Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Programs

UMUC offers several undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates in cybersecurity and information assurance.

Undergraduate Programs

Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity prepares graduates to be leaders in the protection of data assets. The curriculum focuses on the techniques, policies, operational procedures, and technologies that secure and defend information and information systems, in local as well as more broad-based domains. The availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation of data is examined. The major prepares students for careers in the following:

• Information systems security professionals
• Senior system managers
• System administrators

Students who pursue these positions are responsible for information systems and the security of those systems.

Certificate in Information Assurance

The Information Assurance Certificate supports those who wish to acquire or improve their information-security knowledge in response to the national imperative for maintaining the security of the technology and information infrastructure of government and industry. Students gain specific skills and are instructed in areas of policy formation, needs assessment, security applications and disaster prevention and recovery. Laboratories employing both state-of-the-art and industry-standard tools are used. With appropriate choice of major and elective courses, this certificate may be completed while pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management.

Graduate Programs

Foundations of Cybersecurity Certificate

The graduate certificate in Foundations of Cybersecurity examines strategies for enterprise-level responses to cybersecurity threats. Students learn how to

• Assess measures to prevent anticipated cyber intrusions
• Employ experiences from past cyber intrusions to mitigate future cyber threats.
• Formulate and implement enterprise-level policies to successfully prevent and detect cyber intrusions

The role of government regulation in cybersecurity is explored, as are legal concepts such as privacy, intellectual property, and civil liberties.

Cybersecurity Policy Certificate

The graduate certificate in Cybersecurity Policy examines strategies for societal responses to cybersecurity threats at enterprise and national levels. Students learn to assess organizational controls that can detect cyber intrusions as quickly as possible and to respond to cyber intrusions to restore the operations of an organization. The roles of government, interorganizational-alliances, and international cooperatives are explored, as are legal concepts such as privacy, intellectual property, and civil liberties.

Cybersecurity Technology Certificate

The graduate certificate in Cybersecurity Technology provides students with the skills to analyze cybersecurity issues from a variety of perspectives, lead teams of cybersecurity professionals, and make strategic decisions to protect entities from cyber threats. The focus is on coherent solutions, including the effectiveness of integrated and coordinated security measures as well as multilevel and multiaspect controls.

Master of Science in Cybersecurity

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity provides practitioners with the framework and knowledge to protect an organization's cyber assets. The program focuses on prevention, detection, countering, and recovery from cyber incidents. Students learn about technical tools and organizational practices such as training, access control, evidence collection, and disaster recovery and business continuity planning.

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity is designed for midcareer professionals who wish to help meet the challenges posed by increasing cyber-threats. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the program is designed to provide students with a broad analytical framework for evaluating and solving cybersecurity problems.

Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy examines strategies for societal responses to cybersecurity threats at enterprise, national and global levels. The roles of government, interorganizational-alliances, and international cooperatives are explored, as well as legal concepts such as privacy, intellectual property, and civil liberties.

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy is designed for midcareer professionals who wish to help meet the challenges posed by increasing cyber-threats. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the program is designed to provide students with a broad analytical framework for evaluating and solving cybersecurity problems.

Master of Science in Information Technology: Information Assurance

The Master of Science in Information Technology provides a broad technical understanding of current and evolving technologies in the IT field, with an emphasis on moving technology from the laboratory to the realm of business development through its program core courses.

The information assurance specialization provides a thorough knowledge base for managers and technology professionals concerned with the design, development, implementation, operation, and management of secure information systems and with the protection of an organization's information assets. The specialization provides students with a practical understanding of the principles of data protection, network security, and computer forensics. The specialization also introduces students to the ethical, legal, and policy issues associated with information security. Laboratory exercises are included in some courses to enhance the learning experience.