Online Master's in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance

Cybersecurity Fundamentals introduces learners to the core principles and modern significance of cybersecurity in organizational and technological contexts. Learners apply foundational networking concepts and security methods to develop strategies for securing systems and conduct risk assessments using established industry frameworks, building the analytical foundation needed for advanced study and professional practice in cybersecurity.

Human-Centric Risk in Cybersecurity prepares learners to identify and address the human dimensions of cybersecurity risk, including behavioral vulnerabilities, social engineering, and the psychological factors that underlie cybercrime. Learners develop strategies to build a culture of security through technical and procedural controls and apply privacy by design principles to real-world challenges, advancing organizational resilience and trust.

Governance, Risk, and Compliance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence prepares learners to design cybersecurity governance frameworks that address the evolving risks introduced by AI adoption. Learners evaluate regulatory compliance requirements, analyze AI-related threats and supply chain vulnerabilities, and develop policy and program management strategies that integrate responsible AI principles to lead GRC efforts in environments where AI is both a tool and a risk surface.

Security Operations provides learners with the fundamental skills to handle and respond to computer security incidents in an information system. The course addresses various underlying principles and techniques for detecting and responding to current and emerging computer security threats. The course also helps learners explore strategies to leverage intelligence and threat detection techniques, analyze and interpret data, identify, and address vulnerabilities, and suggest preventative measures. Methods are introduced to effectively respond to and recover from cybersecurity incidents, evaluate risk assessment methodologies, and apply incident handling laws and policies.

Penetration Testing introduces learners to the skills necessary to perform penetration testing and vulnerability management within an organization. The course covers widely used penetration testing techniques and tools that focus on planning and scoping, information gathering, vulnerability identification, and attacks and exploits. In addition, it offers hands-on experience and a focus on penetration testing engagement plans.

Cloud Security prepares learners to design solutions for cloud-based platforms and operations that maintain data availability while protecting the confidentiality and integrity of information. Course topics include cloud service models, deployment methods, identity and access management (IAM) strategies, auditing and monitoring strategies, assessing and mitigating common cloud security threats, and managing compliance and regulation requirements. The course also offers hands-on experience deploying and assessing IAM controls in a cloud environment.

Cybersecurity Management prepares learners to develop organizational information security programs and policies that follow recognized standards, comply with all governing laws and regulations, and meet the needs of the company culture and management organization. The course covers how to perform risk management institutionally, how to manage compliance to information security requirements, and how to delegate compliance, risk, and security functions to specific roles within the organization. It also helps learners apply strategic decision-making as companies adapt to new technologies, processes, and people practices related to processing, managing, and protecting information resources.

Secure Network Design provides the foundational knowledge and skills to design secure physical and logical network architectures for wired and wireless networks. Course topics include the characteristics of a secure network, techniques to securely configure network devices, network segmentation strategies, root cause analysis, and mitigation approaches based on industry best practices. The course also offers hands-on experience in network vulnerability analysis and network configuration.

Secure Software Design focuses on the variety of elements needed to address and implement secure software acquisition and development throughout the software development life cycle (SDLC). The course addresses people, technology, tools, and processes to design and develop consistently secure applications from start to finish. Additionally, it underscores the importance and value of the Defense in Depth principle across the entire SDLC. The course also introduces techniques to adapt common security activities to modern software development practices such as Agile and DevSecOps.

Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering provides learners with advanced skills and knowledge to design secure enterprise architecture solutions. The course focuses on assessing cybersecurity readiness and implementing enterprise-wide solutions to protect data and comply with an organization's policies and frameworks. Course topics include integrating software applications, applying enterprise data security controls, evaluating cloud and virtualization solutions, analyzing threats and vulnerabilities, and responding to incidents.

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance (MSCSIA) Capstone project allows learners to demonstrate their capability to establish a durable cybersecurity and information assurance program. The capstone project challenges learners to integrate skills and knowledge from all program domains into one project that addresses a significant real-world cybersecurity problem.