Updated: September 2024
Downloadable version: Here
Mission: CIC’s mission is to educate joint warfighters, national security leaders, and the cyber workforce on the cyber domain and information environment to lead, advise, and advance national and global security.
Vision: CIC’s vision is to be the leader in education, research, and collaboration in global cyber and information strategy at the nexus of government and academia.
History: CIC has a rich history that highlights the generational transformation from a largely analog society to a more digital one. Established as the Department of Defense Computer Institute (DODCI) in 1964 and housed at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard, the Institute initially trained military and government personnel in the fundamentals of computers. During these years, the legendary Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was not only an instructor at DODCI, but also was one of its most well-known proponents. With a growing enrollment, DODCI moved to the National Defense University in 1982 by then Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. In 1990, DODCI was renamed the Information Resources Management College (IRMC) and was later branded as the “iCollege” because of its robust distance education programs. In 2017, IRMC was renamed to CIC to reflect the national prioritization of information and cyberspace. Since its founding, the CIC continues to update its curriculum, organization, relationships, and activities to meet the national security needs of the nation. The Acting Chancellor is Mr. Andrew Walsh.
About: CIC is known for its thought leadership, prestigious educational experience, close cooperation with senior public and private sector partners, and hosting events of national strategic importance. It is our nation’s only strategically oriented and joint (all military services) graduate institution focused on information and cyberspace. Our faculty is comprised of world-class experts with terminal degrees, as well as practitioners such as senior military officers, industry professionals, and visiting chairs from government agencies. CIC is currently organized into three departments: Infrastructure and Disruptive Technology, Information Strategy, and Cyber Strategy. The CIC curriculum is designed to prioritize the needs of the DoD Cyberspace Workforce in coordination with stakeholders including US Cyber Command, Congress, and the DoD CIO.
Graduate Education: The National Defense University is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) with initial accreditation granted in 1997. CIC is within the scope of National Defense University’s accreditation by the MSCHE and includes both unclassified as well as classified Top Secret-Sensitive Compartmented Information courses. Courses are offered in-person and online. CIC offers a 33-credit hour Master of Science (MS) degree in Strategic Information and Cyberspace Studies, as well as a 14-week Leadership Development Programs with a focus on Cyber or Chief Information Officer, and graduate certificates in Cyber Leadership, Chief Information Security Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Data Officer. A full-time 10-month in-residence version of our MS program confers Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase II (War College / Senior Service College) credit for eligible US military officers.
Students: CIC currently has hundreds of students enrolled that come from diverse organizations across the US military (US Cyber Command, Marine Corps, etc.), interagency (Department of Homeland Security and others), ally, and partner nations, as well as from the private sector. The CIC maintains thousands of alumni that are senior leaders in the national security, diplomatic, intelligence, and technology communities. Admissions: https://cic.ndu.edu/students/admissions/.
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