Information Security and Integrity
Communication and Information
Program Overview
Information and content sit at the heart of nearly every career in media and information. When that information is threatened by breaches, disinformation, or manipulation, organizations need professionals who know how to protect it. The Information Security and Integrity (ISI) concentration is for people ready to step into that important work.
The concentration focuses on the security and integrity of information across communications, advertising, public relations, journalism, media, and information professions. You will explore how organizations safeguard their most valuable asset—information—and how professionals respond when its security or trustworthiness is at risk.
What You Will Learn and Do
You will complete 30 credit hours in the Information Security and Integrity concentration, drawn from a focused pool of courses. The program also includes an applied capstone option—a project or practicum—so you can build real-world experience as part of your degree.
Through this concentration, you will build skills to:
- Protect and manage the security and integrity of information and content
- Identify, analyze, and respond to threats such as misinformation and disinformation
- Understand how people receive, process, and respond to information and messaging
- Apply research methods to detect and interpret information manipulation
- Navigate organizational communication, policy, and leadership dynamics
- Analyze how digital platforms shape the spread of content
- Use evidence and research to guide decisions at every level
Where This Degree Takes You
Designed for students interested in the intersection of communication, technology, and information security, the concentration develops skills applicable across a range of emerging and established careers. Graduates may pursue roles such as:
- Information Security Analyst
- Disinformation Analyst
- Intelligence Analyst
- Information Operations Policy Analyst
- Online Threat Intelligence Researcher
- Content Moderation Analyst
- Information Security Manager
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- Minimum 2.7 GPA
- Transcript copies – official transcripts required after admission
- CV or resume
- Short answer questions in Application Status Portal
- Three professional or academic references
- English certification test scores (if applicable)
- $60 application fee
- No GRE required
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Featured Courses
The MS in Communication and Information offers a diverse range of courses to match your interests and career goals. Here are just a few examples of the interdisciplinary courses that support the Information Security and Integrity concentration:
Provides the conceptual, practical, technological, and theoretical foundations of information security and integrity in the context of the fields and professions of communication, advertising, public relations, journalism, media, and information sciences. Introduces students to topics such as information and data security, information integrity, information security threats and vulnerabilities, information security management, misinformation, and disinformation.
Examination of social influence theory and practice. In-depth treatment of intentional, message-driven attitude and behavior change.
Will examine how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming strategic communication. Students will explore current tools, ethical issues, and case studies while learning to apply AI in content creation, crisis response, audience targeting, influencer campaigns, and media analysis. Weekly assignments and discussions build both practical skills and strategic insights.
Explore the history and evolution of mis-, dis-, and malinformation and examine how information manipulation shapes today’s digital landscape. Students investigate the roles of technology, design, human psychology, and institutions in how problematic content is created, amplified, and detected. Topics include generative AI, bots and social networks, platform design, automated detection, cognitive biases, misinformation, influence operations, and national security.
