Cybersecurity, ME

Cybersecurity is critical and increasingly urgent in today’s computer network, and information systems, including cyber-physical critical infrastructures, networks, and information systems. Cybersecurity deals with how to design, protect and defend these systems by ensuring the availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and non-repudiation of these systems and their services/data. The Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity curriculum includes courses designed to prepare individuals who engineer computer, network, and information systems, or develop policies for these systems with knowledge of methods, techniques, and tools used to improve security.

These courses are often offered in the late afternoon and evening to provide a more ideal time slot for working professionals.

The ME Cybersecurity degree program and curriculum are certified by the National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security (NSA/DHS) National Center of Academic Excellence in 2022 and NSA’s Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS and meet the Information Assurance Professional (4011) Training Standards).

Admission Requirements

A Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics, computer science, engineering information systems, or equivalent.
An overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0; awarded within the past five years) or minimum 148 GRE (quantitative). Applicants with a grade point average less than 3.0 or an undergraduate degree awarded more than five years ago will be admitted on a case-by-case basis. Applicants with a grade point average between 2.75 and 3.0 awarded within the past five years may be admitted provisionally.
It is recommended the applicant has two years of experience with Commercial, Industrial or Government software development or system/network administration.
A concise statement of experience and career goals.
Completed online application including official transcripts and three letters of recommendation.

Required Prerequisites

Knowledge of a modern programming language, such as Java, C#, or C++

Degree Requirements (30 credit hours total)

Required Core Courses (15 credit hours, common to all options)

Degree Completion Courses (15 credit hours)

Two options are available: Thesis or Course-Only Option

Thesis Option

Complete CS 7000 Master Thesis (6 credit hours) and 3 courses from the approved list of courses. The student’s Graduate Committee must approve the courses selected.

Course-Only Option

Complete a total of 30 credit graduate hours (i.e., 10 graduate level courses). The student’s advisor must approve the courses selected. Up to 2 courses from outside the Computer Science Department may be included with advisor approval.

Degree Requirements

An overall 3.0 grade point average in all graduate work.
Advisor chosen prior to completing 12 credit hours of graduate course work.
All work applied ot the degree must be accomplished within a six-year time limit.
Up to 9 hours of graduate work may be transferred from an accredited graduate program at another institution or taken as a non-degree seeking student at UCCS, provided:
- Course work has not been used for any other degree,
- Grade earned for the course(s) is B or better,
- The course work has been taken within past six years,
- The course coverage is equal in level, content, and depth to the course for which it is being substituted.
All courses included to count for this degree must be part of an approved plan of study. This plan must be developed by the student and approved by the student’s advisor before completing 12 credit hours of course work.