Master of Science in Cybersecurity

SAJAL BHATIA , PhD
Program Director, Assistant Professor
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The Graduate Master’s Program in Cybersecurity is designed to provide individuals with an in-depth knowledge to information security, risk and threat management, and security architecture. It will give students the skills to effectively address the constantly changing threat landscape faced by people, companies, and governments today. The courses in the program will:

• provide a broad knowledge of networking and network security;
• provide an overview of proper technology risk management practices;
• help the individual to identify new and existing threats and to determine methods to mitigate them;
• provide the individual the skills to handle security incidents;
• provide the individual with an introduction to building secure and defendable systems; and
• respond to the pressing need for cybersecurity professionals in the 21^st century.

Courses and Degree Requirements

MS in Cybersecurity degree program consists of 10 courses (30 credits) or 12 courses (36 credits) with prerequisites that can be completed over 12-15 months following a trimester-based schedule (fall, spring, and late spring). Distribution of courses that must be taken is as follows:

• Prerequisite courses (if required): 2 courses
• Foundational courses (required): 5 courses
• Thesis or Non-thesis option (any one): 2 thesis courses or 1 non-thesis (capstone project) course
• Elective courses: from the list of elective courses below, any 3 courses for the thesis option or any 4 courses for the non-thesis option

Prerequisite Courses

(if required)

All undergraduate majors are welcome. The following prerequisites are required for students without professional experience or knowledge equivalent to the following courses. Additional prerequisites may be recommended by the program director. All prerequisite courses must be taken in the first trimester and completed with a grade of B or better.

CS 504	Introduction to Programming Using Scripting	3
CS 505	Computer Networks	3

Cybersecurity Master’s Degree Program

The Graduate Master’s Program in Cybersecurity is designed to provide individuals with an introduction to information security, risk and threat management, and security architecture. It will give students the skills to effectively address the constantly changing threat landscape faced by people, companies, and governments today. The courses in the program will:

• provide a broad knowledge of networking and network security;
• provide an overview of proper technology risk management practices;
• help the individual to identify new and existing threats and to determine methods to mitigate them;
• provide the individual the skills to handle security incidents;
• provide the individual with an introduction to building secure and defendable systems; and
• respond to the pressing need for cybersecurity professionals in the 21st century.

Requirements

Required Courses (15 credits)

CS 622	Network Security I	3
CS 625	Cryptography	3
CS 626	Intro to Cybersecurity	3
CS 627	System Security	3
CS 628	Security Management	3
CS 635	Digital Forensics	3

Thesis or Non-Thesis Options

Students can choose between the thesis or the non-thesis option. The thesis option comprises of two sequential courses that can only be taken in the final two trimesters. The non-thesis option comprises of one capstone project course that can only be taken in the final trimester of the program.

CS 690	Thesis I	3
	and
CS 691	Thesis II	3
	or
CS 670	Research Project Seminar	3

Elective Courses (9–12 credits)

Students pursuing the thesis option in their program of study are required to take any 3 elective courses. Students pursuing the non-thesis option are required to choose any 4 elective courses from the list below.

CS 627	System Security	3
CS 629	Ethical Hacking	3
CS 636	Secure Programming Techniques	3
CS 639	Vulnerability Management	3
CS 641	Securing the Cloud	3
CS 645	Advanced Digital Forensics	3
CS 646	Mobile Device Forensics	3
CS 660	Special Topics in Cybersecurity	3
CS 680	Cybersecurity Practicum

 

Degree Total: 36 credits