University of North Carolina at Charlotte

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity is designed to equip students with the latest knowledge and skills in cybersecurity and privacy.  Graduates of the program are employable by both businesses and governments that have important information assets to be protected from increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks.

Specific educational objectives of the program include:

• A fundamental understanding of:
  • common vulnerabilities of computing and networked systems,
  • cyber-attacking methods,
  • human and organizational aspects of cybersecurity,
  • methods for compromising privacy, and
  • risk assessment of cyber-attacks.
• Able to apply security techniques to analyze and evaluate the security risk of information systems and networks.
• Able to design information systems and networks with security controls to minimize security risks.

The program requires students take four core courses, three concentration courses, and three elective courses.  The core courses are designed to prepare students with fundamental knowledge and skills in cybersecurity and privacy protection that are essential to all cybersecurity professionals.  The concentration courses give students an opportunity to specialize in network security, secure software development, or emerging technologies.  Elective courses give students an opportunity to further broaden their knowledge and skills in areas that are of particular interest to them.  Together, these three components equip students with necessary skill sets in specific areas in cybersecurity and privacy where they wish to pursue their professional careers.

Students entering the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program are required to have completed a baccalaureate degree from a college or university accredited by an accepted accrediting body and have acquired substantial experience in studying, applying, or developing information and computing technology.  Such experience may be developed by completing an undergraduate major in a discipline related to information technology, including but not limited to: business information systems, computer engineering, computer science, data communication, information management, information technology, mathematical and physical sciences, and software engineering.  For applicants who have an undergraduate major not directly related to computing, the experience may be acquired through work, professional training, or further education such as graduate certificates or post baccalaureate studies.