Cybersecurity Bachelor of Science

Leading to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Cybersecurity

Students in Cybersecurity (BSCY) learn how systems, devices, and networks operate and how to identify potential security vulnerabilities in those environments.  Students will experience the entire security process from incident response and forensics, to offensive and defensive security, to policy and management.  Electives allow students to dive deeper into areas of cybersecurity that they are most interested in.  Students also apply these skills directly in the work environment through two required co-op work semesters beginning junior year.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Graduates are able to regard cybersecurity across domains of people, process, policy, and technology.
  • Graduates are able to define solutions that integrate cybersecurity concepts from the design phase through implementation.
  • Graduates are able to apply security principles and practices to the environment, hardware, software, and human aspects of a system.
  • Graduates are able to analyze and evaluate systems with respect to maintaining operations in the presence of risks and threats.
  • Graduates are able to apply necessary oversight of systems based on legal, compliance, regulatory, or governance requirements.
  • Graduates are able to define privacy, trust, confidentiality, and security as it relates to people, personnel, and organizations.

Total credits for degree: 125

This is a four-year full-time program, starting in the fall semester of the student’s first year and planned to end in the summer semester of the student’s fourth year. The courses are as follows:

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman Year
Fall SemesterCredits
COMP1000 COMPUTER SCIENCE I 4
COMP1100
INTRODUCTION TO NETWORKS
or NETWORK PROGRAMMING
4
MATH2300 DISCRETE MATHEMATICS 4
English Sequence* 4
 Credits16
Spring Semester
COMP1050 COMPUTER SCIENCE II 4
COMP2500 SECURITY PRINCIPLES 4
MATH1776 CALCULUS 1A 2
MATH1777 CALCULUS 1B 2
English Sequence* 4
 Credits16
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester
COMP1200
COMPUTER ORGANIZATION
or DIGITAL LOGIC
4
COMP2000 DATA STRUCTURES 4
MGMT2560 CYBERSECURITY LAW & POLICY 4
MATH1876 CALCULUS 2A 2
MATH1877 CALCULUS 2B 2
 Credits16
Spring Semester
COMP2150 NETWORK ADMINISTRATION 4
COMP2350 ALGORITHMS 4
MATH2860 LINEAR ALGEBRA & MATRIX THEORY 4
HSS Elective* 4
COOP2500 INTRODUCTION TO COOPERATIVE EDUCATION 0
 Credits16
Summer Semester
OPTIONAL COOP EDUCATION
 Credits0
Junior Year
Fall Semester
COMP3100 SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION 4
COMP3400 OPERATING SYSTEMS 4
COMP3500 NETWORK SECURITY 4
Math or Science Elective 2 4
 Credits16
Spring Semester
COOP3500 COOP EDUCATION 1 0
 Credits0
Summer Semester
COMP3550 COMPUTER SECURITY 4
COMP3590 APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY 4
MATH2100 PROBABILITY & STATISTICS FOR ENGINEERS 4
HSS Elective* 4
 Credits16
Senior Year
Fall Semester
COOP4500 COOP EDUCATION 2 0
 Credits0
Spring Semester
COMP4500 OFFENSIVE SECURITY 4
Cybersecurity Elective 6 3 or 4
Computer Science Elective 3 4
HSS Elective* 4
 Credits15-16
Summer Semester
COMP4550 INCIDENT RESPONSE & BUSINESS CONTINUITY 4
COMP5500 SENIOR PROJECT 4
Cybersecurity Elective 6 3-4
Math or Science Elective 2 4
 Credits15-16
 Total Credits126-128
2

Students must take two math or science electives total. Of these, at least one must be a 3-2-4 science elective with the exception of PHYS1000, and PHYS1500. Math electives include any Applied Math minor course.

3

Cybersecurity students take a total of four computer science electives: two cybersecurity electives, one cryptography elective and one computer science.

ENGL/HSS Note

Students are required to complete:

  • At least one course in Humanities: CSAS, HSSI, HIST, HUMN, LITR and PHIL
  • At least one course in the Social Sciences: CSAS, HSSI, COMM, ECON, ENVM, POLS, PSYC and SOCL
  • The remaining course from either the Humanities or Social Sciences category. 

Students with a three English course sequence may use the third English course to satisfy a Humanities requirement.

A minimum of 20 credits total, including English, humanities, and social science credit, is required to complete the humanities and social sciences graduation requirement.

Of the three listed humanities and social  science electives BSCY students must include a Directed Elective:

  • An Ethics elective

Math Placement may alter the course schedule above. 

Cybersecurity Electives: select two courses from the following list

Course Title Credits
COMP3575SCRIPTING FOR CYBERSECURITY AND FORENSICS4
COMP3580DIGITAL FORENSICS4
COMP3590APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY4
COMP3800SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMPUTER NETWORKING OR COMPUTER SCIENCE (require School approval to satisfy Cybersecurity Elective)4
COMP4580NETWORK FORENSICS4
COMP4590PUBLIC KEY CRYPTOGRAPHY4
ELEC3800SPECIAL TOPICS IN ELECTRONICS (require School approval to satisfy Cybersecurity Electives)
ELEC4025HARDWARE SECURITY3
MATH2425CRYPTOLOGY4
MATH3800SPECIAL TOPICS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS (require School approval to satisfy Cybersecurity Electives)

Computer Science Electives: select one course from the following list 

Course Title Credits
COMP1150ROUTING AND SWITCHING4
COMP2160WIRELESS NETWORKS4
COMP2650DATABASES4
COMP3125DATA SCIENCE FUNDAMENTALS4
COMP3200ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE4
COMP3350PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES4
COMP3450PARALLEL COMPUTING AND DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING4
COMP3660MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT4
COMP3750INTRODUCTION TO BIOSTATISTICS4
COMP4050MACHINE LEARNING4
COMP3800SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMPUTER NETWORKING OR COMPUTER SCIENCE (require School approval to satisfy Computing Elective)4
COMP4150ADVANCED SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION4
COMP4450SYSTEMS PROGRAMMING4
COMP4950PROJECT MANAGEMENT4
COMP4960SOFTWARE ENGINEERING4