Interdisciplinary Program in Information Security

Supported Degree Objectives


  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
  • Master of Science (MS)

Required Supporting Documents


English Proficiency Requirements


  • The following English proficiency minimum scores are required by this program for the tests listed below. To view additional English proficiency options accepted by this program and the Graduate School, visit the English Proficiency Requirements page.

TOEFL: Internet-Based Test (IBT): Minimum Overall Required Score: 100
Minimum section requirements:

  • Reading: 22
  • Listening: 22
  • Speaking: 22
  • Writing: 22

IELTS (Academic Module): Minimum Overall Required Score: 7.5
Minimum section requirements:

  • Reading: 6.5
  • Listening: 6
  • Speaking: 6
  • Writing: 5.5

Master's Degree Program Requirements


  • Cumulative Grade Point Average from most recently conferred undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree:
    • 3.0 or equivalent (A=4.0)

Doctoral Degree Program Requirements


  • Cumulative Grade Point Average from most recently conferred undergraduate and graduate degree:
    • 3.0 or equivalent (A=4.0)

Application Deadlines


  • Fall Spring Summer
    April 1* No Entry No Entry

  • *Rolling admission, but preferred by April 1

Program Contact Information


  • Name Dr. Eugene Spafford 
    Email advising@cerias.purdue.edu
    Web Program Website
    Address Purdue University CERIAS
    (Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security)
    Recitation Building, Room 217a
    656 Oval Drive
    West Lafayette, IN 47907-2086
    USA

Additional Information


  • Current master’s students wishing to move to a doctoral degree program in this same graduate program will be required to submit a new application.
  • The writing sample should be a paper, project or research report on which you are the only author, one you submitted for a course as an undergraduate or graduate student and on which you received a good grade. It should be 10 pages or less and demonstrate your ability to write and reference as a graduate student. We do not need to see the remarks of the instructor or grade, only an electronic copy of your work. Most students keep their e-files for works they have submitted, so it should just be a matter of choosing something from previous assignments. If it has been many years since you were at university, then submit a piece of written work you have recently done on your job, perhaps a proposal or project description.
Purdue West Lafayette campus