Second Doctoral Cohort Completes First Residency
June 28, 2011
This past weekend, the second cohort of doctoral students visited campus and completed the first of their three residency courses. The 14 students, who are studying to receive their doctorate in information assurance, spent much of the weekend refining the ideas for their dissertation topics, while also completing the residency course.
Titled Situation Awareness Analysis and Action Plan Processes, the course deals with operational leadership in terms of crisis prevention. As the number of cybersecurity threats is ever increasing, crisis prevention is a vital skill for industry leaders.
Over the weekend, the students also had the opportunity to present dissertation ideas to the Capitol faculty and staff. Because the dissertation presentation and defense is the hallmark of the program, choosing an appropriate topic is essential.
“Through the residency, I’m looking for a clear path to the dissertation,” Elvoid Lakes, doctoral student, said. “We plan on using the faculty here to make sure we do it effectively, so we have completed the degree in three years. That’s one of the reasons I chose Capitol. You don’t have to find an advisor here, they’re provided to you.”
The degree program is completed mostly online, except for the three residency courses. This affords students the convenience of completing classes wherever Internet access is available.
“We’re trying to share ideas,” Bill Butler, adjunct professor, said. “We’ll be talking about the research topics and discussing which ones are important in industry.”
The students were also joined by Dr. Helen Barker, dean; and Dr. Craig Johnson, assistant director of doctorate curriculum.
“During the residency, I hope to achieve clarity with the mission and focus of all the students in this cohort,” Johnson said. “I hope all the students achieve their individual objectives.”
Capitol created its first cybersecurity curriculum in 2001, then referred to as network security. The curriculum has expanded to include both a master’s and doctorate in information assurance. Capitol is a DHS/NSA nationally designated Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.
