Admissions

Admission Procedures

All Programs

To be admitted to a degree or certificate program, applicants must:

  • complete and submit the Application for Admission along with a $75 application fee.
  • complete and submit the Application for Doctoral Program if applicable.
  • submit proof of graduation or previous credits earned. (Acceptable documents include an Issued to Student transcript or a copy of a diploma.)
  • submit a resume or summary of employment history.
  • complete a telephone interview with an Admissions Officer.
  • request an official academic transcript from the institution which awarded the applicant’s highest degree earned, to be received by the University no later than the end of the student’s first academic term.
  • submit TOEFL scores if applicable.

Program Admission Requirements

Applicants are evaluated individually based on their professional experience, academic credentials from accredited institutions and admissions interview, to assess their potential for completing the relevant academic program successfully. The table below summarizes the minimum requirements for admission to each program offered by the University.


* completed all required pre-dissertation coursework of a doctoral program

Dual Degree

Students may apply for a program of study which leads to two consecutive degrees (MSISM/DIA or MSISM/DSc) on an accelerated schedule. These students are required to follow a program of study which includes core, specialization-specific, elective, research and dissertation courses. The MSISM degree is awarded upon successful completion of the required 36 semester credits. Formal admission to the doctoral program selected is granted upon successful completion of the MSISM degree.

Advanced Standing

Applicants with at least eight years of relevant experience who hold one of the following from an accredited institution: a professional degree (e.g., Juris Doctorate); more than one master’s degree; or have completed all required pre-dissertation coursework in a doctoral program (i.e., have achieved “ABD” status) within the past 10 years may apply for advanced standing in the Doctor of Science (DSc) program. Such students are required to complete a program of study which consists of a minimum of 60 semester credits, including courses in research methods, research design and dissertation development.

International Credentials

Applicants with international credentials must arrange for a course-by-course evaluation of their transcripts to confirm equivalence to an accredited degree from the U.S. The University of Fairfax accepts evaluations provided by World Education Services (WES), American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) or International Educational Research Foundation (IERF). If the academic records are in a language other than English, an English translation is required that is as close to word-for-word as possible.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants for any degree program whose native language is not English and who have not earned a degree from an appropriately accredited institution where English is the principal language of instruction must receive a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or its equivalent.

Admission Status

Formal Admission

Applicants who meet the admissions requirements of the University and submit official transcripts are granted formal admission.

Conditional Admission

Applicants who meet the admissions requirements of the University and submit unofficial transcripts are granted conditional admission. In all cases, official transcripts must be received prior to the start of the student’s second registration period in order to remain enrolled.

Provisional Admission

Applicants who do not meet the admissions requirements of the University may submit a petition for consideration of an exception. If the petition is approved, the student is granted provisional admission and must comply with additional requirements, as determined on an individual basis, depending on the exception granted. For these applicants, formal admission will be granted upon successful completion of the requirements specified in the letter approving the student’s petition.

Students applying for dual degrees (MSISM/DIA or MSISM/DSc) may be granted provisional admission to the selected doctoral program without the need for a petition, provided conditional or formal admission to the MSISM degree has been granted.

Transfer of Course Credits

A maximum of nine semester credits may be transferred into a degree program. No transfer credit will be applied to programs of study where a doctoral student has been granted advanced standing. The University does not award academic credit for non-academic experience.

To receive transfer credit for a course, the following criteria must be met:

  • The student must have taken the course for graduate credit as part of a degree or graduate certificate program from an accredited institution;
  • The course taken was equivalent to the University of Fairfax course in content, level, and credit hours;
  • The student earned at least a grade of “B” (courses taken on a pass/fail basis are not eligible for transfer); and
  • Information Security courses must have been completed within the five years preceding initial enrollment at the University of Fairfax.

Students and graduates should note that when seeking to transfer credits to another educational institution, the receiving institution has full discretion as to which credits are transferable.

Program Modifications for Dual Degree Seekers

Students seeking consecutive degrees (MSISM/DIA or MSISM/DSc) who have a previously earned Master’s degree in an Information Security related discipline from an accredited institution may petition to transfer up to 18 credits toward the MSISM degree. In cases where the petition is approved, upon completion of the required courses, the MSISM degree may be awarded without a specialization.

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