Note: as of catalog publication in April, the program described below has been approved by the Board of Visitors and sent to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia for consideration as a new degree program. The university cannot accept applications or enroll students in this program until SCHEV approval has been granted.
The field of cyber security engineering is concerned with the development of cyber-resilient systems that include the protection of physical as well as computer and network systems. It requires a proactive approach in engineering the design of systems, with cybersecurity incorporated from the beginning of system development. The purpose of the MS in Cyber Security Engineering is to provide students with the currently rare combination of highly technical knowledge and skills, cyber security expertise, and a holistic systems engineering perspective. The program provides instruction on the design, planning, and management of systems and procedures for protecting critical physical and cyber infrastructure from external threats, including terrorism. The program provides students with the deep technical foundations of cyber security in the form of software, hardware, networking, and cryptography, as well as systems engineering tools and methods to design and secure complex cyber physical systems. Students learn homeland security policy, critical infrastructure policy, information security, matrix vulnerability assessment, threat assessment, physical security, personnel security, operational security, contingency planning, case analyses of specific industries and systems, redundancy planning, emergency and disaster planning, security systems, and intelligence operations. Graduates are prepared to design and implement secure complex and cyber-physical systems consisting of software, hardware, and networking components; respond to, investigate, and remediate incidents involving these systems; and develop offensive and defensive tools and techniques to attack and secure these systems.
Note: as of catalog publication in April, the program described below has been approved by the Board of Visitors and sent to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia for consideration as a new degree program. The university cannot accept applications or enroll students in this program until SCHEV approval has been granted.
Admissions
The MS in Cyber Security Engineering will build on the body of knowledge acquired in undergraduate programs of study in engineering, computer science, or closely related disciplines. As such, applicants will be expected to have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or closely related disciplines and to have completed the engineering math sequence as well as courses in probability and statistics, and computer science. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 is required.
Policies
Students must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits beyond the bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.00 or higher, with no more than 6 credit hours of C grades. The plan of study includes a 21 credit required Core component which includes a mandatory capstone course, and 9 credits of electives.
Note: as of catalog publication in April, the program described below has been approved by the Board of Visitors and sent to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia for consideration as a new degree program. The university cannot accept applications or enroll students in this program until SCHEV approval has been granted.
Degree Requirements
Total credits: 30
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Coursework | ||
| AIT 660 | Cyber Security Fundamentals | 3 |
| CS 571 | Operating Systems | 3 |
| or CYSE 570 | Fundamentals of Operating Systems | |
| CYSE 580 | Hardware and Cyber Physical Systems | 3 |
| CYSE 610 | Networks and Cybersecurity | 3 |
| ECE 646 | Applied Cryptography | 3 |
| SYST 687 | Cybersecurity Systems Engineering | 3 |
| CYSE 690 | Cybersecurity Engineering Capstone Project | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select three courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Cloud Computing Security | ||
| National Security Technology and Policy | ||
| Malware Reverse Engineering | ||
| Penetration Testing in Computer Forensics | ||
| Kernel Forensics and Analysis | ||
| Analysis of Financial Decisions | ||
| Learning From Data | ||
or DAEN 527 | Learning From Data | |
| Advanced Applied Cryptography | ||
| Information Systems Analysis and Design | ||
| Operating Systems Security | ||
| Secure Software Design and Programming | ||
or SWE 681 | Secure Software Design and Programming | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |