Master of Science in Cybersecurity
About the Master of Science in Cybersecurity
This STEM master’s degree program is an interdisciplinary program focused on advanced study in cybersecurity and integrates coursework in Business, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Management Information Systems. The first cohort will begin in the Spring 2024 semester.
The fully online Master of Science in Cybersecurity cohort degree program combines computer-related courses from the School of Sciences and the School of Business, teaching students how to meet the practical needs of a modern 21st century information technology workforce. To make sure the curriculum content is relevant to workforce needs, the curriculum is closely aligned with the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) certification knowledge units related to cybersecurity. CompTIA was chosen because it is an industry-respected, vendor-neutral credentialing program.
The program is offered as faculty-led, asynchronous online instruction and consists of ten courses that are taken one-at-a-time in an 8-week session. There are five 8-week sessions per year, meaning the degree will take two calendar years to complete. Faculty will be available to discuss coursework by phone, email, video chat, or in person..
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The Master of Science in Cybersecurity degree has four major areas of technical learning objectives, each with specific outcomes that will be measured in the assigned courses through direct and indirect assessment as well as external assessment via the CompTIA professional certifications exams — Network+, Security+, CySA+, and PenTest+. Additionally, students will be expected to demonstrate the integration of the technical knowledge within a specific applied context through the completion of a final capstone project (CYBS 650).
The first area of study is Networking, wherein students learn about basic networking concepts, including network services, physical connections, topologies and architecture, and cloud connectivity; routing technologies and networking devices; and security concepts to harden networks against threats and attacks. Students will demonstrate an ability to troubleshoot common cable, connectivity, and software issues related to networking; deploy ethernet solutions and configure wireless technologies; and monitor and optimize networks to ensure business continuity. Courses in this area are CYBS 605 Networking Fundamentals and CYBS 610 Wireless Networking and IoT.
The second area of study is Security, in which students will demonstrate an understanding of how to mitigate threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities from newer custom devices (such as IoT and embedded devices), newer DDoS attacks, and social engineering attacks based on current events. They will also demonstrate an ability to administer identity, access management, PKI, basic cryptography, wireless, and end-to-end security and to support organizational risk management and compliance to industry standards and regulations. Courses in this area are CYBS 615 Network Security and CYBS 620 Security Management.
The third area of study is Cybersecurity System Administration, wherein students will learn to:
- utilize and apply proactive threat intelligence to support organizational security and perform vulnerability management activities;
- apply security solutions for infrastructure management using software & hardware assurance best practices;
- analyze data as part of continuous security monitoring activities and implement configuration changes to existing controls to improve security;
- apply the appropriate incident response procedure, analyze potential indicators of compromise, and utilize basic digital forensics techniques; and
- apply security concepts in support of organizational risk mitigation demonstrating an understanding of the importance of frameworks, policies, procedures, and controls.
Courses in this area are CYBS 625 Analysis of Data and Incident Responses; CYBS 640 Ethics, Issues, and Government Regulations; and CYBS 645 Leadership and Management.
The fourth area of study is Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking, in which students will learn to perform vulnerability scanning and passive/active reconnaissance; identify and analyze scripts and code samples in various software deployments; explain use cases of various tools used during a penetration test; perform post-exploitation techniques after various types of attacks; and demonstrate an understanding of an ethical hacking mindset. Courses in this area are CYBS 630 Vulnerability Management and CYBS 635 Ethical Hacking.
Cybersecurity Certificates
In addition to successful completion of all 10 courses, students in the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program will be required to successfully earn at least three of the following four CompTIA professional certifications prior to graduation:
- Network+ — certifies the essential skills needed to confidently design, configure, manage, and troubleshoot any wired and wireless devices.
- Security+ — provides a global benchmark for best practices in IT (Information Technology) network and operational security, one of the fastest-growing fields in IT.
- CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst) — applies behavioral analytics to the IT security field to improve the overall state of IT security.
- PenTest+ — certification in penetration testing is for intermediate level cybersecurity professionals who are tasked with penetration testing to manage vulnerabilities on a network.
Careers in Cybersecurity
Cybercrime currently costs business and industry $200 billion a year and, according to Network World magazine, “The need for cybersecurity experts spans all industries…” The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that careers in the field will grow by 35 percent by the end of this decade.
Careers include:
- Information Security Crime Investigator/Forensics Expert
- System, Network, and/or Web Penetration Tester
- Forensic Analyst
- Incident Responder
- Security Architect
- Malware Analyst
Is the MS in Cybersecurity for You?
If you have interest in one or more of these areas, the Master of Science in Cybersecurity may be for you:
- Computer and IT systems and networking
- Computer science
- Computer engineering
