Government Information Leader (GIL) Master of Science Degree (Seeking Approval*)

The Government Information Leader (GIL) Master of Science Degree Program is a selective and competitive program that addresses the educational needs of defense and government leaders who seek to lead complex and diverse 21st Century organizations. Today, even the most seasoned government leaders are facing extraordinary challenges in managing information technology, financial, and human resources, understanding social networks, and competing globally. Information Age leaders must know how to respond to rapidly evolving priorities and how to leverage a multi-generational workforce. They must be agile and adaptable to meet the national security challenges of the future. National security is increasingly recognized as an inter-agency responsibility and not just the purview of the Department of Defense.

The four competencies of: Strategic Thinking, Collaboration and Cross-Boundary Leadership, Leveraging Resources, and Focus on the Enterprise, were adopted by the IRM College as essential for Information Age leaders. In addition to these competencies, IRM College courses develop and faculty hold students accountable for cross-cutting skills and values that must be exemplified by government information executives. The curriculum of the GIL Master of Science Degree Program offers a combination of management and leadership intensive courses in a collaborative and interactive environment. Participants from across defense and federal, state, and local government organizations create a learning community where partnerships, information sharing, and network synergies serve as force multipliers.
 
*The IRM College is seeking approval to award the degree of Government Information Leader Master of Science from the United States Department of Education and the United States Congress, but it has not yet been granted.

The Information Resources Management College of the National Defense University is seeking approval from the United States Department of Education of its proposed Government Information Leader Master of Science Degree Program. The College has suspended acceptance and review of applications pending final approval. Application materials received by the Registrar’s Office will be held until the admission review process resumes (anticipated for summer 2010). Prospective students to the MS program should hold submission of application materials until further notice as admission requirements are subject to change. More information… Letter from Dean of Faculty and Academics to IRM College community regarding Department of Education review.

Goals of the Degree Program
Successful graduates of the Master of Science Degree will be able to:

• Employ information and information technology for strategic advantage.
• Evaluate the role, challenges, and opportunities of their organizations within the context of homeland, national, and global security.
• Apply critical and innovative thinking to achieve results-oriented organizational goals.
• Collaborate across boundaries to leverage talent, resources, and opportunities to achieve mission outcomes.
• Create resilient, adaptable, agile, and productive government organizations focused on national security in the Information Age.
• Commit to lifelong development of self and others as reflective learners.
• Lead Information Age defense and government organizations.

Degree Requirements

The GIL Master of Science Degree requires successful completion of 36 graduate credits. There is no thesis requirement. The Program consists of twelve (12) courses comprised of four components: Foundation, Management, Leadership, and Concentration. Courses in the Government Information Leader Certificate (see section on GIL Certificate) form the core of the Master’s program. Courses may be taken for the Certificate alone or as the core for the Master’s Degree program. Concentrations in the Master’s Degree correspond to the College’s certificate programs: Chief Information Officer, Chief Financial Officer Leadership, Enterprise Architecture, Information Operations, and Information Technology Project Management, and Strategic Transformation (formerly, Organizational Transformation).

Program Completion Time Limit: All coursework applied toward a M.S. degree must be completed within the previous seven years. Students must successfully complete at least one course every 18 months to maintain active status in the program.

Applying Coursework Earned Prior to Program Admission: IRM College coursework that have been previously applied to a certificate program also may be used toward the Master of Science Degree. Eligible courses are those that directly fulfill Master of Science Degree requirements. Courses taken for a grade of Audit (AU) or Professional Development (PD), or which have been used to satisfy degree requirements for other advanced degrees are not eligible. All coursework applied toward a M.S. degree must be completed within the previous seven years.

Electronic Portfolio Requirement: Master of Science Degree students are required to complete and present an electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) as part of the degree program of study. The ePortfolio is a personal narrative that documents student learning, reflection, and performance associated with the IRM College Master of Science leadership competencies of: Strategic Thinking, Collaboration and Cross-Boundary Leadership, Leveraging Resources and Focus on the Enterprise.

Admitted Master of Science students will be automatically enrolled in, and must successfully complete, a non-credit asynchronous online seminar, the Leadership Development Seminar (LDS) about the ePortfolio process. The LDS will provide students with guidance on starting and completing the Master of Science ePortfolio. Master of Science ePortfolios must be evaluated a minimum of three times, and at least once per year while students are actively enrolled in the program. Student presentation of a satisfactory ePortfolio to a faculty panel is the final degree requirement.

(Seeking Approval*) The IRM College is currently seeking approval from the United States Department of Education to award the Government Information Leader Master of Science Degree. If and when approval is granted, students will receive graduate credit for the appropriate courses taken from the point of their matriculation. Please visit the website for up-to-date information on the Department of Education approval process, and the College’s admission requirements and the application review cycle.

GIL M.S. Course List and Concentrations

• AII—Information Assurance and Critical Infrastructure Protection
• ARC—Enterprise Architecture for Leaders
• ASA—Analytics and Simulation for Enterprise Architecture
• BBC—Building an IT Business Case
• BCP—Budgeting and Congressional Relations for Strategic Leaders
• CFF—Changing World of the CFO
• COO—Continuity of Operations
• CST—Critical Information Systems Technologies
• CWC—The Changing World of the CIO
• DAC—Defense Enterprise Architecture
• DMG—Decision Making for Government Leaders
• DMS—Data Management Strategies and Technologies
• EAP—Enterprise Architecture Practicum
• ESP—Enterprise Strategic Planning
• ESS—Enterprise Information Security Risk and Management
• FAC—Federal Enterprise Architecture and Advanced Concepts
• FFR—The Future of Financial Reporting and Standards
• GBE—Government Business Enterprise Transformation
• GLS—Global Strategic Landscape
• IOS—Information Operations and National Security in the Information Age
• IPL—Information Technology Program Leadership
• ITA—Strategic Information Technology Acquisition
• ITP—IT Project Management
• IWS—Information, Warfare, and Military Strategy
• JIOPC—Joint Information Operations Planning Course (Offered by the Joint Forces Staff College)
• LDC—Leadership for the Information Age
• LCW—Leading the 21st Century Workforce
• LSI—Leading Strategies for Disruptive Innovation
• MAC—Multi-Agency Information-Enabled Collaboration
• MEA—Modeling for Enterprise Architecture
• MOP—Measuring Results of Organizational Performance
• OCL—Organizational Culture for Strategic Leaders
• PFM—Capital Planning & Portfolio Management
• PMA—Planning and Managing Enterprise Architecture Programs
• PRI—Strategies for Process Improvement
• RIA—Leadership for Risk Management, Internal Controls, and Auditing
• SAL—Software Acquisition Leadership
• SCL—Strategic Communication for Government Leaders
• SEC—Cyber Security for Information Leaders
• SIO—Strategic Infrastructure Operations
• TAS—Transformation and Strategic Alignment
• TCC—Terrorism and Crime in Cyberspace
• WGV—Web-Enabled Government

GIL M.S.	Concentrations (Req) = Required Courses
	Chief Information Officer	Chief Financial Officer Leadership	Enterprise Architecture	Information Operations	IT Project Management	Strategic Transformation
Courses/Hours	12/36	12/36	12/36	12/36	12/36	12/36
Foundation	GLS OCL	GLS OCL	GLS OCL	GLS OCL	GLS OCL	GLS OCL
Management	3 courses from: MOP (Req) COO ESP ITA PRI	3 courses from: BCP COO ESP MOP PRI	3 courses from: BBC (Req) BCP DMS (Req) PRI MOP	3 courses from: BCP COO (Req) TCC (Req) ESS ESP MOP PRI	3 courses from: BCP COO ESP ITA (Req) MOP PRI TCC	3 courses from: BCP COO ESP MOP PRI TCC
Leadership	3 courses: ARC (Req) DMG (Req) LDC (Req)	3 courses from: ARC DMG LDC LCW MAC	3 courses from: ARC (Req) DMG LDC MAC SCL WGV	2 courses from: ARC DMG LDC MAC SCL (Req)	2 courses from: ARC DMG LDC MAC SCL	4 courses DMG (Req) LCW (Req) MAC (Req) SCL (Req)
Concentrations	2 courses : AII (Req) CWC (Req)	4 courses from: BBC CFF (Req) DMS ESS FFR GBE ITP PFM RIA WGV	4 courses : ASA (Req) DAC  or FAC (Req) PMA (Req) MEA (Req)	5 courses : IOS (Req) IWS (Req) AII or SIO (Req) JIOPC (Req) SEC (Req)	5 courses : BBC (Req) CST (Req) IPL (Req) ITP (Req) SAL (Req)	3 courses GBE (Req) LSI (Req) TAS (Req)
	2 courses from: Any from catalog