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Doctoral Research in Information Security Management

The Department of Engineering Management and System Engineering offers the degree of Doctor of Science. Research in this degree program can be conducted in the speciality of information security management.

There are many applicants and only a few slots available each year for doctoral candidates. Persons interested in this program should carefully read the requirements as delineated in the Bulletin and in the departmental policies and procedures.

Expect it to take at least a year to get accepted into the Doctoral program, assuming you meet the requirements.   Don't apply in July and expect to start in the Fall -- it won't happen.

A critical thing to realize is that doing a doctorate is fundamentally different from doing a Master's degree.  When you do a Master's degree, you're doing research but it's focused on understanding what research has been done in a field, knowing how it applies to your profession, and synthesizing your individual understanding of the subject matter based on that research.  When you do a doctorate, you are creating unique research that contributes to the body of knowledge.  You define a research topic, you defend to a reasonable level of certainty that no one else in the entire world has done that research before, you show why the research is important and useful, you define the research process, and you execute the research and do the analysis.  Finally, you defend your process and results before a panel of experts and the public.  This is a whole bunch different than sitting through a bunch of classes.  It requires self-discipline, it requires innovation, and it requires a great deal of self-education.

The EMSE department has a thriving Doctoral program.  The doctorate is actually a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) versus a Ph.D. but it's essentially the same thing in terms of meaning and respect.  The end degree is D.Sc. in EMSE, and the differentiator would be the title of your dissertation.  The focus of doctoral studies is unique and indenpendent research that is published as a dissertation.  Your dissertation, then, becomes the differentiator of your degree.

Please see http://www.emse.gwu.edu/emse/admissions/doctoral/docproc.html for information in great detail regarding the phases, the process, and the requirements.  Additionally, if you search on "dissertation" on the web, you will find a great number of resources that can give you insight into the process from a general point of view.

Your personality, your ability to do research, and your ability to independently push yourself to completion are the elements that really make a huge difference in success or failure in a doctoral program.  It is important that you realize this up front, so you have the knowledge to make an informed decision.  Doing a doctorate is kind of like playing pro golf -- when it comes down to it, it's you, your club, and the golf ball.  All the world is looking on, but they can't and won't help.  You succeed or fail on your own and in a fairly public manner.

Getting accepted into the doctoral program is extremely competitive:  we accept less than half of all the applicants into the doctoral program.  Staying in the program is hard as well.  Of those accepted, about half don't make it - they drop out.  Why?  Well, a variety of reasons, but the bottom line is that the numbers tell the story: doing a doctorate is HARD.  It is nothing at all like a master's degree.  But on the other hand, if you make it through the program, you truly have something of which to be proud.

So your next question is: "supposing I decide that I really do want to do the doctoral program, what do I do next?"

Here are some things you can do:

  1. Take the GREs.  They are required and they show your commitment to the process.  And, good GRE scores can do a lot to mitigate mediocre grades on the off-chance that you were not a stellar performer in your undergraduate years.  Keep in mind that if you don't have good grades from a Master's degree program, your probability of acceptance is extremely low.  If you don't have good grades at the Master's level, you would probably be best advised to go and get another Master's degree and get good grades.
    • GRE scores should be in the 80th percentile or above in each category. Verbal is as important as quantitative: remember that your dissertation will be written. It is important that you should excellent language skills as well as excellent quantitative and analytical abilities.
  2. Start conceptualizing an area of research that you are interested in pursuing.  Go read some dissertations and get a feel for what a dissertation is.  Sketch out some notes and see how you can round them into a proposal.  Work those ideas into a statement of purpose approximately 500 words long.  Your statement of purpose in your application is a critical element that everyone pays a lot of attention to, since it reflects your thoughtfulness, your innovation, and your ability to write.
  3. Fill out the application.  Do it online, so it doesn't get lost in the mail.
  4. Get your transcripts sent in.
  5. Get letters of recommendation.
  6. Meet with potential advisors that match your area of research interests and talk with them.

A critical thing to realize is that acceptance into the doctoral program reflects a long term commitment on the part of the faculty.  It will take you somewhere between 4 and 7 years to complete a doctorate -- and your research committee are the persons who will coach you through that process.  When you get past the course work and are admitted to the dissertation phase of the doctorate, the hard work is just beginning and this is where your advisor becomes absolutely critical to your success or failure.

Your advisor will be a critical part of the process and not all advisors are fungible.  If you are interested in doing doctoral level research in information security, you need to have an advisor who actually knows something about information security.  Likewise, if you want to do doctoral research in linear programming applications, you need to have an advisor who actually knows something about linear programming applications.  There are not an infinite number of advisors available, and each advisor does not have an infinite amount of time or resources.  At any given time, three is the maximum number of doctoral students in the dissertation phase any advisor can handle.  An advisor who has more students than that will not be able to devote any appreciable time to coaching you through the process. With the advice and consent of the faculty, the Department Chair assigns advisors to those students who are voted admission to the program.

It is critical that you apply for the doctoral program before beginning to take classes.  It is permissable to transfer up to 6 credit hours of courses into the doctoral program, but you're really taking a chance that the courses you select will be acceptable to your advisor and to your course of study.  Much better and surer to develop the course of study and then take the classes -- that way you are assured you aren't wasting time or money.

The minimum number of classes that are required as part of the doctoral program is ten.  But!  Additional courses may be required by your advisor if he or she determines that your skills in any particular area, such as writing or statistical analysis, are not up to the level of competency that is required.  So don't count on the minimum actually being what you will be required to take.

In order to be successful at the doctoral program, you must really understand what scientific research is.  If you're not clear on the subject, go to a search engine like Google and enter in some search terms to find some sources to read on the subject matter.  Some search terms you might want to consider include:  "quantitative research methods", "qualitative research methods", "statistical analysis methods", and "scientific method".  Go to the library and do some research.  Practice it.

What I am looking for in doctoral applicants:

  • Demonstrated expertise in information security, acquired through a combination of education and professional experience
  • Demonstrated expertise in performing and documenting original research efforts. Publications are a definite plus.
  • Solid math skills at the calculus level and above.

What research interests are most likely to get my attention?

  • Mathematical modeling approaches to complex information security challenges
  • Multi-disciplinary approaches to complex infosec problems that integrate operations research and systems engineering