EDBA Cybersecurity Management
The College of Business offers the Doctor of Business Administration in Cybersecurity Management (EDBA-Cyber) in an executive format. EDBA-Cyber is a unique terminal degree designed to develop scholar-practitioners skilled in practice-focused research in cybersecurity. The three and a half year program is designed for working executives, specifically, senior executives with information security, information technology, compliance, or auditing experience. The focus of the program is on addressing complex security problems in organizations through understanding and application of the latest research in information security.
The interdisciplinary EDBA-Cyber program aims to develop ethical security leaders who can improve security practice globally through applied, evidence-based analysis and rigorous evaluation of complex issues in play. This degree will enable students to successfully employ skills learned to tackle security problems in organizations. The program’s instruction will follow a blended learning approach involving a combination of traditional face-to-face lectures through limited residency cohorts, online learning, discussions, and seminars.
The program is delivered in an executive format involving limited residencies (three weekends per semester). Students are expected to attend all residencies. The program is not designed to train students to pursue an academic career as tenure-track faculty.
Students interested in the EDBA-Cyber should contact the Graduate School of Business Administration at 719-255-3408 or email GSBA@uccs.edu. For further information on the EDBA-Cyber program, please see the program website at www.uccs.edu/edba.
Learning Outcomes
The EDBA-Cyber program is designed to equip students with the ability to:
- develop skills for cybersecurity scholarship and research competency.
- analyze issues impacting cybersecurity.
- demonstrate knowledge of information security research.
- apply current research to address complex problems of cybersecurity practice.
The learning outcomes will be assessed through successful completion of coursework, proposal defense, successful oral defense, and the completion of the dissertation.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the EDBA program is competitive. Selections will be based on several factors including graduate GPA, academic background, professional experience, goals statement, writing skills, optional test scores, and letters of recommendation (optional). Additionally, selected applicants should:
- Demonstrate familiarity with the information technology or cybersecurity profession.
- Show evidence of the potential success in doctoral education.
- Show evidence of potential success as a professional in the field of cybersecurity management.
Formal admission to the EDBA-Cyber program includes a screening process, evaluation of credentials, and interview upon request with the admissions committee. The program cohort begins in the fall semester. Applications are reviewed on a rolling admission basis.
Pre-Requisite Requirement
To be successful in the EDBA program, students need to have taken a business/quantitative statistics course with a C or better. If a student has not taken a business/quantitative statistics course then the student can fulfill this requirement by taking an approved business statistics course at a regionally accredited instituion or by successfully passing the QUAN 5500 course or waiver exam through the College of Business. This requirement must be met prior to the first EDBA quantitative course.
Please contact the Graduate School of Business Administration at
GSBA@uccs.edu for further guidance on how to meet this requirement.
Foundation Cybersecurity Requirements
Students admitted to the program early who do not have the cybersecurity foundation courses may begin taking these courses through the
Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Management.
Eligibility Requirements
- A student must hold a bachelor’s degree or a Master’s degree in information security, information systems, information technology, computer science, or a related area with a minimum 3.0 GPA. A student who is admitted without a master’s degree may earn an MBA degree as a part of the EDBA studies. Extra coursework will be required to earn both degrees.
- A minimum of five years of managerial or consultative experience in cybersecurity, information systems, information technology, compliance, audit, or a related field.
Application Checklist
- Complete and submit the Graduate School online application.
- Pay a $60 non-refundable application fee.
- Personal Goals Statement (Maximum 1200 words). This essay should include the following:
- Discuss your reasons for pursuing this degree.
- Information on your strengths and weaknesses.
- Describe how you plan to balance the time commitment required for the program (about 20 hours per week) with your personal and professional responsibilities.
- Elaborate on any obstacles or anticipated impediments to completing the program successfully.
- Submit a Resume or Curricular Vitae.
- Submit two letters of recommendation (optional).
- Submit official GMAT or GRE test scores (optional).
- Request official transcripts from every institution of higher education attended to be sent to UCCS.
- International applicants:
- Applicants with any foreign college coursework are required to submit a course-by-course evaluation completed by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE).
- Applicants whose native language is not English must meet a minimum standard of English Proficiency for the College of Business.
- Applicants must reside in the United States to be eligible to apply to the EDBA program. Currently, UCCS cannot offer student visas for this program.
Transfer Credit Work
Up to 15 credits of graduate work completed at UCCS or another regionally accredited school may be accepted as transfer credits if the coursework parallels courses offered in the EDBA-Cyber.
- Students may transfer a maximum of fifteen (15) hours of graduate-level coursework completed at another accredited school to the EDBA-Cyber program.
- Students may transfer no more than fifteen (15) credits forward from one UCCS Master’s degree to EDBA-Cyber.
Students admitted early may complete the cybersecurity foundation courses (CYSM 6100, 6200, and 6300) in the Cybersecurity Management Graduate Certificate at UCCS before the start of the EDBA program. Admission to the Graduate Certificate does not guarantee admissions to the EDBA-Cyber program. All courses must meet the UCCS transfer credit policy as described in Section E of the Graduate School Policies and Procedures manual.
Academic Policies
The EDBA-Cyber program adheres to policies set not only by the College of Business but also by the UCCS Graduate School. For additional details, please visit https://graduateschool.uccs.edu/current-students/policies-and-procedures.
Access to doctoral courses
Students must be officially admitted to the EDBA-Cyber program to register for graduate-level courses. Students admitted to other graduate programs may be eligible to register for EDBA-Cyber courses upon approval from the faculty director. All prerequisites must be satisfied. Interested students should contact the Graduate School of Business Administration for more information.
Grades and Quality of Graduate Work
To remain in good academic standing in the EDBA-Cyber program and to receive a graduate degree, a student is required to maintain at least a B (3.0) graduate program grade point average, which includes all work required for the degree while taken at UCCS.
Minimal Acceptable Grades
Any course applied to a doctoral degree must have a grade of B minus (B-) or better.
Leave of Absence
Students who need to take a leave of absence from the EDBA-Cyber program for longer than one semester must discuss their decision with the Graduate School of Business Administration Advising Office and complete the Request for Leave of Absence Form. A leave of absence may occur for one year (3 continuous semesters, including summer). Students who do not return within a year may need to reapply for admission to the program. During the leave period, the progression clock remains active. A leave of absence does not extend the prescribed time limit to complete the EDBA-Cyber degree requirements.
Probation and Dismissal
Doctoral students should be familiar with
Section D of the
Graduate School Policies and Procedures manual. Students may be dismissed from the program for the following, but not limited to, reasons:
- Student Ethics
- Academic Probation
- Not satisfactorily completing program requirements (pass coursework, examinations, make progress on thesis/dissertation projects, adhere to professional standards, etc.)
A dismissed student is eligible to reapply for admission after one year. Approval or rejection of this application rests with the EDBA Faculty Director. Validation of previous coursework may be required for students to complete matriculation in the degree.
Dissertation
All students are required to successfully complete their dissertation on cybersecurity management topics. The dissertation topic must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisory committee. Students may pursue applied research work. The dissertation should be based upon original investigation and show mature scholarship and critical judgment, as well as familiarity with tools and methods of research/scholarship. Each dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a doctoral degree must satisfy the specifications of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Thesis and Dissertation Manual.
Dissertation Committee
A dissertation advisory committee shall consist of three members of the graduate faculty. The committee is comprised of three members who possess expertise in the dissertation topic and/or methodological area - one chair, one methodologist, and an additional committee member. In addition to the dissertation chair, each committee must include at least one other College of Business faculty member. The third committee member may be from an allied department or from another institution, provided that the faculty member has been granted ‘Special’ membership on the Graduate Faculty at UCCS. Upon the recommendation of the dissertation advisor, the committee is appointed by the faculty director with the approval of the College of Business Dean and then forwarded to the UCCS Graduate School.
Dissertation Proposal
EDBA-Cyber requires successful defense of dissertation proposal.
- Dissertation Proposal. An examination to determine the student’s preparedness and appropriateness of the topic, prior to commencing work on the dissertation.
Dissertation Defense
EDBA-Cyber requires successful Oral Defense
- Dissertation Defense. After the dissertation has been accepted by the student’s dissertation advisor, a final examination of the dissertation and related topics will be conducted by the Dissertation Advisory Committee. The examination is open to anyone who wishes to attend. A successful candidate must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the dissertation committee. In case of failure, the examination may be attempted once more after a period of time determined by the committee. A student must be registered for at least 1 dissertation credit or candidate for degree status during the semester (or summer session) in which the dissertation defense is held. The Graduate School must be notified of the dissertation defense at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled date of the defense, which must be no later than 18 days before the final day of the semester of graduation.
Time Limits for Completion of Degree
EDBA students have 6 years (from start to finish) to complete all requirements for the program. If a student cannot finish within the prescribed College of Business time limit, they may petition the faculty director for an additional year, each year (up to 3 years) for a maximum time frame of 9 years to complete the EDBA. EDBA-Cyber follows the Graduate School policy. For additional details, please visit
https://graduateschool.uccs.edu/current-students/policies-and-procedures.
Student Appeals
