Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Critical Infrastructure

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Earn a doctorate degree in critical infrastructure, advance scholarly research and your career

From hospitals to power plants, dams, water facilities, and transportation systems, critical infrastructure supports every aspect of our lives. The Department of Homeland Security has identified 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks are so vital that incapacitation or destruction would debilitate the nation’s security, economy, public health, and safety.

While protecting these assets from physical threats has long been a concern, attention has only recently turned to the risk of a virtual attack. As security experts grapple with the implications of today’s Internet of Things, an urgent need exists for new research and ideas in the field. Through our doctoral program in critical infrastructure, you can contribute to solving one of the greatest technical challenges of the 21st century – how to create a robust and sustainable infrastructure that is resilient against multiple threats and hazards.

This is a research based doctorate PhD degree where you will be assigned an academic supervisor almost immediately to guide you through your program and is based on mostly independent study through the entire program. It typically takes a minimum of two years but typically three years to complete if a student works closely with their assigned academic advisor. Under the guidance of your academic supervisor, you will conduct unique research in your chosen field before submitting a Thesis or being published in three academic journals agreed to by the academic supervisor.  If by publication route it will require original contribution to knowledge or understanding in the field you are investigating.

As your PhD progresses, you move through a series of progression points and review stages by your academic supervisor. This ensures that you are engaged in a process of research that will lead to the production of a high-quality Thesis and/or publications and that you are on track to complete this in the time available. Following submission of your PhD Thesis or accepted three academic journal articles, you have an oral presentation assessed by an external expert in your field.