Cyber Technology, MS
Dr. Shakil Akhtar, Program Coordinator
Interested Applicants
Visit the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology webpage.
You may also contact the department by email or by phone at: (678) 466-4401.
To apply, visit the Clayton State University School of Graduate Studies webpage.
Mission
The Master of Science in Cyber Technology (MSCT) is designed to enable both traditional students and working adults to pursue graduate education in the field of cyber technology. Individuals will be equipped with knowledge and skills needed to advance their career or perform a mid-career transition into cyber technology areas.
Goals
The goal of the Master of Science in Cyber Technology (MSCT) program is to prepare students to work and study independently and collaboratively, to pursue academic career or professional career in education and research, industry, business, or government.
The program offers two curricular tracks: a Research (Thesis) Track and an Applied (Project) Track. The research track is designed for students interested in a career in cybersecurity research, possibly continuing toward a doctoral degree. The applied project track is designed to maximize the acquisition of advanced practical skills and a corresponding professional placement in industry, business, or government.
Within each track, there are two areas of concentration from which students may choose: the Operation and Security Management Concentration and the Information Security Concentration. To earn the Master of Science in Cyber Technology degree, a student must complete at least 30 credit hours including CyberTech core courses, courses within the chosen area of concentration, a project or thesis, and a research techniques course. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be awarded the MSCT degree.
Program Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Secure data using current software and hardware tools, and respond to threats that occur over the internet.
- Design and implement risk analysis, security policies, and damage assessment.
- Plan, implement, and audit operating systems' security in a networked, multi-platform and cross platform environment.
- Provide contingency operations like administrative planning for incident response, disaster recovery, or business continuity planning within information security.
General Requirements for Program Admission
To be considered for MSCT admission, applicants must submit an application for admission to Graduate Studies at CSU. Admission to the MSCT program requires an earned baccalaureate degree in computer science, information technology or closely related field from an accredited college or university.
- In addition to the general requirements as outlined in this catalog, applicants must have:
- Complete online application to the School of Graduate Studies
- Bachelor’s degree with a minimum 2.5 GPA of undergraduate study from an accredited college or university,
- Essay of Purpose and graduate school interest,
- Three (3) letters of recommendation,
- For applicants with an undergraduate GPA between 2.50 and 2.69, a GRE score of 296 or higher is required.
- International students whose native language is not English are required to submit English Language Proficiency through one of the following options: TOEFL (minimum score of 78 total on the internet-based TOEFL), IELTS (minimum score of 6 total), Duolingo English Test (Minimum score of 100), or successful completion of an approved University System of Georgia (USG) intensive ESL program.
- If an applicant has completed any coursework, degree, or degrees from institutions outside of the United States, he or she must utilize a credential evaluation service. The School of Graduate Studies accepts an official course-by-course evaluation with a GPA that is prepared by either Josef Silney and Associates or World Education Services.
Deadlines
| Admit Term | Final Recommended Deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall | July 15 |
| Spring | November 15 |
| Summer | April 25 |
The final deadlines for Applications and supporting documents for international graduate students are:
| Admit Term | Final Recommended Deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall | May 1 |
| Spring | September 1 |
| Summer | February 1 |
The program offers two (2) program tracks: the Applied (Project) Track and the Research (Thesis) Track.1,2
Applied (Project) Track3
Students who select the Applied (Project) track must successfully complete a total of 30 credit hours.
- Four (4) Master of Science Cyber Technology core courses: 12 credit hours2
- Five (5) concentration courses: 15 credit hours4
- CSCI 6599 Special Project: 3 credit hours
Research (Thesis) Track3
Students who select the Research track must successfully complete a total of 30 credit hours.
- Four (4) Master of Science Cyber Technology courses: 12 credit hours2
- Four (4) concentration courses: 12 credit hours4
- CSCI 6600 Thesis: 3 credit hours
- Research Techniques: 3 credit hours
English Proficiency Requirement
Those applicants whose native language is not English or whose language of college instruction was not English are required to submit English Language proficiency scores.
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 78 total on the internet-based TOEFL (ibT) or 550+ on the paper-based TOEFL
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Minimum scores of 6 total
- Duolingo English Test: Minimum score of 100
Applicants whose language of instruction was English should have the Registrar of their home institution submit a letter to Graduate Admissions attesting/certifying that the language of instruction for the baccalaureate degree was English. If this documentation is unavailable, applicants must submit the official acceptable scores on the TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo.
Program Requirements1
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required MSCT Core Courses 2 | 12 | |
| CSCI 5306 | Computer & Networks Security | 3 |
| CSCI 5317 | Operating Systems Administration and Security | 3 |
| CSCI 5601 | Software Security | 3 |
| CSCI 5701 | Introduction to Cybersecurity | 3 |
| Concentration Requirements 4 | 12-15 | |
| Choose one concentration from the following: | ||
Information Security Concentration | ||
Operation & Security Management Concentration | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Information Security Concentration (APPLIED)3
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSCT Required Core Courses 2 | 12 | |
| Information Security Concentration (Applied) Requirements 4 | 18 | |
| Special Project | ||
| Choose 5 courses (15 credit hours) from the following: | ||
| Secure Network Modeling and Simulation | ||
| Digital Forensics and Incident Response | ||
| Information Risk Management | ||
| Advanced Topics in Cyber Technology | ||
| Cryptographic Techniques | ||
| Data Security and Analytics | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
INFORMATION SECURITY CONCENTRATION (Research)3
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSCT Required Core Courses 2 | 12 | |
| Information Security Concentration (Research) Requirements 4 | 18 | |
| Research Techniques | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Choose 4 courses (12 credit hours) from the following: | ||
| Secure Network Modeling and Simulation | ||
| Digital Forensics and Incident Response | ||
| Information Risk Management | ||
| Advanced Topics in Cyber Technology | ||
| Cryptographic Techniques | ||
| Data Security and Analytics | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Operations & Security Management Concentration (APPLIED)3
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required MSCT Core Courses 2 | 12 | |
| Operations & Security Management Concentration (Applied) Requirements 4 | 15 | |
| Special Project | ||
| Choose 5 courses (15 credit hours) from the following: | ||
| Secure Networks and Communications Protocols | ||
| Digital Forensics and Incident Response | ||
| Advanced Topics in Cyber Technology | ||
| Enterprise Security Management | ||
| Disaster Recovery Planning | ||
| Cloud Computing | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 27 | |
Operation & Security Management Concentration (RESEARCH)3
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSCT Required Core Courses 2 | 12 | |
| Operations & Security Management Concentration (Research) Requirements 4 | 18 | |
| Research Techniques | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Choose 4 courses (12 credit hours) from the following: | ||
| Secure Networks and Communications Protocols | ||
| Digital Forensics and Incident Response | ||
| Advanced Topics in Cyber Technology | ||
| Enterprise Security Management | ||
| Disaster Recovery Planning | ||
| Cloud Computing | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- 1
Each student must complete 30 credit hours of MSCT courses with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 to earn the degree. Student may not earn more than two grades of "C".
- 2
All students must take the four (4) MSCT core courses totaling 12 credit hours. A minimum grade of B is required for the four core courses.
- 3
Students must select one of two program tracks, either the Applied (Project) Track or the Research (Thesis) Track.
Students selecting the Applied (Project) Track must complete CSCI 6599 Special Project (3 credit hours).
Students selecting the Research (Thesis) Track must complete CSCI 6574 Research Techniques (3 credit hours) and CSCI 6600 Thesis (3 credit hours).
- 4
Concentration Requirements: There are two concentration options-The Information Security Concentration and the Operation & Security Management Concentration.
Applied (Project) Track students must take 5 courses (15 credit hours) within one of the concentration options.
Research (Thesis) Track students must take 4 courses (12 credit hours) within one of the concentration options.
- 5
Students can transfer, at most, 6 credit hours of non-core courses from other college or university.
This course covers the design and implementation of protocols and the vulnerabilities and risk associated with these implementations. Other topics include Cryptographic techniques and algorithms. Design and implementation of network routing protocols and security architecture will be done using software simulation tools. Departmental Approval or Consent of Instructor
This course covers computer operating systems, such as UNIX and Linux, systems programming,systems administration, and operating systems hardening.
This graduate-level course will examine modern techniques for secure network planning, analyzing with modeling the structure and dynamics of secure complex networks. Topics include gathering, interpreting, and evaluating customer requirements; defining the scope of work and analyzing resource and technology constraints and system inter-dependencies; analyzing facilities bandwidth requirements and capacity planning; researching product and vendor architecture and equipment specifications and limitations; finally, preparing an overall integration plan for new processes, protocols and equipment. A graduate level software project will be completed by each student.
This graduate course will include topics on hardware and software diagnostic tools and utilities, LANs MANs, WANs and the Internet, OSI protocol stack, flow control, switching, data compression, application program-network interface, and security issues. Also included are basic electronic topics such as electrical measurements, DC and AC circuits, diodes, transistors and OP amps, digital electronics, and microprocessors. A graduate level software project will be completed by each student.
This course will provide students with knowledge of software security risks and policies management, software security theories, secure software design and testing, secure coding, and software security standards. Students will be exposed to the techniques and tools needed for the practice of effective software security to understand how to protect software and how to secure software.
This course will address network and web-based security issues in general: network intruders (hackers), security policies and procedures, firewall, encryption, authentication and access control, and viruses. In addition, security issues applied to various LAN and WAN environments, are covered. Some e-commerce security topics, such as, electronic payments, secure transactions, secure sockets layer, digital signatures, and auditing, are also covered.
This course covers concepts and techniques in the field of computer and cyber forensics, which includes investigating, acquiring, preserving and analyzing digitally stored information. Students will practice performing digital forensics investigations using industry-standard forensic tools, techniques and procedures in the digital forensic process. Students will analyze various effective plans for crisis management and incident-handling process, including methods and standards for extraction and preservation of legal evidence, uncovering illicit activities, recovering information left on digital storages and extracting files from intentionally damaged media.
This course will provide students with a good understanding of identifying, assessing, analyzing, measuring, and responding to information risk. Students will be able to make risk mitigation and acceptance decisions given its resource constraints. Students will be able to use risk management tools, regulations, and methodologies for metrics to monitor risk management activities.
The current and latest topics in Cyber Technology research will be presented. Students will review the articles, journals, white papers using Internet, computerized databases and library resources.
This course explores the plans and preparations needed to recover from disasters affecting enterprise information systems and critical infrastructures with the goal of maintaining business continuity. Emphasis is given to the technological aspect of the planning for recovery and business continuity planning. Topics include disaster recovery planning, risk control policies and countermeasures, disaster recovery tools and services, and virtualization principles.
Prerequisites: CSCI 5701
This course introduces students to the Cloud concepts and capabilities across the various Cloud service models including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Business Process as a Service (BPaaS). It covers a broad range of Cloud vendor platforms including AWS, Google App Engine, Microsoft Azure, Eucalyptus, OpenStack and others. The topics include both concepts on parallel and distributed computing platforms and programming skills required for harvesting computational powers.
Prerequisites: CSCI 5317
This course will provide students with a good understanding of data security laws and standards, risk management of data security, data security models, data security and auditing, data encryption. We will also cover various artificial intelligence analysis and risk assessment techniques applied to data security. The AI-based solutions will be discussed to support data threats and risk assessments and detection.
Prerequisites: CSCI 5701
This course covers threat assessment, risk management, and protection of networks, hardware, and data for enterprise level systems.
Prerequisites: CSCI 5701
This course introduces the tools and techniques used in modern cryptography. Topics include secret and public key ciphers, one-way hashing algorithms, authentication and identification, digital signatures, key establishment and management, steganography, secret sharing and data recovery, public key infrastructures, and efficient implementation. Privacy and security at the upper layers are also discussed.
Prerequisites: CSCI 5701
Students will learn how to conduct literature reviews of articles, journals, white papers using Internet, computerized databases and library resources. Students will learn to develop research questions, hypotheses, research topics, research designs and write research papers in standard format.
Continuation of research on Special Project. Satisfactory oral defense of topic is required for graduation.