PhD in Security

The College of Engineering and Applied Science at UCCS offers a new Security specialty in the Ph.D. Security degree program, starting in Fall 2008. The nation-wide unique specialty offers the security curriculum for students to study and conduct multi-disciplinary research in areas of cyber security, physical security, and homeland security, which have become critical and increasingly urgent in today's personal, business, and government operations. This new multi-disciplinary concentration integrates the existing curriculum and research initiatives, and meets the grand challenges of security with the quality expected from the University of Colorado.

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. This designation covers academic years 2014 through 2021. More information about our IA programs and activities can be accessed at the Center of Information Assurance and Security Technology (CIAST) at UCCS.

Objectives:

• Graduates of the PhD/Sec program lead software/system research projects in Universities or Research Labs.
• Graduates of the PhD/Sec program produce independent innovative computer science security research results.
• Graduates of the PhD/Sec program produce software packages/tools that significant benefit the society and industry.
• Graduates of the PhD/Sec program practice lifelong learning and keep themselves up to date with emerging computer science security knowledge.
• Graduates of the PhD/Sec program produce significant research results and contribute to Computer Science Journals and Conferences.

Outcomes:

• Students should know a broad knowledge of science, math and engineering.
• Students become the leader in the specific area in which the thesis research is conducted.
• Students are able to read, understand, and evaluate professional literature on advanced topics in engineering and applied science.
• Students demonstrate the capability to make fundamental and significant contributions in the area of engineering and applied science, mathematics, and engineering disciplines, along with the tools of research, to perform analysis and synthesis and to visualize potential areas of application.
• Students has developed effective communication skills and professionalism.

Click here for the PhD Security Guidelines

The Doctor of Philosophy is a degree that is conferred on a student who has demonstrated proficiency in some broad area of learning, and who has proven that he or she has the capability to evaluate work in the security field critically. In addition, the student must have demonstrated the ability to work independently and make original contributions to the field. No single prescribed set of courses can be established that, when completed, guarantee the student has attained this high level. Rather, the degree is conferred after the student has satisfied both a course work and an independent study requirement under the supervision of a committee. Minimum course work and independent study requirements and the composition of the advisory committee for the Ph.D. program are described below.

The program is research oriented with a strong self learning component. The plan of study is decided by the Ph.D. advisor and the Advisory Committee according to the student's specific research topic. Beyond the traditional learning component, the students in the program will be required to have at least 3 months of operational security experience, such as internship or training, as determined by the Advisory Committee. The second uniqueness of the program is the use of short intense workshops where students and faculty will meet to discuss emergent theories and techniques in security, and carry out exercises simulating critical security events. They will provide opportunities for students to apply what they learn in the self paced courses and to learn how to coordinate and cooperate in cyber war and homeland defense scenarios. Students have to come to the workshop at least once a year to report their research progress in the past year and the plan for the following year.

Written Qualifiers are required. Undergraduate coursework in the specified areas (Operating Systems, Advanced Software Engineering, Design and Analysis of Algorithms, and Computer Architecture) does NOT qualify to waive their respective exams. These courses must be taken at the graduate level and have a grade of an A- or better to qualify for a waiver.

Credit Hours

A total of 60 credit hours is required for the degree.  For candidates entering the program with a bachelor's degree in STEM and/or homeland security, a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work at the 5000-level or above, including independent study, which may be taken as distance learning, is required. For candidates entering with an M.S. degree in STEM and/or homeland security, up to 24 credit hours of course work from a previously earned Master's degree may be transferred to the PhD program to meet the 30 credit hour course requirements. In all cases, 30 semester hours of dissertation credits are required. All PhD students will be required to take CS 6000, Intro to Computer Science Research. Beyond the traditional learning component, the students in the program will be required to have at least three months of operational security experience (as internship, training, etc.), as determined by the PESC. This requirement can be substituted with a peer-reviewed publication or by passing CISSP certificate examination.

For details on degree requirements, please visit the Academic Catalog.

For details on program coursework, please visit the Academic Catalog.

The faculty of the UCCS Security specialty are involved with research programs in video surveillance and monitoring, biometrics, sensor and image processing, network security, intrusion detection, dependability and reliability in distributed systems, cryptographic algorithms and protocols, bioinformatics, space security, secure policy and management, risk analysis, and the integration of security techniques into specific applications. Many security related research projects are conducted at the following:

• Vision And Security Technology Lab (VAST)
• Network Security Lab (NetS)
• Laboratory for Cybersecurity Dynamics (LCD)
• Center for Homeland Security (CHS)
• Distributed, Sustainable and Cloud Computing Lab (DISCO)
• Language, Information and Computation Lab (LINC)

For additional information, please contact the Computer Science Department.

As this degree is housed in the Computer Science Department, knowledgeable background in the industry, or a closely related field is desired. This degree is on campus, attendance is required. Typically classes are offered Monday through Thursday for adult professionals after 4 p.m., however, classes may be scheduled at any time. The PhD committee will review all applicants for admission and will be looking for these specific classes:

• CS 1150 Principles of Computer Science
• CS 1450 Data Structures and Algorithms
• CS 2080 Programming in UNIX
• CS 2060 Programming in C
• CS 2160 Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming
• CS 3160 Concepts of Programming Languages
• CS 3300 Software Engineering
• MATH 1350 Calculus 1
• MATH 1360 Calculus 2
• MATH 2150 Discrete Math
• Any other Math class not already counted

A student can be admitted as a regular degree student if the student satisfies the following conditions:

1. The student holds a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in any of the branches of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), homeland security, or closely related field from a college or university of recognized standing. Depending on the PhD track, program candidates may be required to the complete prerequisite courses in STEM and/or homeland security policy. A student who is admitted without a master's degree may earn that degree as a part of the Ph.D. studies.
2. The student has at least a 3.3 grade point average (on a scale of 4.0) in the bachelor or master degree program attempted. Graduate students in the University's Homeland Defense Certificate program must complete the certificate with a 3.3 GPA or better prior to starting Security PhD studies.
3. Complete a personal statement and within that personal statement name a potential advisor and justify your choice. Please visit our faculty website for research interests.
4. Resume is required.
5. Three letters of recommendation.
6. Applicants with any foreign post-secondary course work should also submit a course-by-course evaluation by a NACES member.

International students applying for the program should have all application materials into the Admissions Office at UCCS by March 1st for Fall Semester and by October 1st for Spring Semester. Applications received later than these dates or incomplete by these dates may be considered for the following semester. It is the student's responsibility to follow up to make sure all materials are received on time. 

• All sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required, with at least 148 on the quantitative portion, unless one of the following conditions is satisfied:
  • The applicant has a bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or above from an ABET-accredited Computer Science or a closely related program from within the U.S.
  • The applicant has a master’s degree in Computer Science or a closely related field with a GPA of 3.0 or above from an R1 or R2 institution from within the U.S.
• A TOEFL score of 80 of higher, an ILETS of 6.5 or higher, or a Duolingo exam score of 115 will be required for proof of English Proficiency. If the student has completed a degree in the US, this requirement may be waived.
• Course by Course Evaluation: Upon the successful completion of your online application, you will receive a private link to upload each foreign post-secondary transcript from institutions you have attended. These transcripts must include all courses and grades, must be issued in the original language, and be accompanied by certified English translations when applicable. This service is provided at no cost for UCCS applicants. More details will be communicated to you via email after we received your completed application. Please make sure to check your email for the uploading instructions

Provisional Degree Students

A student who does not meet requirements for admission as a regular student may be admitted as a provisional student upon recommendation of the Ph.D - Security Committee. Applicants will be evaluated on the strength of their academic background and experiences. With the concurrence of the chair(s) of Ph.D. Governance Committee, the Ph.D. - Security Committee may admit provisional students for a probationary period. After completing the noted provisional requirements, the provisional student will be considered for regular admission. If admission is denied at this time, the student will be dismissed from the program. Recommendation for change from provisional status to regular degree status will be based on grades received in all courses taken during provisional status. Credit earned while in provisional status will count towards the Ph.D. if and when the student moves from provisional to regular status.

Financial Aid Information

For financial aid consideration we encourage you to apply by March 1st. Most scholarships and fellowships are given to Fall applicants, not Spring applicants. If you are an international student who will need a visa, we recommend you complete the application process by March 1st to give enough time for application review and visa processing. If your application comes after the posted semester deadline, it will be considered for the following term.

Application Deadlines:

Fall Start: April 1st

Spring Start: November 1st

Our Fall application deadline is April 1st. For scholarship consideration we encourage you to apply by March 1st. If you are an international student who will need a visa, we recommend you complete the application process as early as possible to give enough time for application review and visa processing.

To learn more about admission requirements and the application process, please visit the UCCS Admissions page.

Additional resources for Admissions:

• Tuition Rate
• Cost of Tuition Estimator
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships