Cybersecurity, Master of Science
The Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCY) program provides the skills, knowledge, and abilities of national and international concerns in cybersecurity defense and attack. The program follows the Body of Knowledge of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Cybersecurity and NSA/DHS Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Operation (OP) and Cyber Defense (CD) with technical and non-technical cores. The program also offers the learner the opportunity to understand the role of government and industry in securing and protecting assets.
Courses provide focus on technology innovation in cybersecurity, business strategy in cybersecurity, and the role of people, process, and plans needed to deliver cybersecurity projects, as well as maintaining the professional skills required to advance in the Cybersecurity field. Students will emerge with the experience and leadership identity required to influence the way that cybersecurity is implemented and consumed in any corporation or government organization.
Students will choose one of two Depth of Study (DOS) sequences that prepare students to demonstrate expertise in a specific area. The Choice courses allow students to expand their interests in other disciplines. The internship provides students a vehicle to apply what they have learned in the degree to real work problems at a for-profit or a non-profit organization.
The capstone is the platform that exhibits the synthesis of student’s academic accomplishments and experiential learning. Under the guidance of an advisor, the capstone can be a project, research paper, thesis or poster, and a public presentation designed to demonstrate mastery.
Program Outcomes
The Master of Science in Cybersecurity will prepare students to:
Integrate a foundational knowledge of all areas of advanced cybersecurity (General Computing Knowledge).
Apply fundamental principles and practices of advanced cybersecurity (Cybersecurity Principles and Practices)
Apply critical and ethical thinking to solve problems in advanced cybersecurity (Critical and Ethical Thinking).
Evaluate data to inform decisions and solve problems in advanced cybersecurity (Quantitative Literacy).
Create the ability to develop and express ideas while applying a variety of delivery models, genres, and styles (Communication).
Collaborate effectively on diverse teams to accomplish a common goal (Collaboration).
Admission Requirements
In addition to City University of Seattle's graduate admission requirements, found under Admissions in the catalog menu, students enrolling in the School of Technology and Computing graduate programs must meet the requirements listed below:
- An earned Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology or Computing-related majors such as Computer Systems, Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Cybersecurity; OR
- An earned Bachelor's degree in another field and evidence of completion of undergraduate courses or their equivalent in:
- Equivalency of 5-quarter hour credits at the intermediate level in at least one computer programming language; and
- Equivalency of 5-quarter hour credits in networking (TCP/IP from physical through applications layers); and
- Equivalency of 5-quarter credits of data management including basic database design and SOL/NoSQL Queries; and
- Equivalency of 5-quarter credits of operating systems including OS theory, process management, and memory management; OR
- An earned Bachelor's degree in another field and successful completion of CityU’s Undergraduate Certificate in Foundations of Systems Development.
Total Required Credits (39-59 Credits)*
*Preparatory course may be required for students entering the MS - Cybersecurity degree program without sufficient related experience. Please see the program admissions criteria in the City University of Seattle catalog for specific information.
Preparatory Courses (20 Credits)
Core Requirements (24 Credits)
Depth of Study: Cybersecurity (6 credits)
Choose one block from those listed below.
Depth of Study: Cyber Operation (6 Credits)
| CS 533 | Computer Architecture | 3 |
| CS 622 | Discrete Math and Algorithms for Computing | 3 |
Depth of Study: Cyber Defense (6 Credits)
Choice Coursework (6 Credits Graduate Level)
| Choose two courses from those listed below | |
| CS 504 | Software Engineering | 3 |
| CS 519 | Cloud Computing Overview | 3 |
| DS 515 | Data Science Overview | 3 |
| DS 520 | Data Mining | 3 |
| ISEC 685 | Cybersecurity Internship | 3 |
| ITMGMT 510 | Managing the Technology Project | 3 |
| ITMGMT 570 | Maintaining the Technology Infrastructure | 3 |
| ITMGMT 575 | Technology Implementation and Change | 3 |
Capstone (3 Credits)