Master of Science in Cybersecurity
UT's STEM approved Master of Science in Cybersecurity prepares students for careers in the dynamic cybersecurity industry. Rapid technology changes and the evolving threats that face modern organizations require educated and equipped cybersecurity professionals. This 32 credit hour program develops students' depth and breadth of information security knowledge so they can successfully protect information assets for organizations regardless of industry and business. Topics include cloud system security, risk assessment, data analytics, contingency planning, incident response management, digital forensics, penetration testing, secure software design, project management, technology governance, compliance and security leadership. Several of our courses are designed to cover the top professional certifications in the industry (e.g., Certified Information System Security Professional).
The M.S. in Cybersecurity also offers a thesis track. Students considering the thesis option take a course sequence that includes a research seminar and a thesis writing course. This 34-credit hour alternative prepares students who wish to pursue a research-oriented career as an academic, consultant or practitioner.
Students choosing the thesis track will be required to submit an electronic version of their thesis to the Macdonald-Kelce Library for inclusion in the digital repository, which is accessible on the internet. Students may choose to release the work for immediate access worldwide or choose embargos restricting access of full text to only The University of Tampa community for one, three or five years, before the work is released freely on the web through the repository.
Other cybersecurity graduate programs are available, including a graduate certificate in cybersecurity and an MBA concentration in cybersecurity.
Degree Requirements
Business Course Prerequisites:
Students are required to complete two business courses totaling at least 6 credit hours. It is recommended that a student complete these before taking graduate CYB courses, but it is not a requirement. The two courses must be:
Note: These may be waived if the student has completed a business degree in the past 7 years from an AACSB-accredited school and earned a grade of “B” or better in the course.
Required Information Technology Foundation
- CYB 501 Fundamentals of Information Security
- Note: To waive CYB 501 course, students must earn a B grade or better in qualification courses in programming fundamentals, networking, and information security principles.
Professional Certifications and Work Experience Substitutes
Candidates may use certifications and work experience to substitute for some or all of the IT courses. Each substitute will be evaluated on an individual basis.
Certifications: Professional certifications can be used to substitute the IT courses. A single certification can substitute for only one course. For example, to substitute for three courses, three different relevant certifications would be required. Each certification must be verifiable. The Cybersecurity Program Director will maintain a list of acceptable certifications. Below are examples of some acceptable substitutions for the three required IT courses:
1) Programming language or application development certification (e.g. C/C++, Python, Java, Visual Basic, MCSD) may substitute for the programming course requirement.
2) A networking certification (e.g. Network+, CCNA, CCNP) may substitute for the networking and data communication course requirement.
3) A security certification (e.g. Security+, SSCP, CISA, CISM, CISSP, GIAC Security Essentials) may substitute for the information security principles course requirement.
Work experience: Professional work experience may be used as a substitute for a maximum of one of the three IT courses. The work experience must be full-time, paid, within the last ten years, directly relate to the substituted course and be verifiable. At least two years of full-time work experience is necessary to substitute for the specific course. To be verifiable, the experience must be described on a document from an employee’s place of work as part of the candidate’s admission package.
Thesis Track Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 34 credit hours. Required MS-CYB courses: (26 credit hours)
| CYB 601 | Computer and Internet Security | 4 |
| CYB 620 | Risk Assessment & Contingency Planning | 4 |
| CYB 630 | Incident Response Management | 4 |
| CYB 660 | Penetration Testing | 4 |
| CYB 670 | Cybersecurity Research Seminar | 4 |
| CYB 675 | Cybersecurity Graduate Thesis | 6 |
Elective Courses: Select one from the following (4 credit hours)
| CYB 695 | Special Topics in Cybersecurity | 4 |
| CYB 699 | Independent Study in Cybersecurity | 1-8 |
| ITM 608 | Information Systems and Operations Management | 4 |
| ITM 614 | Effective Project Management | 4 |
| ITM 615 | Data Mining for Business | 4 |
| ITM 617 | Machine Learning for Business Analytics | 4 |
| ITM 619 | Enterprise Systems | 4 |
| ITM 630 | Managing the IT Organization | 4 |
| ITM 635 | Managing Innovation | 4 |
AND at least one of the following: (4 credit hours)
Non-Thesis Track
Non-Thesis Track Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours. Required MS-CYB courses: (16 credit hours)
| CYB 601 | Computer and Internet Security | 4 |
| CYB 620 | Risk Assessment & Contingency Planning | 4 |
| CYB 630 | Incident Response Management | 4 |
| CYB 660 | Penetration Testing | 4 |
AND at least one of the following: (4 credit hours)
Elective Courses: Select three from the following (12 credit hours)
| CYB 670 | Cybersecurity Research Seminar | 4 |
| CYB 695 | Special Topics in Cybersecurity | 4 |
| CYB 699 | Independent Study in Cybersecurity | 1-8 |
| ITM 608 | Information Systems and Operations Management | 4 |
| ITM 614 | Effective Project Management | 4 |
| ITM 615 | Data Mining for Business | 4 |
| ITM 617 | Machine Learning for Business Analytics | 4 |
| ITM 619 | Enterprise Systems | 4 |
| ITM 630 | Managing the IT Organization | 4 |
| ITM 635 | Managing Innovation | 4 |
Total Credit Hours: 32-40