Cybersecurity, M.S.

Admission Requirements and Transfer Criteria

Applicants should follow the admissions process stated in the graduate catalog or the graduate admissions web site. Minimum requirements for admission is a four-year bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 2.75 or higher out of 4.0 in Cybersecurity or computer science related programs.

Whether a student meets the above requirements will be determined by the chair or designee of the Department of Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering, based on the information provided in the admission application and transcripts. Applicants with a four-year bachelor’s degree in a major other than a cybersecurity or computer science related program may be admitted to the program with a condition of successful completion of the following three bridge courses with a grade of B or above in the first two semesters of the program:

  • Data Structures and Algorithms (CS 210 Data Structures and Algorithms)
  • lnternetworking (CS 320 Internetworking)
  • Statistics (STA 225 Introductory Statistics (CT) or STA 345 Applied Prob and Stat)

Foreign nationals must provide proof of English proficiency with a minimum score of 6.5 in IELTS or 80 on the TOEFL IBT (or 550 paper-based) and must have met all other admission criteria prior to registering for the first semester of courses.

Program Requirements

The M.S. degree requires 30 credit hours (CR) of graduate work. At least 15 credit hours should be taken from 600 level courses.

Plan of Study 

Core Required
CYBR 510Intro to Cybersecurity3
CYBR 530Cybersec Policies & Mgmt3
CYBR 615Cyber Vulnerability Assess3
CYBR 620Cyberwarfare3
Concentration
Select two courses from one concentration area:6
Network Security
Application Security
Security Management
Thesis Option or Core Electives Option 1
Select one of the following options:6
Thesis Option
Research in Cybersecurity
Thesis
Core Electives Option
Select any two 600 level CYBR courses
Free Electives
Select two of the following:6
Computer Security Design
Cyber Risk
Cyber Operations
Applied Cryptography (Independent Study also listed in the Network Security Concentration)
Internship
High Performance Computing
Applied Algorithms
AI Principles and Methods
Machine Learning
Big Data Systems
Data Warehousing
Software Engineering
Image Processing
Information Security
Computer Sys Security
IT Disaster Plan and Recovery
Comm & Network Technologies
Total Credit Hours30
1

The Thesis option offers a student an opportunity for serious investigation into an area of interest by completing a 3 credit research course (CYBR 680 Research in Cybersecurity) and a 3 credit thesis (CYBR 681 Thesis) course. Students must summarize their thesis work in the form of a formal written document and deliver an oral presentation. Thesis work is typically conducted over two semesters. A thesis option can be taken after the completion of 12 credit hours. The 6 CR of the thesis option courses cannot be combined in a semester.

Network Security

CYBR 535/435Cyber Risk3
CYBR 542/442Cyber Operations3
CYBR 625Applied Cryptography3
IS 656Comm & Network Technologies3

Application Security

CYBR 500/400Computer Security Design3
CYBR 535/435Cyber Risk3
CYBR 625Applied Cryptography (Also listed in the Network Security Concentration)3
IS 646Computer Sys Security3

Security Management

CYBR 500/400Computer Security Design3
CYBR 542/442Cyber Operations3
IS 631Information Security3
IS 647IT Disaster Plan and Recovery3

Plan of Study

Following is a typical two-year study plan for a full-time (9 credit hours a semester) student:

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
First SemesterCredit Hours
CYBR 510 Intro to Cybersecurity 3
CYBR 530 Cybersec Policies & Mgmt 3
CYBR 615 Cyber Vulnerability Assess 3
 Credit Hours9
Second Semester
CYBR 620 Cyberwarfare 3
Concentration Course 1 3
Elective Course 1 3
 Credit Hours9
Second Year
Third Semester
Select one of the following: 3
Research in Cybersecurity 1
Core Elective 1
Concentration Course 2 3
Elective Course 2 3
Select one of the following: 3
Thesis 2
Core Elective 2
 Credit Hours12
 Total Credit Hours30
1

Prerequisite CYBR 510 Intro to Cybersecurity

2

Prerequisite CYBR 680 Research in Cybersecurity (thesis option)

Note: All four Core Required courses will be offered every semester. However, some elective courses may be offered just one semester a year. Students should work closely with an advisor in developing a study plan.