Cybersecurity, MS

Contact:

Jae C. Oh, Professor and Chair, eccsadmissions@syr.edu
315-443- 2652

Faculty:

Mohammed Abdallah, Howard A. Blair, Tomislav Bujanovic, Ilyas Cicekli, Nihan Cicekli, Stephen J. Chapin, Biao Chen, C.Y. Roger Chen, Shiu-Kai Chin, Wenliang (Kevin) Du, Sara Eftekharnejad, Ehat Ercanli, Makan Fardad, James W. Fawcett, Prasanta Ghosh, Jennifer Graham, Mustafa Cenk Gursoy, Can Isik, Mina Jung, Garrett Katz, Andrew ChungYeung Lee, Jay Kyoon Lee, Duane L. Marcy, Patrick McSweeney, WonKyung Park McSweeney, Chilukuri K. Mohan, Jae C. Oh, Susan Older, Vir Phoha, Qinru Qiu, James S. Royer, Tapan K. Sarkar, Q. Wang Song, Sucheta Soundarajan, Jian Tang, Yuzhe (Richard) Tang, William C. Tetley, Pramod K. Varshney, Senem Velipasalar, Li Wang, Edmund Yu, Reza Zafarani

Description:

The global electrical power grid, financial services, and other critical infrastructure are inextricably dependent on robust cybersecurity to ensure security trust, and system assurance. The explosion in the Internet of Things domain is increasing connectedness amongst devices and the need for securing the resulting data is paramount in today’s world. Syracuse University’s M.S. in Cybersecurity program is designed to address this national and global need.

Syracuse University has been designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE-R) since 2009.

Admission:

Applicants to the M.S. in Cybersecurity should have completed a B.S. in computer science or computer engineering and have the following knowledge and abilities:

Basic systems knowledge (e.g., fundamentals of traps, interrupts, and trap handling at the instruction-set architecture level; concurrency and coordination mechanisms; access-control matrices, basics of access-control lists and capabilities)Systems programming basics
Data structures
Discrete mathematics
High-level programming experience
- GRE Verbal score of 150 or better (using New GRE Score System);
- GRE Quantitative score of 155 or better (using New GRE Score System);
- GRE Analytical (multiple choice) score of 650 or better, or a score of 3.5 or better in the new Analytical Writing;
- for international students: TOEFL computer-based score of 223 (Internet-based score 85; paper-based score 563) or better;
- grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 or better.

Financial Support:

Some, but not all, students are provided merit-based tuition scholarships.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will be able to:

1. Identify and analyze vulnerabilities in systems

2. Assess the risks faced by systems

3. Develop countermeasures to remedy risks

4. Develop systems that are secure

5. Deliver software components or systems that have verifiable assurance properties

Requirements:

Students are required to complete 30 credit hours of courses, consisting of 15 credits of core, 9 credits of technical cybersecurity electives, and 6 credits in CIS/CSE courses at 600 level or higher, as described below:

15-credit core:

CIS / CSE 643 - Computer Security 3 credit(s)
CSE 644 - Internet Security 3 credit(s)
CIS / CSE 634 - Assurance Foundations 3 credit(s)
CIS 657 - Principles of Operating Systems 3 credit(s)
CIS 675 - Design and Analysis of Algorithms 3 credit(s)

Technical Cybersecurity Electives

Students will take 9 credits of Technical Cybersecurity Electives

The following are some examples:

CIS 628 - Introduction to Cryptography 3 credit(s)
CSE 774 - Principles of Distributed Access Control 3 credit(s)
CIS 752 - Wireless Network Security 3 credit(s)
Any 700-level security courses from EECS

Non technical cybersecurity electives:(Drawn from course offerings from units across SU including College of Law, the iSchool, and Maxwell)

The following are some examples:

LAW 775 - Internet Law 3 credit(s)
LAW 832 - Cyber Security Law and Policy 3 credit(s)
IST 728 - Information Security Policy 3 credit(s)
PSC 755 - Politics and Governance in the Information Age 3 credit(s)

6 Additional Credits

6 additional credits drawn from the list of technical cybersecurity electives, the list of nontechnical cybersecurity electives, or from any CIS/CSE courses at the 600-level or higher. At most 3 credits of nontechnical cybersecurity electives are permitted.

Total Credits Required: 30

Final Examinations

Candidates are required to complete the final examinations in all core courses with an average grade of B- or better.

Degree Awarded:

Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Transfer Credit:

Up to 9 credits may be transferred from other schools, upon evaluation of details by the program director or department chair.

Part-time Study:

Part-time study may be permitted, but the program must be completed within four years from the date of admission into the program.

Satisfactory Progress:

A GPA of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program or else matriculation may be terminated.