Information Science involves the processing, storage, and communication of information. Information theory answers two fundamental questions in the communication and storage of information: (1) what are the limits on information compression (the entropy) and (2) what is the best rate of information (the channel capacity). The theory, initially developed to answer fundamental questions in communication theory, has now expanded to be an integral component of many other subjects, including computational science, signal processing, and information security.

The field is at a crossroads. Although mathematical theory has been instrumental in catalyzing the advances in collecting and analyzing the quickly-growing, vast amounts of complex data, the practitioners need to be taught both how to directly manipulate data themselves and the underlying theory that is its genesis. Moreover, the data needs to be analyzed rigorously and securely.

Most data science and information technology programs tend to provide only a weak theoretical grounding before presenting the tools of the day. Students in those programs are essentially tracked into a trade, with no path for technical growth beyond what they’ve been taught. Our program remedies this issue: students learn solid theory, cutting-edge research, and how to apply these to actual data problems so they can continue to grow in their career. Graduates of the program are uniquely qualified to for positions including information research scientist, data scientist, data analyst, computer systems analyst, information security analysts, operation research analyst, and more.

Our students graduate with the skills needed to be successful in the in-demand and lucrative field of information security, in which analysts earn an average annual salary of $98,000 accoring to the The Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS has also projected that there will be 28,000 new information security jobs in the US by 2026, with the highest concentration of those postitions located in the Washington DC region.

Recent alumni have gone on to work at top employers such as

Booz Allen Hamilton
Deloitte
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Freddie Mac
US Census Bureau
US Department of Homeland Security