In the event that a student does not complete the program within seven years, they may be required to have their credits reevaluated using the requirements of the current articulation guide.

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