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Information assurance education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an information assurance. Information assurances usually study computer information systems, computer science, or business. 62% of information assurances hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 106 real information assurance resumes to see exactly what information assurance education sections show.

The most common colleges for information assurances are the University of the District of Columbia and the University of the District of Columbia.

There are also many online information assurance courses to help get the education required to be an information assurance.

There are certain information assurance certifications that you should consider. These information assurance certifications include Security 5 Certification and CompTIA Radio Frequency Identification (RFID+) Certification (CompTIA).

What education do you need to become an information assurance?

What degree do you need to be an information assurance?

The most common degree for information assurances is bachelor's degree, with 62% of information assurances earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Master's, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an information assurance?

You should major in computer information systems to become an information assurance. 16% of information assurances major in computer information systems. Other common majors for an information assurance include computer science and business.

Most common colleges for information assurances

Information assurances often get their degrees at University of the District of Columbia, Saint Leo University, and American University. Here are the most common colleges for information assurances in the US based on their resumes.
Information assurance common collegePercentages
University of the District of Columbia7.41%
Saint Leo University7.41%
American University7.41%
Kean University7.41%
Pennsylvania State University7.41%

Best majors for information assurances

Best colleges for information assurances

The best colleges for information assurances are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and New York University.

An information assurance with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for information assurances. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become information assurances.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. University of Maryland - Baltimore County

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$11,778

Enrollment

11,156

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for information assurances

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3. Information Systems Auditing, Controls and Assurance

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The course is awarded The Best Free Online Courses of All Time, and Best Online Courses of the Year (2021 Edition) by Class Central (http://www.classcentral.com). --- Information systems (IS) are important assets to business organizations and are ubiquitous in our daily lives. With the latest IS technologies emerging, such as Big Data, FinTech, Virtual Banks, there are more concerns from the public on how organizations maintain systems’ integrity, such as data privacy, information security, the...

4. NIST DoD RMF

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The Risk Management Framework (RMF) provides a disciplined, structured and flexible process for managing security and privacy risk. It includes information security categorization; control selection, implementation and assessment; system and common control authorizations; and continuous monitoring. It includes activities to prepare organizations to execute the framework at appropriate risk management levels. This learning path explains the RMF steps and its processes (aka tasks) which link...

5. Certified Information Systems Security Officer (CISSO)

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6. ISO/IEC 27002:2022. Information security controls

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Learn about the comprehensive set of information security controls proposed by ISO/IEC 27002:2022...

7. Intro to Cybersecurity

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10. ISO/IEC 27001:2022. Information Security Management System

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13. Information Systems Security for Professionals: CISSP

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Making Next Gen Information Security Leaders...

14. Practical Aspects of Information System Audit (For Beginner)

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Practical Aspects of Information System Audit (For Beginners)...

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16. Zero Trust Security

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17. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

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Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)...

18. ISO/IEC 27005:2022. Information security risk management

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Understand the framework proposed by ISO for managing information security risks in an organization...

19. ISACA CISM Certified Information Security Manager

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One of the highest paid certifications! Become a Certified Information Security Manager!...

20. Information Security Basics for IT Support Technicians

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Learn the basics of information security and what you need to know to be compliant with data protection regulations...

Top 10 most affordable universities for information assurances

The most affordable schools for information assurances are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - los angeles.

If the best universities for information assurances are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for information assurances.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for information assurances

The hardest universities for information assurances to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and New York University.

Some great schools for information assurances are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for information assurances based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for information assurances

The easiest schools for information assurances to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and ottawa university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an information assurance without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for information assurances.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

4. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

5. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton

Dunmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,056

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

10. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

Average information assurance salary by education level

According to our data, information assurances with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $87,792 annually. Information assurances with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $79,646.
Information assurance education levelInformation assurance salary
Master's Degree$87,792
Bachelor's Degree$79,646
Some College/ Associate Degree$67,528

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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