Doctorate of Software Development

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Classroom to Career

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of this degree program, graduates will be able to:

- Evaluate organizational issues and recommend database solutions.
- Evaluate appropriate design choices when solving real-world problems.
- Develop software engineering process models and management approaches for design and architecture of large software systems.
- Design technical documentations to include the technical aspects of architecture, design, and quality assurance.
- Develop Business Intelligence (BI) using a wide range of applications, practices, and technologies for the extraction, transformation, integration, visualization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data to support improved decision making.

Course Information

Program Length

SYNC SESSIONS

DSD Courses

OFFERED TIMES

1-2 hours every other week

View Residency Requirements

Course Courses

DS7000: Database Management & Implementation

DS7100: Advanced Operating Systems

DS7200: Software Engineering & Development

DS7300: Software Architecture & Design

DS7400: Software Comprehension & Maintenance

DS7500: Problem Solving & Programming for the Research Practitioner

DS8000: Advanced Qualitative Methods in Software Development/Engineering

DS8100 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Software Development/Engineering

RM8500: Research Foundations

RM9100: Qualitative & Quantitative Analysis

Program Electives (Select 3)

DC7450: Advanced Research Methods in Communication Networks

DC7550: Advanced Research Methods in Parallel and Distributed Database Systems

DC7650: Advanced Research Methods in Very Large-Scale Integration Design

DS7600: Big Data & Analytical Research Methods for Software Developers

DS7700: Concurrent & Distributed Systems

IA7401: Ethical Hacking (CEH)

IA8021: Cloud Cybersecurity

IA8030: Design, Development, and Evaluation of Security Controls

IA8060: Intrusion Detection, Attacks, and Countermeasures

IA8070: Design & Development of Security Architectures

IA8110: Certification and Accreditation

IA8190: Forensic Evaluation and Incident Response Management

IA9200: Research Topics in Information Security

PM8100: Information Security Project Management

RM9150: Feasibility Problem-Driven Research

RM9200: Designing Solutions to Information Security Problems

Free Electives (Select 3)

7000-Level Elective

8000-Level Elective

9000-Level Elective

Comprehensive Examination

DST9500: Comprehensive and Qualifying Exam

Dissertation Courses

RES8110: Dissertation Initiation

RES8120: Dissertation Literature Review I

RES8121: Dissertation Literature Review II

RES8130: Dissertation Research, IRB, and Analysis

DST8110: Dissertation Results and Findings

DST8130X: Dissertation Manuscript Certification

Minimum credits required for Doctorate of Software Development: 62¹

¹Credit hours may exceed the minimum stated if dissertation deliverables are not completed within the expected timeframes.

Policy on Sync Sessions

Sync Sessions provide a forum for collaborative learning by enabling “real time” interaction between faculty and students.
SyncSessions are conducted through the use of a meeting web-based application called Zoom. Your instructor will provide details as to how you will access a Zoom meeting. In order to participate in the session, you must be at a computer. To participate in the audio portion of the SyncSession, your computer will need to be configured with a microphone and/or headset.
Sync Sessions are 1-2 hours long and will be held every other week.
Attendance is required for Sync Sessions.
The Sync Sessions are spent having students defending and explaining their research assignment for that week. Assignment instructions and grading rubrics are posted in the Canvas course shell.

Technology Specifications

Technology Requirements

Following are the recommended general technical hardware/software specifications for students enrolled in all academic programs at the University of Fairfax. Please note that

a) these specifications are sufficient for the entire duration of the program,

b) need for specific applications/software would be determined by the actual course(s) registered and the availability of the applications, and

c) although students with Mac computers can access any applications/software by leveraging remote access tools, Mac platform is not recommended and supported, and

d) doctoral students will be required to use several open-source applications, hosted services, and publicly available virtual machines. This may include but is not limited to SAS (Statistical Analysis System) OnDemand, Oracle Virtual Box, Kali OS, Apache Web Server, GNU/Linux, OpenSSL, ROS (Robot Operating System), Blender (3D computer graphics), and Orange (Data Mining).

Minimum Recommended Specifications

1. Ownership of either laptop or desktop is mandatory. Mobile devices such as Tablets/Smart Phones cannot be used for running any applications. Mobile devices may be used for simple tasks such as accessing Canvas courses for checking messages, grades, due dates, and read the slides. For other tasks such as taking test, uploading assignments, and participating in discussion forums, mobile devices are not recommended and must not be used.

2. These recommendations are universal across all academic programs and provide a basic format for all courses. As you move further into a degree program, these requirements may increase (only minimal) based on the expectations of the program and the availability of applications.

Platform: Intel-based systems	Minimum	Better	Best
CPU	4 core 3.0 GHz.	6 core 3.0 GHz.	8 core 3.0 GHz.
RAM	16GB	32GB	32GB
Storage	500GB SSD	1TB SSD	1TB SSD
Graphics	{Integrated} OR {2GB} OR {1GB DirectX 11}	{Integrated} OR {4GB} OR {2GB DirectX 11} OR {NVIDIA 4GB} OR {NVIDIA 4GB DirectX 11}	{4GB} OR {NVIDIA 4GB} OR {4GB DirectX 11} OR {NVIDIA 6GB DirectX 11}
Operating System	Windows 11 64-bit (Professional Edition only), No Home Edition	Windows 11 64-bit (Professional Edition only), No Home Edition	Windows 11 64-bit (Professional Edition only), No Home Edition
Extras	2-3 USB 2.0 or 2-3 USB 3.0 Ports Microphone Camera External USB Drive for backup (minimum 1 TB)	2-3 USB 2.0 or 2-3 USB 3.0 Ports Microphone Camera External USB Drive for backup (minimum 1 TB)	2-3 USB 2.0 or 2-3 USB 3.0 Ports Microphone Camera External USB Drive for backup (minimum 1 TB)
Recommended Standard Productivity Applications	Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Power BI, Project, Publisher, Visio, Sway, Word, Forms, Delve Internet browsers like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc. (recommend the use of multiple browsers) Document Management Application – Adobe Acrobat Professional Zoom Desktop Client (https://zoom.us/download) Free Video / Photo Editing (select 1 or2) Application – PowerDirector (best) – Google, Promeo – Best App for Social Media, iMovie – Video Editor App for Beginners, Splice – Free Video Editor for Trimming and Cropping, Quik – Best Video Editor for Montages, KineMaster – Video Editing App For Experienced Editors, Filmmaker Pro – Best for Vertical Editing, InShot – Best Video Editor App for Aspiring Social Media Content Creators, Mojo – Best for Any Kind of Social Media Post, VivaVideo – Best for Beginners Keep the system up to date with Windows Updates, .NET Framework etc.	Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Power BI, Project, Publisher, Visio, Sway, Word, Forms, Delve Internet browsers like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc. (recommend the use of multiple browsers) Document Management Application – Adobe Acrobat Professional Zoom Desktop Client (https://zoom.us/download) Free Video / Photo Editing (select 1 or 2) Application – PowerDirector (best) – Google, Promeo – Best App for Social Media, iMovie – Video Editor App for Beginners, Splice – Free Video Editor for Trimming and Cropping, Quik – Best Video Editor for Montages, KineMaster – Video Editing App For Experienced Editors, Filmmaker Pro – Best for Vertical Editing, InShot – Best Video Editor App for Aspiring Social Media Content Creators, Mojo – Best for Any Kind of Social Media Post, VivaVideo – Best for Beginners Keep the system up to date with Windows Updates, .NET Framework etc.	Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Power BI, Project, Publisher, Visio, Sway, Word, Forms, Delve Internet browsers like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc. (recommend the use of multiple browsers) Document Management Application – Adobe Acrobat Professional Zoom Desktop Client (https://zoom.us/download) Free Video / Photo Editing (select 1 or 2) Application – PowerDirector (best) – Google, Promeo – Best App for Social Media, iMovie – Video Editor App for Beginners, Splice – Free Video Editor for Trimming and Cropping, Quik – Best Video Editor for Montages, KineMaster – Video Editing App For Experienced Editors, Filmmaker Pro – Best for Vertical Editing, InShot – Best Video Editor App for Aspiring Social Media Content Creators, Mojo – Best for Any Kind of Social Media Post, VivaVideo – Best for Beginners Keep the system up to date with Windows Updates, .NET Framework etc.

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Doctorate of Software Development

Choose Your Path

I am looking to earn my