Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Core Cybersecurity Course Requirements

Ethical Leadership

This interdisciplinary course will develop highly effective transformational leaders in their respective professions who formulate sustainable, ethically sound solutions to practical management problems encountered in a complex global environment. You will learn how to set direction and work with multiple constituencies with divergent needs through an ethical lens that includes social responsibility and the intersections of diversity, culture, and environment, and how these differences affect best practices in management in your discipline.

Strategic Talent Management

This interdisciplinary course will enable you to acquire the skills necessary to strategically lead decisively across all functions in organizations, including recruitment and selection of employees, training and development, performance appraisals, health and safety, labor relations, and change management. You will be introduced to leadership and talent management within and across disciplines and apply strategies to the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. This course will integrate legal, management, and social science research with an action learning-based approach to executive-level leadership education. You will have the opportunity to apply these skills through your own disciplinary lens, and will gain an in-depth understanding of how these skills are applied in other disciplines.
Additionally, this course explores practical application of concepts to current issues to the field of public administration.

Foundations of Cybersecurity

Gain the knowledge and tools necessary to research cybersecurity threats, identify threats, and take action to minimize, mitigate, or eliminate the threats. The course covers the concepts of continuous training within the organization and addresses the company-wide impact of cybersecurity.

Network and Communication Security

This introduction to network security fundamentals is organized into four parts. The first part covers the basics of private key and public key cryptography, including the common encryption algorithms AES, RC4, and RSA. The second part builds on cryptography to design secure protocols for confidentiality, authentication, and data integrity. The third part covers how cyber-attacks proceed from reconnaissance to exploits and intrusions, and the last part of the course focuses on intrusion prevention, detection, and response.

Legal and Compliance Issues in Cybersecurity

Coursework examines the ethical, legal, and regulatory compliance issues related to the practice of cyber security. Focuses on the requirements, challenges, and dilemmas of data protection, due diligence, privacy laws, fraud and risk management, intellectual property, and ethical corporate codes of conduct. Covers key mandates and laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCA) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). To minimize liabilities and reduce risks from electronic, physical threats and reduce the losses from legal action, the information security practitioner must understand the current legal environment and , stay informed of emerging laws and regulations.

Information Assurance

Gain awareness, guidance, best practices, and assessments on the principles of information systems security. Online coursework covers the foundations of information systems security as defined by industry experts and the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2.

Master’s in Cybersecurity Capstone: 3 Credits

In this final course of the program, students examine computer security technologies and principles such as cryptography, authentication, access control, database and software security, human factors, and security auditing. The course also covers IT security management, risk assessment, and legal and ethical considerations.

Concentrations (Choose One): 9 Credits

General

Choose from 9 credits worth of approved technical electives to customize the concentration to your career goals.

Information Assurance

Designed as a specialization for an individual who desires to be hands on while combating cybersecurity threats, the information assurance concentration prepares students for roles on the front line of defense. Required courses include:

• Software and Application Security
• Cyber Attacks and Defense
• Digital Forensics and Investigations

Continuously monitor, maintain, and enhance the protection of enterprise-wide information assets through effective industry accepted information management and risk management techniques.

Detect, analyze, and respond to cyber-attacks on networks and computer systems.

Conduct risk and vulnerability assessments of existing and proposed information systems.

Utilize the best sources of information available related to cyber security issues, threats, and recovery.

Apply interdisciplinary leadership practices based on evidence that promote ethical, and collaborative sustainable change in cybersecurity.

Demonstrate proficiency in communicating technical information in formal reports, documentation, and oral presentations to users and information technology professionals.

Demonstrate a commitment to professional development and to continue to engage in lifelong learning.

Evaluate interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving and opportunities to lead a diverse/global workforce.