Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate

Overview
Requirements

Department website: http://cybersecurity.umsl.edu

Information security is currently one of the most critical issues facing individuals, organizations, governments, and society. Media reports are replete with breaches of information security and the adverse consequences for all stakeholders involved. Thus, demand for professionals who understand the managerial and technical aspects of information security is growing. However, security is a rather broad field and includes a plethora of interconnected sub-specialties. Students or professionals seeking an entry into this field are often overwhelmed by its vastness. Further, since security is both a management issue and a technological issue, it is critical that students think about it from both perspectives and develop skills at their intersection.

This multidisciplinary certificate program is designed for students from diverse backgrounds who wish to get a foundation in information security. Given its flexible structure, it allows students to pursue either more technical courses throughout their program or have a mixture of technical and non-technical courses to match their interests and skill-sets.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis holds the prestigious National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) designation granted by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. We are currently one of only two institutions that hold such a designation in the state of Missouri and the only CAE-CDE in the Saint Louis region. UMSL also holds an additional CAE-CDE designation in the Security Policy Development and Compliance focus area.

For more information, please visit http://cybersecurity.umsl.edu or contact the program directors at cybersecurity@umsl.edu.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must meet the following program admission requirements in addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School.

By the time of enrollment, prospective students must have obtained a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent from an accredited college or university. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required to be considered for regular admission. This GPA is higher than the minimum for the Graduate School. An undergraduate GPA below 3.0 will be considered on an individual basis for restricted admission. Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in college algebra or the equivalent. Graduate coursework also will be taken into consideration.

Applicants must obtain three letters of recommendation. The letters should be from those who are familiar with your professional and/or academic skills. At least one of the letters must be from a current or former college-level instructor. Written letters of recommendation must accompany the downloadable recommendation forms from the Graduate School. These materials should be sent by the letter writer directly to the Cybersecurity program director of either Computer Science or Information Systems.

Applicants must submit official transcripts to the graduate admissions office documenting the baccalaureate degree and all other prior college and graduate-level coursework completed.

For more information on the program and contact information please visit cybersecurity.umsl.edu.

For information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed this graduate certificate program, and other important information, please visit our Gainful Employment Disclosure website: http://www.umsl.edu/gradschool/gradprograms/gainful-emp/gedt-cyber.html

Certificate Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity is a six-course (18 credit hours) multidisciplinary program housed in the Graduate School. It is designed to help students from all backgrounds achieve a foundation in information security. It provides students the flexibility to focus on technical and/or managerial aspects of computer, software, network, and information security. With primary courses offered by Computer Science and Information Systems departments, the program also allows students to choose from a range of electives based on student interests. This certificate serves a broad group of managers, technical specialists, and professionals with a bachelor’s degree. A prior background in information security is not required to enter this program.

Requirements

All students must take three required courses and three electives (at least one elective course must be in Computer Science)

Required Courses
INFSYS 6828	Principles of Information Security	3
CMP SCI 4730	Computer Networks and Communications	3
or INFSYS 6836	Management of Data Networks and Security
CMP SCI 5782	Advanced Information Security	3
or INFSYS 6858	Advanced Cybersecurity Concepts
Electives
Choose three of the following (at least one must be a CMP SCI course):		9
CMP SCI 4700	Computer Forensics
CMP SCI 4780	Computer and Network Security
CMP SCI 4792	Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing
CMP SCI 5020	Android Apps: Android Fundamentals
CMP SCI 5222	Advanced iOS Apps
CMP SCI 5732	Cryptography for Computer Security
CMP SCI 5750	Cloud Computing
CMP SCI 5794	Security of IoT Systems
INFSYS 6868	Software Assurance
INFSYS 6878	Management of Information Security
Total Hours		18

Students may substitute the above courses with other courses upon approval by the graduate program director of either the Computer Science or Information Systems Department. In all cases, 18 hours are needed to complete the Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity.

A maximum of two (2) 4000-level courses can be taken as part of the graduate certificate. A minimum of four courses must be taken in residence at UMSL. Students may not receive both the Undergraduate and the Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity.

For more information, students can contact the program directors at cybersecurityUMSL@umsl.edu.