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Cybersecurity Operations (Combined BS + MS)

About The Program

Metro State’s Cybersecurity Operations program is unique in that the 142 credits combined (BS + MS) will provide students an option to graduate with both BS and MS degrees in Cybersecurity in an accelerated fashion (saving money and time). This allows students to graduate and enter the workforce with a cyber systems operations job quicker than the traditional route.

Students completing the BS in Cybersecurity major will learn to assess the security needs of computer and network systems, recommend safeguard solutions to prevent unwanted security breaches, and manage the implementation of security devices, systems, and procedures. The program emphasizes lab-based courses designed to provide students with the conceptual and technical background necessary to secure jobs in cybersecurity and related areas. Learn more details about the Cybersecurity major.

The MS in Cyber Operations has a concentrated hardcore focus on both cyber offense and defense strategies. The program provides an interdisciplinary course of study, including aspects of information technology, law, policy, human factors, and risk management, often in the context of adversaries. Click here for more details about the MS in Cyber Operations program.

Students in computer lab looking at cyber security threats.

Cyber systems operations job prospects

Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand, with the projected number of cyber systems operations jobs growing 28% over the next decade and starting salaries for well-qualified BS graduates approaching $100,000/year.

With a graduate degree from Metro State’s Cyber Operations program, there is no limit to what a student can accomplish. The MS in Cyber Operations program will enable graduates to seek employment opportunities in the military, government, and private sectors including the National Security Agency (NSA), Department of Defense (DOD), Navy Space and Naval Warfare System Command, and National Labs (Sandia National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory).

Cyber systems operations job titles can include Security Auditor/Manager, Security Administrator, Security Analyst/Architect/Engineer, Penetration Tester, Vulnerability Assessor, Incident Responder, and Secure Software Developer.

National Security Agency, Center of Academic Excellence, and Center of Academic Excellence Community seals

Metro State University is a National Security Agency (NSA) designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-CD) Institution. NCAE-CD institutions receive formal recognition from the U.S. Government and opportunities for prestige and publicity for securing our Nation's information systems. The Cybersecurity program curriculum also conforms to the NSA requirements for maintaining the NCAE-CD designation. Metro State is also a member of the CAE Community.

Student outcomes

After earning the BS in Cybersecurity, students will:

  • Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge of cybersecurity concepts, tools, and technologies to prevent, detect, react, and recover from cyber-attacks.
  • Articulate cybersecurity risks, threats, and countermeasures and apply this understanding to develop cyber defense strategies.
  • Demonstrate the ability to design secure systems to meet organizational needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, and ethical expectations.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in communicating technical information in formal reports, documentation, and oral presentations to users and security professionals.
  • Identify, analyze, and synthesize scholarly and professional literature relating to the field of cybersecurity to help solve specific problems and to stay abreast of the rapidly changing security context.
  • Participate as an active and productive member of a project team engaged in achieving solutions to specific cybersecurity-related problems.
  • Demonstrate sensitivity to and sound judgment on ethical issues as they arise in information security and cyber defense and will adhere to accepted norms of professional responsibility.

After earning the MS from the Cyber Operations program, students will:

  • Analyze adversaries’ tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and understand their attack strategies to identify potential attack vectors to strategically improve defenses against advanced persistent threats.
  • Recommend security plans, strategies, and appropriate countermeasures to upper management based on observed attack patterns.
  • Apply advanced techniques such as malware analysis and reverse engineering to obtain threat intelligence; correlate relevant data to confirm breaches; and identify attack vectors, targets, and the scope of the attacks.
  • Identify, analyze, and synthesize scholarly and professional literature on cyber operations and related areas.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in communicating technical information in formal reports, documentation, and oral presentations to various stakeholders regardless of their technical backgrounds.
  • Understand the importance of team dynamics to provide an adequate response to sophisticated breaches.
  • Demonstrate sensitivity to and sound judgment on ethical issues and dilemmas as they arise in cybersecurity and operations and will adhere to accepted norms of professional responsibility.

How to enroll

Program eligibility requirements

The combined (BS + MS) program in Cybersecurity Operations bases admission decisions on the applicant’s prior academic work, professional background/experience in computing/cybersecurity, and recommendation letters. The graduate director determines admission into the program and transfers coursework equivalency.

The following items are the minimum requirements for potential admission into the program. Meeting these requirements is not a guarantee of admission.

  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the end of Junior year.
  • Have declared Cybersecurity as a major.
  • Have completed (or are in progress) 90 or more credits towards fulfilling the bachelor’s degree requirement.

Current students: Declare Cybersecurity as a major

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further admission requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metro State: Start the journey toward your Cybersecurity Operations Combined (BS + MS) program now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metro State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Fall Semester Application Deadlines

  • May 1 - International (Non-US) Applicants
  • May 15 - Priority Deadline- United States Applicants
  • June 15 - Deadline

Note: Applications will only be accepted after the deadline if the cohort is not full.

All applicants will receive an admissions decision no later than July 31.

To be eligible for acceptance into the combined (BS + MS) program, applicants must fulfill the above requirements and complete the following multipart application.

Part One: Apply Online
Complete the Online Graduate Programs Application. You will use your Minnesota State StarID to complete the application. If you don’t have a Minnesota State StarID, you will create one at the beginning of the application. If you encounter difficulty with the online application, please email graduate.studies@metrostate.edu.

  • The current fee of $20 will be waived for graduates of Metro State University.
  • Unofficial Metro State University transcript. The Office of Admissions will retrieve the transcript on your behalf.

Part Two: Upload Remaining Documents
Once you’ve applied online, you can log in to the Applicant Portal using your StarID and password and upload the following remaining documents.

  • A competency statement (two pages maximum) outlining the applicants:
    1. Knowledge and interest in cybersecurity discipline and human factors that impact personal use policies and monitoring.
    2. Ability to identify and analyze problems, distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical decisions, and provide solutions to individual and organizational issues.
    3. Ability to make clear and convincing oral presentations to individuals or groups; listens effectively and clarifies information as needed; facilitates an open exchange of ideas and fosters an atmosphere of open communication.
  • Two letters of recommendation from people (faculty, supervisor, etc.) qualified to judge the applicant’s ability to complete the graduate-level work.
  • Current Resume.

Part Three: International Students Only
In addition to parts one and two, international applicants in the US or abroad, on any type of visa, are required to provide the following information for admission to the university.

  • Proof of English proficiency: An official TOEFL or IELTS test with a minimum score of:
    • TOEFL: 80 IBT (internet-based), 213 CBT (computer-based), or 550 (paper-based)
    • IELTS: 6.5
  • Financial statement (F1 Visa Only)
  • Immunization records
  • Copies of passport, visa, I-94, and international home address and phone numbers

Visit International Student Services graduate admissions for part three details.

Mailing Address
International Student Services
Metropolitan State University
700 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, MN 55106-5000

Official acceptance into the Cyber Operations MS program is contingent upon maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 upon graduation. Students will not be officially accepted without meeting this criterion.

Questions regarding the application can be directed to graduate.studies@metrostate.edu (preferred) or call 651-793-1302.

Questions about the program can be emailed to mscyops@metrostate.edu.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Guidelines for completing the Combined (BS + MS) Program

  • Students interested in the Combined (BS + MS) program should work with an advisor to understand the program details and course sequencing.
  • If admitted into the combined program, students in their senior year will join the graduate cohort in the Fall semester.
    • While in their senior year, students will be evaluated the same way as the graduate students for any graduate-level work.
    • Students will pay graduate tuition for any graduate-level courses only.
  • By the end of the following Spring semester, students must have completed all the bachelor's degree requirements and graduate with a BS degree in Cybersecurity.
  • Upon receiving the BS degree in Cybersecurity and maintaining the eligibility requirements, students will be switched from undergraduate to graduate standing and be allowed to complete the remaining courses of the MS in Cyber Operations program.
  • Eligibility: Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a grade of B or above in all graduate coursework to remain eligible for the combined program.

Combined (BS + MS) Program Structure
The combined (BS + MS) program in Cybersecurity Operations allows students to complete 92 major credits and graduate with both bachelor's and master's degrees in an accelerated fashion. Students will complete 14 credits of overlapping work between the undergraduate and graduate degrees. The combined (BS + MS) program in Cybersecurity Operations is divided into three parts as follows:

Part I: 44 credits of Undergraduate Coursework

  • Complete Pre-Major Courses (28 credits) and Major Core Courses (16 credits).
  • Complete other courses towards completing bachelor's degree requirements (GELS, Upper Division, etc.).

Part II: 26 credits of Undergraduate and Graduate Coursework

  • Complete Major Core Courses (18 credits) and Cyber Residency (4 credits).
  • Take an additional four credits of graduate coursework, double-counted for fulfilling both the undergraduate and graduate requirements.
  • Complete any remaining credits to fulfill the 120 credit hours requirements for the bachelor's degree.
  • Graduate with a BS in Cybersecurity degree.

Part III: 22 credits of Graduate Coursework

  • Complete Core Courses (19 credits) and Graduate Capstone (3 credits)
  • Graduate with an MS in Cyber Operations degree

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills

Due to the program's highly technical and fast-paced nature, students must have the necessary Knowledge and Skills. They should be comfortable with Python Programming, C Programming, Assembly Language, PowerShell, Basic Data Structures and Algorithm, Systems Administration, Computer Networking, and Linux Fundamentals. To be successful in the program, we highly recommend that students acquire these Knowledge and Skills through undergraduate coursework or by completing short courses before starting the graduate degree.

Combined Program Requirements

The combined (BS + MS) Cybersecurity Operations program is divided into the following three parts:

+ Part I (44 credits)
Pre-major Courses 28 credits

To declare the Cybersecurity major, students are required to complete the following pre-major foundation courses with a grade of C- or higher and a minimum GPA of 2.5 for ICS 265 and MATH 215 or transfer equivalents. For further details, reference the General Guidelines section below.

Choose one from the following two Math courses:

This course develops the fundamental concepts of algebra with an emphasis on the classification and analysis of linear, quadratic, polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions. Applications to the natural and social sciences are given throughout. It aims to provide insights into the nature and utility of mathematics, and helps students develop mathematical reasoning skills.

Full course description for College Algebra

This course is designed to prepare students for calculus. Topics include polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions; the algebra of functions; multiple function representations; and an introduction to analytic geometry.

Full course description for Precalculus

Complete all of the following six courses:

This course covers the fundamental concepts of a single user operating system. The topics discussed in the course are the basic concepts of computer organization and architecture, memory management, process handling, disk and file management and control, and peripherals operation. Students also have the opportunities to learn the techniques and procedures of system installation, configuration, administration, and trouble shooting. The operating systems illustrated in the course are MS Windows and/or Mac OS X.

Full course description for Computer and Operating Systems Fundamentals I

This course covers the fundamental concepts of a multi-user operating system. The topics discussed in the course are conventional computer organization and architecture, memory management, process handling, disk and file management and control, and peripherals operation. Students also have the opportunities to learn the techniques and procedures of system installation, configuration, administration, and trouble shooting. The operating systems illustrated in the course are Linux and Unix.

Full course description for Computer and Operating Systems Fundamentals II

This course introduces fundamental concepts in computer programming and the development of computer programs to solve problems across various application domains. Topics include number systems, Boolean algebra, variables, decision-making and iterative structures, lists, file manipulation, and problem deconstruction via modular design approaches. Lab work and homework assignments involving programming using a language such as Python form an integral part of the course.

Full course description for Computational Thinking with Programming

This course is designed to provide a fast-paced exposure to the C programming language for students majoring in a computer-related discipline. The following topics are briefly reviewed using C syntax: looping, selection, variables, scope rules, functions and pass-by-value arguments. New topics include pass-by-address arguments, formatted and unformatted I/O, user defined types (enum, struct, union), preprocessing directives, file handling, pointers, pointer arithmetic, string manipulation and selected library functions.

Full course description for C Programming

This course covers the basic principles and methods of statistics. It emphasizes techniques and applications in real-world problem solving and decision making. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of location and variation, probability, sampling, design of experiments, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression.

Full course description for Statistics I

Core Courses (16 credits)

Once the pre-major courses are completed, students must declare the Cybersecurity major and complete the following courses while maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

This course introduces principles of computer security with integrated hands-on labs. The course prepares students to effectively protect information assets by providing fundamental details about security threats, vulnerabilities, and their countermeasures ranging from a simple computer to enterprise computing. Topics include broad range of today's security challenges, common security threats and countermeasures, security management, access control mechanisms, applied cryptography, privacy issues, computer ethics, file system security, and network security. Overlap: ICS 382 Computer Security

Full course description for Computer Security

Networks are the backbone of information technology operations within an enterprise and are responsible for a significant portion of an organization's security posture. Cybersecurity professionals are often tasked with securing network operations and responding to network threats which demonstrates the importance to networking knowledge in the cybersecurity industry. As a cybersecurity practitioner, it is imperative that there is an understanding of network operations, protocols, and administration practices. This course focuses on developing skills and taking a deep dive into networking protocols including TCP, UDP, ICMP, and IP, network design and architecture, network administration automation, network analysis, and network protocol and design impacts on security and defense measures. Overlap: ICS 383 Networking Protocols and Analysis

Full course description for Networking Protocols and Analysis

Covers concepts and methods in the definition, creation and management of databases. Emphasis is placed on usage of appropriate methods and tools to design and implement databases to meet identified business needs. Topics include conceptual, logical and physical database design theories and techniques, such as use of Entity Relationship diagrams, query tools and SQL; responsibilities of data and database administrators; database integrity, security and privacy; and current and emerging trends. Use of database management systems such as MySQL. Coverage of HCI (Human Computer Interaction) topics and development of front ends to databases with application of HCI principles to provide a high level usability experience. Overlap: ICS 311T Database Management Systems.

Full course description for Database Management Systems

+ Part II (26 credits)
Core 22 credits

Students must complete the following undergraduate and graduate courses during their senior year while maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

To properly secure any organization's information infrastructure and assets, a periodic assessment of its security posture at various levels of the organization is essential. One key area is the direct assessment of vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure, systems and applications, followed by targeting and exploitation of the same. This course covers the theoretical bases for cyber threats and vulnerabilities, and delves into selection and application of penetration testing methodologies ranging from reconnaissance to the exploitation of vulnerabilities by probing infrastructure, services and applications. The course places a strong emphasis on the use of these methodologies to demonstrate, document, report on, and provide a clear roadmap for remediation of exposed security issues.

Full course description for Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing

This course provides students with a thorough foundation of applied cryptography for cybersecurity practitioners. As encryption technologies continue to integrate into everyday culture, the importance of cryptography and encryption knowledge of cybersecurity practitioners continues to increase. Students will learn and be able to apply and analyze: the history of cryptography from the earliest ciphers to current encryption methodology, mathematical foundations for cryptography, symmetric and asymmetric algorithms, and applied cryptography pertaining to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), SSL/TLS, strategies for defense utilizing encryption and cryptography, military applications, steganography, cryptanalysis, and more. Additionally, students will look to the future of cryptography and encryption including a look into quantum cryptography and encryption in cloud environments. Overlap: ICS 483.

Full course description for Cryptography for Cybersecurity Practitioners

Students must complete the following graduate courses during their senior year. Note the following: CYBR 641, CYBR 671, and CYBR 681 will replace CYBR 442, CFS 280, and CYBR 482, respectively. CYBR 681 will fulfill both the major elective requirement for the Cybersecurity BS program and the core requirement for the Cyber Operations MS program. CYBR 621 will provide additional four credits of graduate coursework and can be double-counted for the undergraduate and graduate requirements.

Understanding the Operating Systems (OS) theory and the OS security concepts is required to perform critical roles in the cybersecurity and cyber operations fields. This course exposes the students to topics of the OS theory with an emphasis on security applications. The course begins with an introduction of low-level programming, including Assembly and C. It continues with the basic Unix-like operating system Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) along with the fundamentals of OS concepts.

Full course description for Secure System Programming and OS Theory

Cyber Operations, a more specific area of cybersecurity, is a highly technical field with a hardcore focus on both cyber offense and defense strategies. This course will provide an introduction to cyber operations fundamentals. Topics include Security fundamental principles, network architecture and security technologies, network traffic and protocol analysis, and offensive and defensive cyber operations and user experience.

Full course description for Cyber Operations Fundamentals

This course covers advanced topics of digital forensics procedures, legal issues, and scientific principles. The course addresses the current and new issues in digital forensics by offering various topics such as windows, smart phones, memory, network forensics, Macintosh forensics, and updated and expanded coverage on legal issues. Moreover, the students will learn how to report their findings to present them to the court using the state-of-the-art tools in digital forensics.

Full course description for Digital Forensics I

The ubiquitous nature of Internet of Everything (IoE) and the prevalence of computing technologies in critical infrastructure sectors have brought an unprecedented digital transformation to individuals, businesses, and industries. On the other hand, the IoE has also enabled the increased spread of malicious software (malware). Malware attacks are increasing exponentially over time with total number of known malware surpassed one billion. As a result, the ability to detect, analyze, understand, control, and eradicate malware derive threat intelligence, helps provide timely response to security incidents, fortify defenses, and is essential to nation¿s economic vitality and security. This course introduces malware analysis and reverse engineering techniques which will allow students to recognize, analyze and remediate infections. Using modern tools and procedures the student will understand how to dissect and reverse engineered a malware to understand its behavior, propagation,…

Full course description for Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering

Cyber Internship (4 credits)

Complete four credits of cybersecurity internship by enrolling in the following course and working as a cyber intern for an organization. Before beginning the internship, students must obtain the internship description and requirements from the prospective organization and provide them to the CSC Internship Coordinator for final approval. Students should plan to acquire and complete the internship during their junior/senior year of the combined degree program.

Internships offer students opportunities to gain deeper knowledge and skills in their chosen field. Students are responsible for locating their own internship. Metro faculty members serve as liaisons to the internship sites¿ supervisors and as evaluators to monitor student work and give academic credit for learning. Students are eligible to earn 1 credit for every 40 hours of work completed at their internship site. Students interested in internships within the Computer Science and Cybersecurity Department should work with their advisor and/or faculty internship coordinator to discuss the process for your specific major.

Full course description for Cybersecurity Individualized Internship

+ Part III (22 credits)
Core (19 credits)

Students should enroll and complete the following courses only after they have fulfilled their bachelor's degree requirements.

Vulnerability analysis and its connection to exploit development are core skills for one involved in cyber operations. This course covers vulnerability discovery and exploitation. The focus is to understand the pattern of vulnerabilities and attacks to allow students to experience protection, risk mitigation, and identify vulnerabilities in new contexts. Topics will include buffer overflows, privilege escalation attacks, input validation issues, vulnerability discovery (fuzzing and crash dump analysis), exploit development, and mitigations (e.g., DEP, ASLR, ¿).

Full course description for Vulnerability Discovery and Exploitation

This course covers cryptography from both theoretical and practical perspective. The course provides details about advanced cryptography and its applications in the cybersecurity world. Students will learn various cryptographic algorithms and protocols and their relationships from both attack and defense perspectives. Various cryptographic tools to secure contemporary networks will be discussed as well. Students should be able to use advanced cryptographic algorithms based on elliptic curve cryptography.

Full course description for Applied Cryptography

The course will provide students with knowledge and practical skills in the field of cyber threat hunting and intelligence that can be leveraged to defend against sophisticated network intrusions and loss of proprietary information. The course will discuss various phases of the intelligence lifecycle including developing intelligence requirements, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information; and using cyber threat intelligence to improve security at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.

Full course description for Cyber Threat Hunting and Intelligence

Wireless Communication and Mobile technologies have become an essential part of our daily lives. Modern cellular technologies have enabled smartphones to access fast Internet and app based services besides traditional voice communication and sending text messages. Additionally, today¿s network typically include a wide range of wireless devices, from computers and phones, to IP Cameras, smart TVs and connected appliances. As more and more communications are conducted via cellular and mobile technologies, these technologies have become critical (and continue to become more critical) to cyber operations. This course provides and in depth introduction to various wireless technologies (with a focus on cellular technology) and how data is processed and securely transmitted using these technologies and ubiquitous devices. An overview of smart phone technologies, their embedded operating systems, and mobile protocols will also be provided.

Full course description for Securing Wireless and Mobile Technologies

This course covers how to conduct successful digital forensic examinations in Windows, Linux, and Mac OS, the methodologies used, key technical concepts, and the tools needed to perform examinations. The required technical details of how each operating system works and how to find artifacts is also covered. Topics like File systems, data recovery, memory forensics, executable layouts are discussed in details. Moreover, Hands-On Network Forensics that starts with the core concepts within network forensics, including coding, networking, forensics tools, and methodologies for forensic investigations are covered.

Full course description for Digital Forensics II

Virtualization technology has rapidly expanded to become a core feature of various components of enterprise environments. It allows efficient use of physical IT infrastructure by sharing its capabilities among many users or environments. Virtualization is also an integral element to cloud computing and key technology in cybersecurity. Cloud computing provides organizations the ability to create and use IT services efficiently and rapidly without spending capital resources upfront. This course will discuss the capabilities and limitations of modern approaches to virtualization and the variety, complexity, and capabilities of modern cloud platforms and cloud security. The course will include hands-on lab exercises using leading Cloud infrastructure providers (ex. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure). The course will review the applied concepts and techniques with end-to-end Cloud security architecture with real-world case studies using Web/Mobile based applications, and Internet…

Full course description for Virtualization and Cloud Security

Cyber Operations, a more specific area of cybersecurity, is a highly technical field with a hardcore focus on both cyber offense and defense strategies. This course will cover special cyber operations topics that are not covered elsewhere in the MS Cyber Operations program. This course will provide the opportunity to keep the program current by introducing new and in-demand topics in cyber operations including but not limited to SCADA, IoT/IIoT, embedded systems, hardware reverse engineering, secure software development, programmable logic and microcontroller design, RF Analysis, Software defined Networking, etc.

Full course description for Special Topics in Cyber Operations

Any IT development project contains significant risks. However, keeping the status quo is also risky in rapidly changing technological and competitive environments. This course is designed to familiarize the student with risk analysis concepts derived from many sources including financial, actuarial and statistical studies, insurance and risk analysis, software quality assurance methodologies, management and audit trails and many others. Student will learn to assess the risk in an information systems portfolio and develop strategies for managing the many risk types discussed: Prerequisites: MIS 600.

Full course description for Risk Analysis in Information Technology

With Information Technology playing an ever greater role in organizations, and the widespread availability of technology with the ability to collect and create information on everyone, many new ethical issues have been created. This course will frame many current ethic issues in IT and help the student develop methods of analyzing and dealing with these issues in real world situations. Topics may include issues such as privacy, copyright and intellectual property, employee monitoring approaches, multinational information flows, corporate intelligence and others. Hacking, computer security, viruses and other acts of destruction will be reviewed from an ethical perspective.

Full course description for Cyber Ethics

Graduate Capstone (3 credits)

The graduate capstone experience must be completed over three semesters of the graduate portion of the program. Students must complete one credit each during the Fall and Spring semesters of their senior year and the final credit during the last semester of their graduate year.

The cyber operation capstone project is aimed at building a connection between cyber concepts and the application of these concepts into a real-world context. Students identify and develop their capstone projects throughout the graduate program and produce a serious, in-depth, scholarly and professional level written component that is reflective of their knowledge and skills that they have gained during the program. This capstone project uses a phased approach where students solidify their project ideas by the end of the first semester and complete the project with an oral defense by the end of the MS program. The final project will demonstrate students' summative expression of what they have learned in the graduate program and hence the project should be a culmination of theory, principles, best industry practices, methodologies, tools, and technologies associated with cyber operations.

Full course description for Cyber Operations Capstone Project

+ General Guidelines
Transfer Courses

Transfer coursework equivalency is determined by the Computer Science and Cybersecurity (CSC) Department and initially evaluated upon admission with updates documented on the DARS report. When transferring coursework, please be aware of the following: Many universities, community, and technical colleges offer courses equivalent to some of our Pre-Major courses. Sometimes a course at the lower division at another university or college is equivalent to one of our upper-division courses, or an upper-division course at another institution is equivalent to one of our lower-division courses. To calculate upper-division credits for the major electives or for university graduation requirements, the status of the course at the institution where the student took the course is what matters.

Prerequisites

Students must be aware of and abide by prerequisites for all courses they are enrolled in. No student may be enrolled in a course unless they have completed all course prerequisites with a grade of C- or higher. Students will be administratively dropped from a course if they have not met the required prerequisites. For some courses, prerequisites are enforced automatically by the registration system. If your DARS report shows you have met the prerequisites for a course, and the registration system still doesn't let you register, please get in touch with your academic advisor.

Exit Strategy

If students decide to exit the combined program and pursue only the undergraduate portion of the combined degree, all their completed graduate courses will be recognized for fulfilling the BS in Cybersecurity requirements. Students will be responsible for completing all the remaining undergraduate cybersecurity degree requirements. Students may not be given credits towards the MS degree should they decide to return later to complete the graduate degree. Consult with the program advisor for the program exit strategy that is best for you.