The criteria were revised during September 2000 to raise the program standards and keep pace with the increasing depth and maturity of university programs in IA. 5. Research-based education versus textbook centric instruction develops a much needed skill set and contributes to meeting national research needs. Recognizing that graduate and undergraduate programs address differing levels of depth, their treatment in the same criteria is deemed appropriate at this time. Within the criteria, there is reason for discerning differences. The critical demand for IA education as well as IA faculty demands an emphasis on graduate programs.
Distance learning is an effective means to meet the needs of the global work force.
Certificate programs in IA are expanding to meet the IA educational needs of the work force population and their contribution to advancing the state of IA education for the current work force cannot be overlooked. The ever-changing nature and complexity in providing information assurance to heterogeneous distributed systems requires focused study. This study, while multidisciplined in nature, should be steeped in technology. Concentrations of study in universities allow for this in-depth study. Concentrations range from majors within majors, to minors within minors, to simply a declared set of elective choices of study from which a student can choose.