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Cybersecurity Master's Degree Program

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Cyberattacks continue to increase in frequency and have a tremendous impact on governments, organizations, and individuals, costing billions of dollars each year. The demand for trained cyber professionals to combat these threats continues to grow. Our program prepares students to enter the cybersecurity workforce with the necessary skills to address these challenges. Students will learn how to manage, administer, and protect critical information infrastructures; defend organizations from emerging cybersecurity threats; and respond effectively to the dynamic cybersecurity landscape.

Students must satisfactorily complete all prescribed prerequisite courses, a comprehensive examination, and thirty six (36) graduate credit hours for the Cybersecurity Master of Science degree. Required prerequisite courses are prescribed by the Cybersecurity Coordinator after reviewing prior academic work and results from any required School of Computing Foundation Placement Examinations. Cybersecurity majors must complete their Cybersecurity program with a minimum grade of "B" in core courses, a minimum grade of "C" in CIS 518, and an overall program GPA of 3.0. The thirty six (36) graduate hours consist of twelve (12) hours of CORE courses, twelve (12) hours of REQUIRED courses, and twelve (12) semester hours of approved elective courses according to the selected concentration option as follows: 

Core Courses (12 semester hours): 

All core courses must be completed with a minimum grade of a "B".

  • CIS 530 – Information Assurance and Audit
  • CYB 570 –  Cybersecurity Ethics

And select two (2) from the following: 

  • CIS 535 – Digital Forensics Analysis 
  • CIS 540 – Network Security Management
  • ISC 590 – Cloud Computing
  • ISC 590 – Python Programming

Required Course (12 semester hours) 

  • CIS 518 – CIS Research Methodologies
  • CIS 538 – OS/IA Security 
  • CYB 555 – Data Security 
  • ISC 565 – Project Management 

Concentration (12 semester hours) 

Three concentrations of study are available to students in the Cybersecurity Master's program.  These are THESIS, PROJECT, and COURSE-ONLY concentrations. 

1: Thesis Concentration 

For the Thesis Concentration, twelve (12) semester hours of required and elective course work are required.

Research Development 

A minimum of three (3) semester hours credit of CIS 595, Computer and Information Sciences Research Development, are required. A Thesis Concentration student may only enroll in CIS 595 after successfully completing CIS 518 and their core courses. A Thesis Concentration student must be enrolled in CIS 595 in the semester during which they defend their thesis prospectus. A grade of "C" or lower in CIS 595 will result in the dismissal of the student from the Thesis and Project Concentrations to the Course-Only Concentration. 

Thesis 

A minimum of three (3) semester hours credit of CIS 599, Computer and Information Sciences Thesis, must be applied towards the degree for the Thesis Concentration. Students may only enroll in CIS 599 after successfully defending their thesis prospectus (minimum grade of "B" in CIS 595). A Thesis Concentration student must be enrolled in CIS 599 in the semester during which they defend and/or submit their thesis. 

Elective Course Work 

Six (6) semester hours of additional approved electives are required. A maximum of three (3) semester hours of Special Permission courses may be applied to the degree for the Thesis Concentration. A list of Pre-Approved Cybersecurity courses and a list of Special Permission courses are given at the end of this section. 

Comprehensive Examination 

All students in the Thesis Concentration must pass an oral comprehensive examination administered after the thesis committee accepts the thesis. The School of Computing Comprehensive Examination Policies and Procedures document and the Comprehensive Examination Application form are available at 

https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/soc/essentialstudentlinks.html.

2: Project Concentration 

For the Project Concentration, twelve (12) semester hours of required and elective course work are required. 

Project Proposal Development 

A minimum of three (3) semester hours credit of CYB 595 Cybersecurity Project Proposal Development are required. A Project Concentration student may only enroll in CYB 595, after successfully completing CIS 518 and their core courses. A Project Concentration student must be enrolled in CYB 595 in the semester during which they defend their thesis prospectus. A grade of "C" or lower in CYB 595 will result in the dismissal of the student from the Thesis and Project Concentrations to the Course-Only Concentration. 

Project 

A minimum of three (3) semester hours credit of CYB 598, Cybersecurity Project, must be applied towards the degree for the Project Concentration. Students may only enroll in CYB 598 after successfully defending their project proposal. A Project Concentration student must be enrolled in CYB 598 in the semester during which they defend and/or submit their project. 

Elective Course Work 

Six (6) semester hours of additional approved electives are required. A maximum of three (3) semester hours of Special Permission courses may be applied to the degree for the Project Concentration. A list of Pre-Approved Cybersecurity courses and a list of Special Permission courses are given at the end of this section. 

Comprehensive Examination 

All students in the Project Concentration must pass an oral comprehensive examination administered after the project committee accepts the project. The School of Computing Comprehensive Examination Policies and Procedures document and the Comprehensive Examination Application form are available at

https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/soc/essentialstudentlinks.html 

3: Course Only Concentration 

For the Course Only Concentration, twelve (12) semester hours of elective course work are required. 

Elective Course Work 

Twelve (12) semester hours of approved electives are required. A maximum of six (6) semester hours of Special Permission courses may be applied to the degree of the Course Only Concentration. No credits from CYB 595, CYB 598, CIS 595, or CIS 599 may be applied to the Course Only Concentration. A list of Pre-Approved Cybersecurity courses and a list of Special Permission courses are given at the end of this section. 

Comprehensive Examination 

Students in the Course Only Concentration must pass a written examination. Students should take the examination after successfully completing CIS 518 and Cybersecurity core courses. Students wishing to sit for the examination must apply online to the Director of SoC Graduate Studies by the Friday of the last week of classes in the semester prior to which the examination is to be taken. The comprehensive examination is offered at least once a year. The School of Computing Comprehensive Examination Policies and Procedures document and the Comprehensive Examination Application form are available at

https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/soc/essentialstudentlinks.html

Cybersecurity Electives

A list of Pre-Approved Cybersecurity elective courses and a list of Special Permission courses are given below.  All other courses must be approved by the Cybersecurity Coordinator. A maximum of six (6) credit hours of non-CYB, non-ISC, or non-CIS courses will be allowed. 

  • CYB 566 – Network Forensics
  • CYB 567 – Ethical Hacking
  • CYB 568 – Intrusion Analysis and Response
  • CYB 569 – SCADA Security
  • ISC 553 – IS Website Management 
  • ISC 590 – Special Topics
  • CYB 590 – Special Topics 

Approval of the Cybersecurity Coordinator and the Director of the SOC Graduate Studies is required for CIS graduate faculty sponsorship of a Special Permission Course. A maximum of nine (9) credit hours of Special Permission courses may be applied to the degree for the Thesis Concentration or the Project Concentration; a maximum of six (6) credit hours of Special Permission courses may be applied to the degree for the Course Only Concentration. 

  • CIS 594 – Directed Study 
  • CIS 595 – CIS Research Development
  • CYB 595 – Cybersecurity Project Proposal Development
  • CYB 595 –  Cybersecurity Project
  • CIS 599 – Computer and Information Sciences Thesis 

For additional information about the Cybersecurity graduate program, please contact Dr. Debra Chapman at  cybersecuritygraduate@southalabama.edu or (251) 460 - 7370