Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security
Chair, Department of Continuing Studies: Mark L. Parker
Program Manager: Henry Collier
The Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security program (BSCS) is a degree-completion program designed for military, government, and private sector professionals who seek to complete their bachelor's degree in the information technology field and who want to further their careers by developing specialized skills in the high-need area of network security. The program offers a solid foundation of cyber security courses as well as two concentration areas of study:
- Computer Forensics and Vulnerability Management
- Information Warfare and Security Management
The cyber security curriculum balances general education and core cyber security courses (many of which can be fulfilled through transfer credits) with elective and project-based courses that allow students to delve into sub-areas such as national security policy, offensive and defensive information warfare, penetration testing, and malware forensics. All courses are designed to hone foundational skills in critical thinking, research and analysis, ethical decision-making, and oral and written communications.
Students entering the cyber security program must transfer a minimum of 30 credits to be admitted to the program and may transfer as much as 84 credits to satisfy the degree requirement. Basic networking, programming and operating systems knowledge acquired through prior coursework, certifications, or military training is required for entry into the degree program.
Curriculum Requirements
Pre-Program Education and Training
Students accepted into the Cyber Security degree program must have earned a minimum of 30 semester credits from college courses, military training, or other educational experiences such as CLEP tests. A maximum of 90 semester credits may be transferred into the program. Basic networking, programming and operating systems knowledge acquired through prior coursework, certifications, or military training is required for entry into the degree program.
Students are required to earn a grade of C in core, concentration, and capstone courses. Students are required to meet general education requirements in literature, history, arts and humanities, science, social science, and math and may do so by transfer credit or enrollment in courses such as ENGL 250, HIST 310, PHLS 205, SCIE 202, SCIE 301, SOCI 335, and MATH 232.
| Core Courses | ||
| CYBR 201 | Fundamentals of Computer Networking | 3 |
| CYBR 210 | Computer Programming with a High Level Language | 3 |
| CYBR 215 | Computer Programming with a Low Level Language | 3 |
| CYBR 220 | Windows Server Administration | 3 |
| CYBR 225 | Linux Administration | 3 |
| CYBR 230 | Relational Databases with SQL | 3 |
| PHLS 210 | Ethics in the Modern World | 3 |
| CJ 341 | Cyber Law and Cyber Crime | 3 |
| IA 340 | Introduction to Information Assurance | 3 |
| IA 342 | Management of Information Assurance | 3 |
| COMM 301 | Business & ProfessionalWriting | 3 |
| MNGT 309 | Mngt of Organizations | 3 |
| Total Cr. | 36 | |
Concentrations
Students in the BSCS program are required to complete one of the following concentrations:
| Computer Security Vulnerability and Management Concentration | ||
| CJ 442 | Introduction to Computer Forensics | 4 |
| DF 311 | Network Forensics | 3 |
| DF 312 | Malware Forensics | 3 |
| DF 411 | Cyber Investigation | 3 |
| CYBR 320 | Vulnerability Testing I | 3 |
| CYBR 420 | Vulnerability Testing II | 3 |
| Total Cr. | 19 | |
| Information Warfare Concentration | ||
| CYBR 370 | Introduction to Information Warfare | 3 |
| CYBR 380 Offensive Information Warfare | 3 | |
| CYBR 382 | Defensive Information Warfare | 3 |
| CS 407 | Politics of Cyberspace | 3 |
| POLS 302 | National Security Policy | 3 |
| CYBR 410 | Systems Assurance | 3 |
| Total Cr. | 18 | |
Capstone
The capstone course, CYBR 400 (6), is the culminating academic activity for BSCS students. In it, students propose, develop, and deliver a final substantive research project that combines the general knowledge acquired in the core courses with the specific knowledge of the concentration. The final project requires students to draw upon at least two different academic disciplines for research methodology, seminal literature and sources, and intellectual frameworks in order to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to the subject. The capstone course may not be fulfilled through transfer credit.