Cybersecurity, M.S.

Print Academic Plan of Study (opens a new window) |

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity is designed to equip students with the latest knowledge and skills in cybersecurity and privacy. Graduates of the program are employable by both businesses and governments that have important information assets to be protected from increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks.

Specific educational objectives of the program include:

A fundamental understanding of:
- common vulnerabilities of computing and networked systems,
- cyber-attacking methods,
- human and organizational aspects of cybersecurity,
- methods for compromising privacy, and
- risk assessment of cyber-attacks
Able to apply security techniques to analyze and evaluate the security risk of information systems and networks.
Able to design information systems and networks with security controls to minimize security risks.

The program requires students to take two core courses and seven cybersecurity electives, and optionally pursue two defined knowledge areas as concentrations. The core courses are designed to prepare students with fundamental knowledge and skills in cybersecurity and privacy protection that are essential to all cybersecurity professionals. The elective courses give students an opportunity to broaden their knowledge and skills in major areas of cybersecurity. Together, these two components equip students with necessary skill sets in specific areas in cybersecurity and privacy where they wish to pursue their professional careers.

Students entering the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program are required to have completed a baccalaureate degree from a college or university accredited by an accepted accrediting body and have acquired experience in studying, applying, or developing information and computing technology. Such experience may be developed by completing an undergraduate major in a discipline related to information technology or computing. For applicants who have an undergraduate major not directly related to computing, the experience may be acquired through work, professional training, or further education such as graduate certificates or post baccalaureate studies. For those without such experience, they may be required to register for bridging coursework and demonstrate prior knowledge, as determined by the Graduate Program Director.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements specific to the program include:

Students applying for this program are expected to have knowledge of computer systems and programming. A bachelor’s degree or prior work experience in a computing-related field will be necessary for some of the elective coursework. Students without undergraduate prerequisite knowledge in programming or computer systems may be required to register for bridging coursework or demonstrate prior knowledge, as determined by the Graduate Program Director.
Students must have an undergraduate grade point average of (or equivalent to) at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) and a Junior/Senior GPA of at least 3.0.
Student admission will be based on:
- Undergraduate academic record
- TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo (for international students)
- GRE - Applicants who completed undergraduate degree outside of the United States may voluntarily submit GRE test scores and they will be reviewed as part of the holistic application consideration. Please note, the GRE requirement is optional.
- Statement of purpose
- Letters of recommendation

Early Entry Program

Exceptional undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte may apply for the Early Entry Program and begin work toward the graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree. See the Undergraduate Catalog for details and requirements. Also see the Degree Requirements and Academic Policies section of the Graduate Catalog for more information about Early Entry Programs.

Degree Requirements

Students are required to complete 30 credit hours for the M.S. in Cybersecurity degree program, of which: (a) 6 are for 2 common core courses, (b) 21 are for 7 elective courses in cybersecurity, and (c) 3 are for one elective course in computing and information technology. Students may complete courses in up to two cybersecurity knowledge areas as optional concentrations as part of their cybersecurity electives.

Core Courses (6 credit hours)

Elective Courses (24 credit hours)

3 of the 24 required elective credit hours may be substituted by an approved IT Internship, which also serves as a capstone project.

Cybersecurity Elective Courses

The degree requires 7 courses for 21 credit hours of cybersecurity electives. You can replace 9 or 18 credit hours of these electives with 1 or 2 optional concentrations (9 credit hours each).

ITIS 5210 - Introduction to Identity & Access Management (3)
ITIS 5221 - Secure Programming and Penetration Testing (3)
ITIS 5246 - Competitive Cyber Defense (3)
ITIS 5250 - Computer Forensics (3)
ITIS 5260 - Introduction to Security Analytics (3)
ITIS 5261 - Introduction to Secured Cloud Computing (3)
ITIS 5270 - Artificial Intelligence Risk Management (3)
ITIS 5271 - Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (3)
ITIS 5331 - Web-Based Mobile and IoT Firmware Security (3)
ITIS 6150 - Software Assurance (3)
ITIS 6167 - Network Security (3)
ITIS 6210 - Access Control and Security Architecture (3)
ITIS 6214 - Usable Security and Privacy (3)
ITIS 6220 - Data Privacy (3)
ITIS 6230 - Enterprise and Infrastructure Protection (3)
ITIS 6252 - Security and Privacy as Economics (3)
ITIS 6260 - Quantum Computing (3)
ITIS 6268 - Wireless Network Security (3)
ITIS 6270 - BlockChain, Cryptocurrency, and Distributed Ledger Technologies (3)
ITIS 6320 - Cloud Data Storage (3)
ITIS 6330 - Malware Analysis (3)
ITIS 6362 - Information Technology Ethics, Policy, and Security (3)
ITIS 6415 - Cybersecurity Clinic (3)
ITIS 6820 - Cybersecurity Project (3) (may be repeated for up to 9 credit hours)
ITIS 6880 - Individual Study (1 to 3) (independent study for a security topic may be repeated, but only 3 credit hours may count towards the degree)
ITIS 6999 - SFS Research (3) (may be repeated, but only 3 credit hours may count towards the degree)

Optional Concentrations (9 credit hours each)

Students may optionally choose 1 or 2 of the below knowledge areas of cybersecurity as concentrations. Each concentration will take the place of 9 credit hours of cybersecurity electives. The same course may not contribute to two different concentrations.

AI Security 1

Cyber Analytics

Cyber Operations

Choose 3 of the following:

Cyber Risk Management

Data Security and Privacy

Human Centered Cybersecurity

Network Security

Secure Development

ITIS 5221 - Secure Programming and Penetration Testing (3)
Choose one of the following:
ITIS 5135 - Web-Based Application Design and Development (3)
or ITIS 5166 - Backend Application Development (3)
or ITIS 5180 - Mobile Application Development (3)

College of Computing and Informatics Elective Course (3 credit hours)

Select any additional graduate course offered by the College of Computing and Informatics. Students who need to complete bridge coursework to learn programming should take ITIS 5101 Foundations of Programming or ITSC 6111 Foundations of Programming for this elective.

Capstone Experience

Select one of the following three options to complete the 30-credit hour program:

Coursework + Master’s Thesis

24 credit hours of coursework plus 6 credit hours of Master’s research thesis project. The thesis option requires the formation of a program committee. The thesis option requires students to perform research under the supervision of an academic advisor, submit a written thesis, and orally defend their work before their program committee.

Capstone Coursework

As part of the Cybersecurity Electives or Concentrations, complete one of the following capstone options:

Coursework + Project Report

30 credit hours of coursework plus a project report. The project report option requires completion of 30 credit hours of coursework and successfully completing a report describing a project experience in cybersecurity to fulfill the requirements of a culminating experience for the M.S. degree. The report is submitted to and approved by the Graduate Program Director.

Degree Total = 30 Credit Hours

Grade Requirements

Students in the M.S. in Cybersecurity program must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 for continued enrollment in the program. Accumulation of three C grades results in suspension from the program. Accumulation of one unsatisfactory (U) grade results in suspension from the program.