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 the successful completion of coursework, proposal defense, successful oral defense, and the completion of the dissertation.
Admission Requirements
The EDBA-Cyber program is not currently accepting applications. For more information, contact the Graduate School of Business Administration at GSBA@uccs.edu.
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
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