CHIPS Articles: Information Assurance Scholarship Program

The IASP serves as a multifaceted program institutionalized within DoD to recruit and retain a corps of highly skilled IA/IT professionals (military and civilian) to accommodate the diverse warfighting and unique mission requirements, while providing incentives to strengthen IA/IT research and education in critical areas of interest to the DoD.

The IASP consists of three related parts:

• Scholarships for DoD personnel. This grants military and civilians the opportunity to obtain a master's or a Ph.D. at either the Naval Postgraduate School, Air Force Institute of Technology, or a combination of the Information Resources Management College (IRMC) and a partner Center of Academic Excellence (CAE). Up to 15 academic credit hours from IRMC may transfer toward either a master's or Ph.D. degree at a partnering CAE. Civilians and military students also incur an obligation to continue in DoD employment for a period to be determined by their component.

• Scholarships for non-DoD students. Graduate students and rising junior or senior undergraduates accepted at or enrolled in one of the non-DoD institutions designated as a CAE are eligible to apply for full scholarships to complete a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees, or graduate (post-baccalaureate) certificate programs in an IA discipline. During breaks in their academic studies, students will receive progressive, hands-on experience in information security internships.

• Grants to schools. CAE proposals for program participation may also request funding for research, faculty and curriculum development and laboratory improvements to help develop institutional capacity for strong IA educational programs. Grants also will be used to support critical areas of interest to the DoD in the areas of IA and IT.

For more information about the IASP, go to www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/iasp.