2020-2021 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Combined Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Master of Science in Cybersecurity
Qualified undergraduates may be admitted to a combined bachelor's/master's program and obtain both a B.S. in cybersecurity and an M.S. in cybersecurity within an accelerated time frame. Students admitted to this program will count up to 12 credits of graduate work in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the undergraduate. After completing 120 credits and all requirements for the bachelor's degree, students are awarded a bachelor's degree. A minimum of 21 graduate credits must be completed after the 120 credits of the bachelor's degree. All other master's degree requirements must be met.
Admission
We encourage cybersecurity students to apply for the combined B.S./M.S. program in cybersecurity and cybersecurity in their second year. It is also possible to apply in the third year but students in their fourth year typically do not receive the benefits of the combined program. Application requirements include:
- Overall GPA of 3.25 or greater
- Student must have been admitted to the cybersecurity program
- 60 hours of academic credit have been completed or are in progress
- Two letters of recommendation
- Academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are allowable)
- Letter of intent
Admission decisions will be made by the school admissions committee based on the student's previous academic success in cybersecurity, as indicated by GPA and grades in the foundation cybersecurity courses, as well as potential success in the graduate program, as indicated by the letters of recommendation, and the student's letter of intent. Decisions will typically be communicated to students within four weeks of submitting a complete application to the combined degree program.
Requirements
During Undergraduate Studies
All university requirements, including general education courses, must be completed before the final (graduate) year of the combined B.S./M.S. program. In the final undergraduate year, students typically take 12 credits of graduate-level courses. If any courses are dual-listed, students in the combined B.S./M.S. program must complete all assignments expected of graduate students and they will be evaluated in the same way as graduate students.
- The school has identified the following courses that students may dual-count toward the B.S. and M.S. degrees. Up to 12 credits can be dual counted. Students are strongly encouraged to work with the graduate program director in cybersecurity to ensure all undergraduate and graduate requirements are met.
During Graduate Studies
A student shall be considered a graduate student for all purposes upon either of the following events: the award of a baccalaureate degree, or the completion of 12 graduate credit hours.
Graduation Without Completion of the Program
If a student decides at some point to pursue only the undergraduate portion of the combined degree, the school will still recognize the graduate courses taken in lieu of undergraduate courses. Credit from the undergraduate degree cannot be used toward a graduate degree at a later date.
The student will still be responsible for completing all of their other undergraduate cybersecurity degree requirements.
Sample Order of Coursework
This sample order of coursework assumes that students will complete the cybersecurity foundation and general education courses with the help of their advisor and apply for graduate admission at the end of the winter semester of their second year. The following course sequence also assumes a strong mathematics background for the entering student. If mathematics deficiencies exist, completing the mathematics prerequisites should be the student's top priority.
Notes: This is only one of many possible sequences of courses. Students are strongly encouraged to work with the graduate program director in cybersecurity to ensure all undergraduate and graduate requirements are met, and to customize the combined program to their areas of interest. The following sequence makes no attempt to minimize credits. For example, the sequence assumes that all general education courses are distinct, and no "double dipping" is done.
Year One
- CIS 162 - Computer Science I (4 credits)
- CIS 163 - Computer Science II (4 credits)
- CIS 258 - Introduction to Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- COM 201 - Speech (3 credits)
- MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
- MTH 225 - Discrete Structures: Computer Science (3 credits)
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing (4 credits)
- Appropriate general education coursework
Year Two
- CIS 241 - System-level Programming and Utilities (3 credits)
- CIS 290 - Professional Responsibilities and Practices (3 credits)
- CIS 337 - Network Systems Management (3 credits)
- CIS 351 - Computer Organization and Assembly Language (4 credits)
- CIS 375 - Wireless Networks and Security (3 credits)
- CJ 315 - Principles of Security (3 credits)
- Appropriate general education coursework
- Appropriate general education coursework
- Appropriate general education coursework
- Appropriate general education coursework
Year Three
- CIS 331 - Data Analysis Tools and Techniques (3 credits)
- CIS 350 - Introduction to Software Engineering (3 credits)
- CIS 353 - Database (3 credits)
- CIS 358 - Information Assurance (3 credits)
- CIS 437 - Distributed Computing (4 credits)
- CIS 456 - Reverse Engineering and Malware Analysis (3 credits)
- CIS 490 - Internship (2 to 5 credits)
- CIS 617 - Digital Forensics and Investigations (3 credits)
- CJ 335 - Digital Crime, Media and Culture (3 credits)
- Appropriate general education coursework
- Cybersecurity elective
Year Four
- CIS 468 - Cybersecurity Project (3 credits)
- CIS 518 - Secure Software Engineering (3 credits)
- CIS 555 - Applied Cryptography (3 credits)
- CIS 616 - Data Security and Privacy (3 credits)
- WRT 350 - Business Communication (3 credits)
- Cybersecurity elective
- Graduate elective
- Appropriate general education coursework
- Appropriate general education coursework
Year Five
- CIS 615 - Information Security Principles (3 credits)
- CIS 619 - Data Analytics for Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- CIS 693 - Master's Project (3 credits)
- Graduate elective
- Graduate elective
- Graduate elective