M.S. in Cyber Security and Privacy

The M.S. in Cyber Security and Privacy creates a strong foundation and detailed technical knowledge in security, privacy, and cryptography applied to computer systems, networks, and web applications. The program also has a Cyber Defense Option whose objective is to create leaders with strong communication and management skills in addition to the strong technical knowledge in security and privacy. 

Prerequisites

Applicants should have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a discipline related to computing (e.g., Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Sciences, or Information Technology). Applicants with a bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline or relevant professional experience can first take a graduate certificate and then apply to the M.S. program. Further information can be found on the program's webpage.

Degree Requirements


MS-CSP: Degree Requirements

The program requires the completion of 30 credits. The requirement is most commonly satisfied by taking ten 3-credit graduate courses. These consist of:

  • Five Core Courses required for all students (15 credits)
  • Five Elective Courses from the combined lists of CS Electives, Foundational Courses and Courses from Other Departments (15 credits).
  • Students can take at most two courses from the list of approved Foundational Courses and at most two courses from the list of approved Courses from Other Departments. 

Project and Thesis Option: Students who want to pursue research have the option to earn up to 6 of the required 30 credits by taking as electives the CS 700B Master's Project, possibly followed by CS 701B Master's Thesis. These have special requirements described in the Section "Master's Project and Thesis Policies".

More specifically, the degree requirements are as follows:

Required Core Courses15
Cryptography and Security
Security and Privacy in Computer Systems
Network Protocols Security
Counter Hacking Techniques
Internet and Higher-Layer Protocols
Elective Courses15
Select five courses with any combination of the following:
CS Electives
Distributed Systems
Data Mining
Cloud Computing
Cyber Sec Investigations & Law
Software Design and Production Methodology
Topics in Smartphone Sec & Rel
Linux Kernel Programming
Software Testing and Quality Assurance
Network Management and Security &1
Network Management and Security
Special Emerging Topics: (Must be related to Cybersecurity. Advisor approval is required.)
Advanced Data Security and Privacy
Security and Privacy in Wireless Networks
Seminar in Computer Science I (Must be related to Cybersecurity. Advisor approval is required.)
Courses from Other Departments
At most 2 courses from this list:
Web Systems Development
Data Visualization and Interpretation
Spatiotemporal Urban Analytics
Data Analytics for Info System
Information Systems Auditing
Computer Security Auditing
Forensic Auditing for Computing Security
Wireless Networks Security and Administration
Network Services Administration
Computer Networking Laboratory
Cloud and IoT Networking and Security
Internet Law and Policy Issues
Legal and Ethical Issues in a Digital World
Applied Statistics
Graduate Capstone Project &2
Foundational Courses
At most 2 courses from this list:
Foundations of Computer Science &3
Data Structures and Algorithms
Operating System Design
Data Management System Design
Project and Thesis Option &4
Master's Project
Master's Thesis
Total Credits30
&

1. Substitution is allowed only for students with ECE background and with the advisor permission. 
2. YWCC 691 and CS 700B cannot apply simultaneously toward degree requirements. 
3. CS 506 is recommended only to students without a typical CS background. 
4. The Project or Thesis must be related to Cybersecurity. 


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Master's Project or Thesis Policies

The contents of this section apply only to students who elect to do a Master's Project (CS 700B)  or a Master's Thesis (CS 701B).

Students must first identify a research advisor who must be a tenure-track faculty of the CS department, including faculty with a joint appointment. Tenure-track faculty are the department members including those who hold joint appointments with the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Distinguished Professor.

In order to identify a research advisor, students are encouraged to attend special presentations offered by the department or to directly contact professors. Professors may not always have availability for conducting an MS project/thesis. Students are therefore encouraged to start looking for an advisor as early as possible, especially if they are considering pursuing a Master’s Thesis that takes two semesters. 

The students must be in close coordination with their research advisor who will determine the topic of the Project/Thesis and guide them to take specific elective courses that will prepare them for the research.

The Project or Thesis must be related to Cybersecurity. YWCC 691 cannot count toward degree requirements for students who elect to do a Master's Project or a Master's Thesis.

Registration

  •  Master’s Project: With permission of their research advisor students must register in the CS 700BMaster's Project course.  To register for a Master's Project, students must have completed at least 9 credits and must be in good standing. 

  • Master’s Thesis: With permission of their research advisor, students must first register in the CS 700B Master's Project course. They must receive a satisfactory (S) grade in CS 700B before CS 701B Master's Thesis registration in the immediately following semester, with the same advisor. The MS topic should be continuation of the work done in CS 700B.

Thesis Requirements

  • An MS Thesis Committee must be formed, according to these requirements set forth by the Office of Graduate Studies.
  • A written thesis must be submitted. The thesis must adhere to the style requirements set forth by the Office of Graduate Studies.  
  • An oral defense is required. The defense must take place before the last day of the Examination period


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MS-CSP: Cyber Defense Option: Degree Requirements

The objective of the Cyber Defense Professional Science Master (PSM), an option of the MS CSP, is to create leaders with strong communication and management skills in addition to the strong technical knowledge in security and privacy of computer systems, networks, and web applications. This PSM is designed for working professionals or students who have already acquired some professional experience. The Cyber Defense PSM is affiliated with the PSM National Office. 

The PSM option requires the completion of 36 credits. The requirement is satisfied with:

  • Six required Cybersecurity Core courses (18 credits)
  • Two courses from the list of PTC (Professional and Technical Communications) Electives (6 credits)
  • Two courses from the list of Management Electives (6 credits)
  • Two courses from the list of Computing Electives (6 credits)

Among the required Cybersecurity Core Courses, the program includes YWCC 691 Graduate Capstone Project. This is a project course, supervised by a CS faculty member, and done in collaboration with industrial partners. These partners will propose projects, and they will co-supervise the students together with the instructor of the course. Students who have a job are allowed to work on projects from their companies, in which case their employer will be actively engaged in the project supervision. The projects will generally be done in teams of 3 students. 

More specifically, the degree requirements are as follows:
 

Required Core Courses18
Cryptography and Security
Security and Privacy in Computer Systems
Network Protocols Security
Counter Hacking Techniques
Internet and Higher-Layer Protocols
Graduate Capstone Project
Professional and Technical Communication Electives6
Select two of the following:
Speaking English in Professional Situations
Technical Writing for Graduate Students
User Experience Design
Management Electives6
Select two of the following:
Management Accounting
Project Management
Corporate Finance I
Global Project Management
Knowledge Management
Business Research Methods I
Internet Law and Policy Issues
Legal and Ethical Issues in a Digital World
Computing Electives6
Select two of the following:
Data Structures and Algorithms
Operating System Design
Data Management System Design
Advanced Database System Design
Data Mining
Cloud Computing
Cyber Sec Investigations & Law
Software Design and Production Methodology
Topics in Smartphone Sec & Rel
Software Testing and Quality Assurance
Network Management and Security
Special Emerging Topics: (Must be related to Cybersecurity. Advisor approval is required.)
Master's Project
Advanced Data Security and Privacy
Security and Privacy in Wireless Networks
Seminar in Computer Science I (Must be related to Cybersecurity. Advisor approval is required.)
Web Systems Development
Data Visualization and Interpretation
Spatiotemporal Urban Analytics
Data Analytics for Info System
Information Systems Auditing
Computer Security Auditing
Forensic Auditing for Computing Security
Wireless Networks Security and Administration
Network Services Administration
Computer Networking Laboratory
Cloud and IoT Networking and Security
Applied Statistics
Total Credits36

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