George Mason University’s School of Business will be introducing a Critical Infrastructure Protection and Management track as part of its Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program starting Spring Semester 2015, the first of its kind in the country.
Offered in partnership with Mason’s Center for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, the curriculum answers an impassioned call to develop knowledgeable and visionary executives who can lead the effort to protect our vital resources.
“Increasingly, we are getting wake-up calls about threats to crucial infrastructure,” J. P. Auffret, director of executive degree programs in the School of Business, said. “A recent example occurred in California when snipers opened fire on electric grid components of a power station, almost causing a blackout. Much of our physical infrastructure—electric power grids, water supplies, bridges and tunnels—remains unprotected. In addition, computer-based attacks pose significant danger because more and more of our control systems are connected to the Internet.”
The course will cover risk analysis and management, systems analysis and cyber security and has been specially crafted to help further the education of private-sector professionals, as well as government leaders and military professionals.
“Our goal is to fully prepare the individuals who will lead our country’s efforts to secure assets, systems and networks that underpin American society,” Auffret said.
The new track complements the existing global and national defense tracks in the EMBA program and is offered in class or online.