Ph.D. in Transdisciplinary Cybersecurity
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Program Description
The prospective doctoral candidate in Transdisciplinary Cybersecurity should develop a strong background in the core of cybersecurity. Additionally, students must achieve a high level of competence in the field of specialization defined by their dissertation research. Additional information is found in the Graduate Program section of the catalog.
Research fields appropriate for the transdisciplinary cybersecurity candidate include attack and defense, communications security, computer security, cyberprivacy, cybersecurity data science, cybersecurity policy, cyberspace security, electronic warfare, enterprise-wide cybersecurity, forensics, incident response, information assurance, hardware security, network security, psychology of cybersecurity, reverse engineering, threat analysis, and vulnerability analysis. Transdisciplinary projects integrating theory, metrics, and methods from multiple disciplines are strongly encouraged.
The paper critique is the program's qualifying examination. The critique is the first examination that a PhD student must pass within 24 months of enrolling in the program. The paper for critique must be agreed on by the doctoral committee. Student must conduct a successful written and public oral critique of a paper published in a high-quality professional journal on a cybersecurity topic. During the paper critique presentation, the student may be asked questions relating to background knowledge gained from taking regular coursework in cybersecurity subjects. The paper critique must be completed within 24 months of enrolling in the PhD program. The committee may determine that the student has a pass, a conditional pass, or a fail on the critique. Students with an unconditional pass proceed to the dissertation proposal. Students with a conditional pass, will be required to overcome deficiencies, which may require additional courses, individual reading/research, and/or a subsequent critique before advancing to the dissertation proposal. Students who fail to pass the critique will be dismissed from the program. The committee will document the outcome of the critique and the reasons for its decision with a copy sent to the student, the program chair, and the Center for Graduate Studies.
The dissertation proposal is the program's candidacy examination, which cannot be done before the qualifying exam has been passed without condition or the conditions have been met. The student must write a research proposal and defend that proposal in a public oral defense at a minimum of two full semesters before the final dissertation defense. The proposal must include the rationale for the research, the preliminary research that has been done, and the plan for completion. The committee may determine that the student has a pass, a conditional pass, or a fail on the dissertation proposal. Students with an unconditional pass will be recommended for candidacy beginning in the subsequent semester, when they may register for dissertation credits. Students with a conditional pass, will be required to overcome deficiencies, which may require additional courses, individual reading/research, and/or a subsequent dissertation proposal before advancing to candidacy. Students who fail to pass the dissertation proposal will be dismissed from the program. The committee will document the outcome of the dissertation proposal and the reasons for its decision with a copy sent to the student, the program chair, and the Center for Graduate Studies.
Students may proceed with dissertation research after advancing to candidacy. Students must enroll in a minimum of 24 credits of dissertation (CYBS 5095). Students should be aware that research typically takes significantly longer than two semesters and should plan accordingly. During dissertation registration, the student completes the research project approved by the committee via the dissertation proposal approval process. The dissertation is the documentation of research that advances the state of the science for transdisciplinary cybersecurity.
The student must write a dissertation and defend it in a public oral defense. The committee may determine that the student has a pass, a conditional pass, or a fail on the dissertation defense. Students with an unconditional pass will graduate with the doctoral degree. Students with a conditional pass, will be required to overcome deficiencies, which may require research and/or a subsequent public dissertation defense before graduation. Students who fail to pass the dissertation defense will be dismissed from the program. The committee will document the outcome of the dissertation defense and the reasons for its decision with a copy sent to the student, the program chair, and the Center for Graduate Studies.
Students are required to publish a minimum of three high-quality papers in reputable, refereed journals or conference proceedings. The journals and conferences selected must be approved in writing by the committee, which will be documented with a copy sent to the student, the program chair, and the Center for Graduate Studies. At least one paper must be published after the dissertation proposal defense; others may be published on work completed earlier in the program, but that work must be an integral part of the final dissertation.
Completion of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., information technology, computer science, cybersecurity, electrical engineering, mathematics, etc.) or the expectation of completing such a degree before the beginning of the first semester of graduate study. Students are expected to have competencies in mathematics equivalent to those required for completion of a B.S. degree at New Mexico Tech. Students who are deficient in mathematics will be required by their advisory committee to complete undergraduate coursework in the area of deficiency. Students should have an academic record that indicates a good potential for success in a graduate program. An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is used as a general guideline in New Mexico Tech’s Graduate School.