The MS in Cybersecurity is intended for students who wish to specialize in the security aspects of the Information Technology field. This program educates professionals for the fast growing and wide ranging information security and cybersecurity markets by providing foundations in the theory of information security as well as knowledge needed to properly design, implement, and manage secured IT infrastructure and risks in an enterprise. Common career areas include Computer Forensics, Incident Response, Network Security Administration, Risk Assessment, and Web Development.

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Concentrations

• current tab:Networking and Infrastructure
• Computer Security
• Governance, Risk Management and Compliance

Networking and Infrastructure

Networking and Infrastructure

The Network Security concentration focuses on the network infrastructure and network security management aspects of information security. This concentration will provide in-depth coverage of network security infrastructure technologies such as firewalls, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), vulnerability assessment tools, as well as overall security infrastructure engineering and design.

Computer Security

Governance, Risk Management and Compliance

 

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• "Identify the information security services provided by ""Confidentiality,"" ""Integrity,"" and ""Availability"" (CIA).
• Develop a security awareness program adapted to the different stakeholder of an enterprise.
• Evaluate sets of security controls to enforce security policies.
• Select appropriate tools and methods to conduct a proper incident response and forensic investigation in an enterprise environment."

Career Outcomes

93%of reporting program graduates were employed, continuing education, or not seeking employment within six months of graduation

$80,820median salary reported by program graduates six months after graduation

Curriculum Requirements

Introductory Courses

No Introductory Course may be substituted for any other course at any level.

Introductory courses may be waived for any of the following conditions based on faculty review:

• The student has the appropriate course work to satisfy an Introductory Course based on an official transcript review by faculty and successful grades, typically B or better.
• The student has appropriate and verified professional experience to satisfy an Introductory Course which is demonstrated through successful completion of a GAE exam.
• If a Graduate Assessment Examination (GAE) is available for the Introductory Courses, upon successfully completion of a GAE, a waiver will be issued.

•  CSC 400 Discrete Structures for Computer Science
•  CSC 401 Introduction to Programming
•  CSC 402 Data Structures I
•  CSC 403 Data Structures II
•  CSC 406 Systems I
•  CSC 407 Systems II

Foundation Courses

Students must achieve an average GPA of 3.0 or better in the five Foundation Courses. Students who do not meet the Foundation Courses' GPA requirement must retake the course with the lowest grade. If a number of such courses exist, it is up to the student to choose which class to retake. Only the higher grade will count toward the average grade for the purpose of completing the GPA Requirement. Students who do not meet the GPA requirements are encouraged to talk to their faculty advisor to discuss their options. To progress to the Advanced Courses of the degree, a student must complete the Introductory and Foundation Courses.

Students must complete the following courses:

•  CSC 435 Distributed Systems I
•  SE 450 Object-Oriented Software Development
•  NET 477 Network Security (Formerly TDC 477)
•  CSEC 440 Information Security Management (Formerly CNS 440)
•  CSEC 450 Digital Forensic Techniques (Formerly CNS 450)

Advanced Courses

•  CSC 439 Computer Security

Students must also complete 2 of the following courses:

•  CSC 440 Cryptology
•  SE 525 Software Security Architecture
•  SE 526 Software Security Assessment
•  NET 577 Network Security II (Formerly TDC 577)

Students must also complete 1 of the following courses (not counting courses taken to satisfy the requirements above):

•  CSEC 477 Governance Policies in Information Assurance (Formerly CNS 477)
•  CSC 440 Cryptology
•  SE 482 Requirements Engineering
•  SE 525 Software Security Architecture
•  SE 526 Software Security Assessment
•  SE 529 Software Risk Management
•  CSC 536 Distributed Systems II
•  CSC 557 Foundations of Computer Security
•  NET 577 Network Security II (Formerly TDC 577)

Major Elective Courses

Students must complete 4 credit hours from a CSEC label course in the range of 421 or higher or a course from the list of courses below. That course cannot be used to fulfill a student's CSEC Concentration Area or Foundation Course requirements.

•  DSC 423 Data Analysis and Regression
•  DSC 424 Advanced Data Analysis
•  DSC 433 Scripting for Data Analysis
•  CSC 436 Web Applications
•  CSC 438 Framework for Web Application Development
•  CSC 439 Computer Security
•  CSC 440 Cryptology
•  DSC 465 Data Visualization
•  DSC 478 Programming Machine Learning Applications
•  CSC 536 Distributed Systems II
•  CSC 557 Foundations of Computer Security
•  CSE 426 Cyber-Physical System Security
•  ECT 582 Secure Electronic Commerce
•  IS 444 IT Auditing
•  DSC 441 Fundamentals of Data Science
•  IS 482 Legal Responsibilities in Information Technology
•  IS 505 Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Theories and Strategies
•  IS 506 Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Management and Tactics
•  SE 433 Software Testing and Quality Assurance
•  SE 441 Continuous Delivery and Devops
•  SE 452 Object-Oriented Enterprise Computing
•  SE 482 Requirements Engineering
•  SE 525 Software Security Architecture
•  SE 526 Software Security Assessment
•  SE 529 Software Risk Management
•  NET 460 Foundations of Network Technologies (Formerly TDC 460)
•  NET 511 Telecommunications Practicum (Formerly TDC 511)
•  NET 560 Advanced Network Technologies and Design (Formerly TDC 560)
•  NET 562 Computer-Communication Network Design and Analysis (Formerly TDC 562)
•  NET 563 Protocols and Techniques for Data Networks (Formerly TDC 563)
•  NET 567 Telecommunication Systems Design and Management (Formerly TDC 567)
•  NET 568 Network Management (Formerly TDC 568)
•  NET 577 Network Security II (Formerly TDC 577)

CDM Open Elective Courses

Students must complete 8 credit hours from CDM open electives. Elective courses are in the range of 421-699 and must be chosen among CSC, CSEC, NET, SE, IS, ECT, IT, IPD, HIT, HCI, and GAM courses.

Capstone Options

Students have the option of completing the Information Security Governance course (4 credit hours) or the Cybersecurity Capstone course (4 credit hours) or completing a Master's Research Project (up to 8 credit hours) to fulfill their Capstone requirement. If a student chooses to complete a Master's Research project for 8 credit hours, 4 credit hours of CSC 695 replaces one major or open elective course in the M.S. in Cybersecurity program. A student who completes a Master's Research project also has the option of completing a Master's Thesis.

Information Security Governance course

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Computer Information and Network Security Capstone course

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Master's Research

 

Master's Thesis

 

 

Degree Requirements

Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:

• Complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours in addition to any required introductory courses of the designated degree program.
• Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.
• Earn a grade of C- or better in all courses of the designated degree program.
• Achieve a GPA of 3.0 or better among the five foundation courses.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Students pursuing a second (or more) graduate degree may not double count or retake any course that applied toward the completion of a prior graduate degree. If a required course in the second degree was already completed and applied toward a previous degree, the student must meet with a faculty advisor to discuss a new course to be completed and substituted in the new degree. This rule also applies to cross-listed courses, which are considered to be the same course but offered under different subjects.
• Students pursuing a second master's degree must complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours beyond their first designated degree program in addition to any required introductory courses in their second designated degree program.

Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.

For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.