The Information Assurance (IA) Program consists of several certificates that prepare graduates to:

• Exercise strategic leadership in the development and use of information security strategies, plans, policies, enabling technologies, and procedures;
  

• Develop and lead programs to provide information security controls, security awareness training, risk analysis, certification and accreditation, security incident management, continuity of operations, and disaster recovery;
• Link people, processes, information, and technology to critical IA decisions; and
• Develop and lead, in accordance with laws and regulations, an enterprise IA program that promotes and attains national security, agency, and inter-agency goals.

The Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) has certified the curriculum offered by the Information Resources Management (IRM) College as compliant with the following national IA education and training standards:

• NSTISSI 4011 for Information Systems Security Professionals.
• CNSSI 4012 for Senior Systems Managers includes the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Designated Approving Authority (DAA), and Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
• NSTISSI 4015 for System Certifiers.
• CNSSI 4016 for Risk Analysts.  

Although the IA certificates do not count as a certification under DOD 8570.1-M, they do help prepare graduates for DOD 8570.l-M certification.  In addition to DOD 8570.l-M commercial certification requirements, DOD personnel who perform IA functions on national security systems are required to meet CNSS training requirements.  The certificates satisfy that CNSS requirement.

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Certificate is a source of graduate-level information security education for Senior Agency Information Security Officers (SAISO), their staffs, and information assurance managers.  This certificate provides education to respond to the requirements set forth in the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA).