Graduate education opportunities for officers and civilians in the Navy's Information Dominance Corps (IDC) are increasing through a new partnership with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) established in December.
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance/Director of Naval Intelligence (N2/N6) Vice Adm. Kendall L. Card and Jared L. Cohen, president, CMU, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a new 16-month cyber graduate education pilot program.
The effort to expand the IDC learning continuum began in August 2011 when the Navy staff embarked on a cyber graduate education pilot program with CMU for two active duty and three civilian IDC personnel. The 16-month program will provide graduates with a Master's degree in Information Technology and Strategy (MITS) through a cooperative endeavor involving CMU's College of Engineering, School of Computer Science, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
"This partnership provides a unique opportunity for members of the IDC to advance their education by studying at one of the country's premiere educational institutions," said Card. "It will also benefit the IDC and the Navy as a whole by giving us access to numerous experts in the fields related to Information Technology."
The MITS program is intended to build and enhance the technical capability of Navy personnel and provide new opportunities for future naval specialties.
MITS provides a multidisciplinary education that prepares students to define and conceptualize:
•The emerging threat environment represented by cyber operations;
•Opportunities for enhanced information analysis and exploitation;
•Development and management of innovative information technology systems; and
•Associated decision-making and international-relations challenges.
The MITS curriculum consists of four main components: required core courses, a designated area of concentration, free electives, and the practicum and seminar.
N2/N6 is evaluating potential candidates for the 2012-2013 academic year and will continue to assess the program and determine the way ahead.
The IDC was formally established in October 2009 to more effectively and collaboratively lead and manage a cadre of officers, enlisted and civilian professionals who possess extensive skills in information-intensive fields. This corps of professionals will receive extensive training, education, and work experience in information, intelligence, counterintelligence, human-derived information, networks, space, and oceanographic disciplines. This corps develops and delivers dominant information capabilities in support of U.S. Navy, joint and national warfighting requirements.