https://www.uwplatt.edu/program/master-science-cybersecurity
Dr. Joshua Yue, Academic Director
Master of Science in Cybersecurity
Address: University of Wisconsin-Platteville
1 University Plaza
Platteville, WI 53818-3099
Phone: 608.342.3984
Email: yues@uwplatt.edu
Statement of Purpose
The demand for skilled professionals who can secure our nation's cyber assets against a variety of threats continues to outpace the supply. This program has been designed to provide working professionals skills they need to pursue careers in this rapidly growing field. Students will learn ethical hacking skills and how to effectively develop, implement, and maintain a security strategy within diverse organizations and industry sectors.
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates will:
- Analyze and resolve security issues in networks and computer systems to secure an IT infrastructure
- Design, develop, test, and evaluate secure software
- Develop policies and procedures to manage enterprise security risks
- Evaluate and communicate the human role in security systems with an emphasis on ethics, social engineering vulnerabilities, and training
- Interpret and forensically investigate security incidents
Introduction
This program represents a comprehensive, multidisciplinary curriculum that prepares students to advance their careers and pursue their academic ambitions through leadership and management positions within the cybersecurity field. The program will equip students with the skills needed to effectively develop, implement, and maintain a security strategy within diverse organizations and industry sectors. Core courses provide students with a solid foundation in data and network security, compliance, strategic planning, program design and management, legal and ethical issues in cybersecurity, cryptography, risk management, and technical communications. In addition, the program offers four unique tracks to assist students in tailoring their coursework to meet their career goals: digital forensics, cyber response, governance and leadership, and security architecture. The Master of Science in Cybersecurity represents a fully online, asynchronous curriculum comprised of 34 credits to include a culminating, project-based capstone experience. Graduates of the program will gain the core competencies required to assume a variety of roles across a wide range of industries to include cybersecurity analyst, security consultant, cybersecurity manager, computer system analyst, security application analyst, and information technology specialist.
Admission Requirements for Master of Science in Cybersecurity
Admission to the Master of Science in Cybersecurity requires:
- Prerequisite coursework in Introduction to Computer Science (with a programming emphasis) and Calculus or Statistics
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
- Employment résumé
- Two letters of recommendation
- A personal statement of not more than 1000 words
To be eligible for admission in full standing, a student must have an overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0. Students who do not qualify for admission in full standing may be admitted in full standing on probation if justified by the admitting department and approved by the College Dean.
Program entrance requirements and degree completion requirements are consistent with those of the other collaborative degree-granting institutions offering this program. Applicants should follow the instructions found in the Admission Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.
Special Students
Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or U.S. Department of Education (USDE) may register as a Special Student. Special students receive full academic credit for credit-bearing courses taken while they are on special student status. The special student may later be considered for admission into a degree program if a 3.0 grade point average has been maintained in all graduate-level work and all other admission requirements are met. All UW-Platteville graduate-level work will be included in computing the student’s academic average. Students are encouraged to talk to the appropriate program coordinator if they have questions about which courses to take as a special student. Students can earn up to 12 credits as a special student; additional credits may be allowed with special permission from the Provost Designee. A maximum of 12 credits earned as a special student may be applied to a degree-seeking program. This may limit the number of transfer credits or waivers a student may receive from other institutions.
Curriculum
The Cybersecurity degree program has a 34-credit curriculum, wherein students will complete a 25 core credits (including a 3-credit Capstone course) and 9 credits of electives from one of four emphasis to satisfy degree requirements. Graduate credits in which a grade lower than a "C" has been earned will not be counted toward the degree; however, these lower grades will be reflected in the student's grade point average.
Course List | Course | Title | Credits |
| CYB 7000 | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity | 3 |
| CYB 7030 | Network Security | 3 |
| CYB 7050 | Sociological Aspects of Cybersecurity | 3 |
| CYB 7070 | Cybersecurity Program Planning and Implementation | 3 |
| CYB 7100 | Introduction to Cryptography | 3 |
| CYB 7150 | Managing Security Risk | 3 |
| CYB 7200 | Communication in Cybersecurity | 3 |
| CYB 7890 | Cybersecurity Pre-Capstone | 1 |
| CYB 7900 | Cybersecurity Capstone | 3 |
| 9 |
| Total Credits | 34 |
Areas of Emphasis
Cyber Response Emphasis
The Cyber Response emphasis area consists of the following three courses
Course List | Course | Title | Credits |
| CYB 7400 | Incident Response and Remediation | 3 |
| CYB 7450 | Secure Operating Systems | 3 |
| CYB 7500 | Offensive Security & Threat Management | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 |
Digital Forensics Emphasis
The Digital Forensics emphasis area consists of the following three courses
Course List | Course | Title | Credits |
| CYB 7250 | Computer Forensics and Investigations | 3 |
| CYB 7300 | Computer Criminology | 3 |
| CYB 7350 | Network Forensics | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 |
Governance and Leadership Emphasis
The Governance and Leadership area consists of the following three courses
Course List | Course | Title | Credits |
| CYB 7550 | Security Administration | 3 |
| CYB 7600 | Cybersecurity Leadership and Team Dynamics | 3 |
| CYB 7650 | Cybersecurity Management | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 |
Security Architecture Emphasis
The emphasis area consists of the three of the following four courses:
Course List | Course | Title | Credits |
| CYB 7700 | Security Architecture | 3 |
| CYB 7750 | Applied Cryptography | 3 |
| CYB 7800 | Software Security | 3 |
| or CYB 7850 | Cyber-Physical System Security |
| Total Credits | 9 |
