The Master of Science in Cybersecurity program provides students with the knowledge, skills, and professional practices needed for careers in the cybersecurity fields. The program also prepares students who desire to pursue further graduate work that leads to a Ph.D. degree. The curriculum covers several advanced topics in cybersecurity, such as; advanced cryptography, cybersecurity policy, cyber risk and vulnerability, cyber operation, wireless network security, web/mobile security, software security, security in Internet of Things (loT), etc. These courses will be taught using the very latest, state-of-the-art security tools and technologies.

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

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Required
CYBR 510	Intro to Cybersecurity	3
CYBR 530	Cybersec Policies & Mgmt	3
CYBR 615	Cyber Vulnerability Assess	3
CYBR 620	Cyberwarfare	3
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
CYBR 680	Research in Cybersecurity
CYBR 681	Thesis
Core Electives Option
Select any two 600 level CYBR courses
Free Electives
Select two of the following:		6
CYBR 500/400	Computer Security Design
CYBR 535/435	Cyber Risk
CYBR 542/442	Cyber Operations
CYBR 625	Applied Cryptography (Independent Study also listed in the Network Security Concentration)
CYBR 698	Internship
CS 504	High Performance Computing
CS 620	Applied Algorithms
CS 625	AI Principles and Methods
CS 630	Machine Learning
CS 660	Big Data Systems
MIS 624	Data Warehousing
IS 625	Software Engineering
IS 692	Image Processing
IS 631	Information Security
IS 646	Computer Sys Security
IS 647	IT Disaster Plan and Recovery
IS 656	Comm & Network Technologies
Total Credit Hours		30

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

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
CYBR 535/435	Cyber Risk	3
CYBR 542/442	Cyber Operations	3
CYBR 625	Applied Cryptography	3
IS 656	Comm & Network Technologies	3

Application Security

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
CYBR 500/400	Computer Security Design	3
CYBR 535/435	Cyber Risk	3
CYBR 625	Applied Cryptography (Also listed in the Network Security Concentration)	3
IS 646	Computer Sys Security	3

Security Management

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
CYBR 500/400	Computer Security Design	3
CYBR 542/442	Cyber Operations	3
IS 631	Information Security	3
IS 647	IT Disaster Plan and Recovery	3

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 Semester		Credit Hours
CYBR 510	Intro to Cybersecurity	3
CYBR 530	Cybersec Policies & Mgmt	3
CYBR 615	Cyber Vulnerability Assess	3
	Credit Hours	9
Second Semester
CYBR 620	Cyberwarfare	3
Concentration Course 1		3
Elective Course 1		3
	Credit Hours	9
Second Year
Third Semester
Select one of the following:		3
CYBR 680	Research in Cybersecurity 1
Core Elective 1
Concentration Course 2		3
Elective Course 2		3
Select one of the following:		3
CYBR 681	Thesis 2
Core Elective 2
	Credit Hours	12
	Total Credit Hours	30

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.