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Individual Case Study

Perhaps the most important element of the MSIA is the series of individual projects carried out by each student. Every MSIA student undertakes a case study in order to apply the IA knowledge gained in seminars 1 to 4. A case study allows you to identify issues, examine situations and analyze alternatives within a defined, reality-based context that remains constant and ongoing across the entire program. The case study also allows you to build upon knowledge gained from prior seminars to further focus and refine the security analysis that is presented in each end-of-seminar paper.

During each week of seminars 1 to 4, you will read about and discuss the topics at hand; as you are studying various aspects of information assurance, you will analyze the situation at your workplace or industry with respect to what you have learned. You will write up and submit each week's findings, and that research will be the foundation for an end-of-seminar report containing recommendations for specific areas of IA improvement.

The two types of MSIA Case Studies are described below.

ORGANIZATION-SPECIFIC CASE STUDY (OSCS)

The OSCS provides a very specific context - a single organization - within which security issues are examined. An OSCS gives you experience in identifying specific issues, examining particular situations, analyzing selected alternatives, and making security recommendations that are tailored to the organization's operations and are immediately relevant to the organization's business and IA needs. You will interview the organization's security and business leaders to understand the organization's history, security rationale, decision-making structure, and business and security objectives. You will also research the organization's operations and policies, and analyze those operations and policies in light of industry and IA practice. Finally, you will create comprehensive end-of-seminar management reports which provide an in-depth examination of the organization's security posture and prioritize specific recommendations for enhancements and improvements. After the paper has been graded, you are expected to submit the report to the appropriate people within your case study organization.

If you choose the OSCS you must obtain an agreement from your employer (or your selected organization) to permit and support your active involvement in the analysis of information assurance within the organization.

INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC CASE STUDY (ISCS)

The Industry-specific case study (ISCS) provides an industry context within which security issues are examined. An ISCS gives you experience in comprehensive research of IA issues as they affect a range of organizations within the industry. You will still identify issues, examine situations, and analyze alternatives, but will evaluate the impact of those findings across the organizations within the industry. Differences based on geographical location, company size, customer base, regulatory differences, etc will need to be taken into account, and disagreements within the industry regarding security requirements will deserve particular attention. In order to gain broader insights into each seminar's topics, you must conduct one or more interviews with at least one security practitioner with significant expertise in the seminar subject matter. Finally, you will create end-of-seminar white papers that identify and analyze major security issues across the industry, examine the different approaches to security solutions, and propose next steps or even new approaches that organizations may take to improve their security posture.

If you choose the ISCS you must submit a brief proposal describing the research materials and other resources to be used.

NU Mentors

Regardless of case study choice and the resources that are available, research will sometimes leave specific questions unanswered or problems unaddressed. NU Mentors is a group of MSIA faculty and alumni who are available to answer your questions and provide expertise when you need assistance in researching your case study. Upon request, MSIA instructors and program staff will put you in touch with the NU Mentors group.

Visit the Case Study FAQs page for more information.