This 36-credit program prepares graduates with technical skills related to cyber operations and security. Students with backgrounds in computer science, engineering, information technology, or related fields are well-positioned to start this degree program. Students having other, less technical backgrounds are eligible for admission but may need to complete a bridge semester of preparation. Students learn the knowledge, skills, and perspective necessary to address cyber operations and security issues of private and public business enterprises and governmental organizations. This program embraces a highly applied approach to the discipline, with emphasis on hands-on learning, a capstone experience, and rapid incorporation of emerging technologies into coursework. There is an emphasis on collaborative and teamwork approaches to problems, and students will have the opportunity to develop skills in technology leadership.
Admission
To be admitted, applicants must meet all graduate admission requirements (see here ), have had a statistics course, and have the equivalent of a minor in computer science, information technology, or a related field (e.g., engineering or information and decision sciences). Depending on their academic background and work experience, students may be required to complete up to four courses prior to graduation: IT 502 , STAT 240, IT 535 , and MATH 220. These courses may be taken concurrently with courses in the regular program, so long as specified prerequisites are met for individual classes.
Students may be eligible for admission to this program as an Early Entry student. See here for more information.
Capstone Requirement
The Cyber Security program requires a capstone experience. To fulfill this requirement, three options exist:
- CYB 686 : Internship, which expects 300 hours of practical experience in a working computing environment that embraces and extends the student’s coursework and experiences
- CYB 692 : Research Project, which provides the student with the opportunity to investigate or test an idea or area within the scope of Cyber Security, but on a smaller scale than that done in the thesis option
- CYB 798 and CYB 799 : Thesis, requires two semesters of work and is the most rigorous of the three options, requiring a proposal/plan (CYB 798 ) and a second semester of writing/execution (CYB 799 ). This entails a minimum of two supervising faculty as the thesis committee. One of the participating faculty functions as the technical advisor and primary supervisor. The option adds 3 credits to the overall number of credits taken to complete the degree (39 total), as the pair of courses requires 6 credits. Thesis completion requires adherence to the guidelines outlined in the Thesis Manual, available on the Graduate Office academic forms website.
Additional graduate courses may be approved by the advisor from the areas of computer science, information technology, analytics and modeling, mathematics, and business.
Sequencing of Coursework
Students may take a programming test before the start of their first semester. Should a student fail the programming test, the student must complete IT 502 during the first semester of enrollment. These credits do not count towards the degree in Cyber Security. The Capstone Experience should be taken after at least one semester of study. Up to 6 credits can be substituted based on prior coursework. The decision to substitute is made by the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences on the recommendation of the program director.
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