Master of Science in Cyber Security, Technology and Policy

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Program Description

Cyber threats and attacks are increasing in frequency and severity. The MS degree in Cyber Security, Technology, and Policy provides the opportunity for both students with prior computer science experience and those coming from nontechnical backgrounds to learn strategic, policy, and analytic aspects of cybersecurity. In addition to courses in informational systems, computer science, and cognitive psychology, this program provides public policy courses regarding privacy, ethics, data security, and regulations, in relation to cybersecurity.

Career Opportunities

Our interdisciplinary degree is intended for individuals who will systematically analyze cybersecurity and technologies issues, implementation and analysis, within an interdisciplinary and strategic approach, and according to the mission of the organization. Graduates will be prepared for managerial and analyst positions in a wide array of professional settings in the public and private sectors, specifically as security, intelligence, or cybersecurity analysts or managers.

UTD Cyber Alumni Employers

UTD Cyber Alumni Job Titles

Cybersecurity Analyst

Cybersecurity Engineer  

Information Security Officer

Security Researcher

Senior Tech Associate

Data Analytics Specialist

SOC Analyst

DFIR Consultant

Objectives

• Students will analyze the risks of vectors of cyber attacks, identify security gaps, and the pros and cons of different policy and security options.
• Students will identify sector-specific standards and policies regarding privacy, ethics, and legal requirements.
• Students will analyze the options that ensure survivability, resilience, and restoration of services and functions and demonstrate resourcefulness in investigating unfamiliar issues
• Students will communicate complex security and policy information, concepts, or ideas in a confident and well-organized manner through verbal, written, and/or visual means.

Required Classes

Course Number	Course Name
PPPE/PSCI 6302	Political Violence and Conflict in Cyber Space
CS 6303	Cyber Security Essentials for Practitioners
PPPE/PSCI 6308	Governance and Auditing Essentials for Cyber Security
MIS 6330	Cybersecurity Fundamentals
MIS 6333	Digital Forensics and Incident Management
PSYC	Cognitive Psychology Essentials for Cyber Security
PPPE/PSCI 6303	Cyber Security Policy
PPPE/PSCI 6315	Legal Aspects of Cyber Security and Cyber Security Ethics
CS 6305	Data Security and Privacy for Practitioners
CS 6306	Cyber Security Analytics & Malware Analysis for Practitioners
CS 6308	Cyber Physical Systems and Critical Infrastructure for Practitioners
PPPE/PSCI 6328	Capstone in Cyber Security and Policy

Other classes may be substituted with the approval of the program head.

The following four classes (CS 6303 Cyber Security Essentials for Practitioners, CS 6305 Data Security and Privacy for Practitioners, CS 6306 Cyber Security Analytics & Malware Analysis for Practitioners, and CS 6308 Cyber Physical Systems and Critical Infrastructure for Practitioners) may be replaced by the following courses (CS 6324 Information Security, CS 6349 Network Security, CS 6348 Data and Applications Security, and another from a list of existing cybersecurity systems in Computer Science courses) if the student has met the individual course pre-requisites and if they are approved by the computer science program head. 

Facilities

Students have access to the computing faculties in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University’s computer labs. The school has four computing laboratories which house 24-30 computers each that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including EViews, R, RATS, SPSS and Stata. A geographic information system, the LexisNexis database, and Westlaw are also available for student use. The University’s computer labs provide personal computers and UNIX workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the library and the school’s memberships in numerous organizations. 

On the Computer Science side, The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) has established a strong education program in Cyber Security since 2004 with the establishment of the Cyber Security Research and Education Institute in October 2004. UT Dallas was designated an NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Security Education in June 2004, as an NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence Information Assurance Research in 2008, and received NSA’s highly prestigious National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations in 2015.

Admission Requirements

Although applications will be reviewed holistically, in general, entering students have earned a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (GPA) (on a 4.0 point scale). An application essay, letter of recommendation, and official transcripts are also required.

Prerequisites

While there are no specific course prerequisites, entering students will benefit from exposure to undergraduate courses in statistics.

Grading Policy

In order to qualify for graduation, students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average