AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin will start a first-of-its-kind Master of Science in Identity Management and Security (MSIMS) program, welcoming its first class of students in the spring of 2016. The new MSIMS graduate degree is a result of collaboration between the university’s School of Information and the Center for Identity.
The MSIMS program is designed to educate a new generation of professionals capable of delivering the business practices, policy, communications and technology solutions to protect personal information in today’s global digital economy. The MSIMS program will prepare students to fill a growing demand to guarantee trusted transactions, combat identity theft and fraud, and protect privacy.
Graduates will benefit from a multidisciplinary approach. Faculty members from across the UT Austin campus — including the School of Information, the Cockrell School of Engineering, the McCombs School of Business, the Moody College of Communication and LBJ School of Public Affairs — will teach in the program.
“The MSIMS program is designed to answer a need in today’s marketplace,” said Suzanne Barber, director of the Center for Identity. “Identity as a formal discipline must incorporate training from multiple fields and multiple perspectives.”
“Today’s identity management workforce needs leaders who are as comfortable with making policy recommendations and risk management assessments as they are with making technological decisions,” said Andrew Dillon, dean of the School of Information. “The expert, interdisciplinary faculty in this program will groom the next generation of specialists who are prepared to deliver trusted transactions and protection of identity information assets.”
Graduates will join one of the fastest-growing careers in today’s market, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The program will prepare students for mid- and executive-level leadership positions in government, law enforcement and the private sector.
The MSIMS two-year degree program is designed for working professionals. Courses will be offered one weekend a month and can be taken in person or via synchronous online learning.
For additional information about applications, dates and information sessions, please visit: http://msims.ischool.utexas.edu/
