Dec 03, 2024

2024-2025 Graduate Catalog [Current Academic Year]

Cybersecurity [BS + MS]

Location(s): Online, In-person/hybrid

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Bachelor of Science portion of the program is designed to prepare students with the knowledge and skill set necessary for future computing and cybersecurity professionals to build, maintain, and protect networks and computer systems in government and industry.

The program has been designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Security Agency (NSA) as the Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Information Assurance (IA) and Cyber Defense (CD) education (DHS/NSA CAE-IA/CD).

The Master of Science portion of the program establishes well-informed and practically grounded graduates in cybersecurity to meet the needs of cybersecurity professionals in public and private sectors to contribute effectively to protecting local, regional, and national security. In addition, the program will equip cybersecurity professionals to serve as leaders and computer and information assurance research scientists. The program is designed to be flexible and meet the needs of research-oriented students and professionals by offering two tracks with thesis and project options.

This is a STEM-designated program (see OPT Extension).

Learn

The Information Assurance and Cyber Defense program emphasizes the design, integration, administration, hardening, and protection of all computer information systems and network infrastructures in modern cyber environments. Students are immersed in solid theories and intensive hands-on practical experiences to enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities applied to all elements in modern computing disciplines. The curriculum covers:

Computing and networking theories/practices
System architecture and administration, integration, and troubleshooting
Cybersecurity threat/risk evaluation
Incident response analysis and practice
Network/digital forensics and investigation
Penetration testing and system auditing
Cyber laws, legislation, policy/compliance
project management & Cyber Defense

The Cybersecurity program will be able to analyze complex cybersecurity problems and apply security principles of cybersecurity to identify solutions; analyze and evaluate systems for maintaining operations in the presence of risks and threats; design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of cybersecurity requirements; develop and implement cryptography for information systems; understand and implement advanced security to networks and software; recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in cybersecurity practice based on legal and ethical principles, and be active in state-of-the-art research activities and scholarly funded research activities.

Opportunities

Per the U.S. Department of Labor 2018 handbook, computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow 32% from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual wage for computer and Information Security Analyst occupations was $98,350 in 2018, higher than the median yearly wage for all occupations of $38,640. Graduates are in demand to work in private, public, and government agencies. Recent graduates have held Amazon, Dell SecureWorks, Duo Security, Google, Snapchat, General Electric, Ford, and Dominos positions.

Program Delivery

The undergraduate portion of this program is only available in-person/hybrid.
The graduate portion of the program is delivered in a mixed delivery or 100% online format. If completing this degree entirely online, please review Online Education Eligibility . Also, under U.S. federal law, only U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card holders), official refugees, or asylees can enroll in the program’s entirely online track.

Program Admission (Undergraduate)

Students can not enroll in 500- level courses until they are admitted into the combined program.

Requirements

Students may apply for admission into the undergraduate portion of a combined program after completing no fewer than 60 undergraduate credit hours and can meet the following criteria.

Have a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
Complete the following coursework with a “B-” or above before applying to the combined program:
- IA 103 Information Security Overview
- IT 110 Concepts of Network and Business Technology

Application Process

Students who wish admission to the combined program must do the following:

Complete all requirements listed above. Students may enroll in one or two of the required courses listed above during the semester they apply.
The student shall inform their advisor of their decision to join the program in person or by e-mail.
Program faculty notify students by letter or e-mail after making a decision no later than the start of the semester following the application.

Program faculty are responsible for informing Records & Registration when admitting a student into the combined program.

Program Admission (Graduate)

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and be previously admitted to the undergraduate portion of the combined program.

Applicants must confirm with their advisor that they have completed enough undergraduate credits before applying to the graduate portion of the program. A student must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours before being fully admitted to the graduate portion of the program.

Program Requirements

This program does not require additional criteria or documents beyond the minimum Graduate School requirements.

Application

Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the Application Instructions and select the appropriate application.

- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.

- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

School Information

Information Security and Applied Computing 211 Sill Hall, 734.487.2490

Sean Che, PhD, Interim Director

Advisor Information

Catherine Gammon, PhD, Associate Professor, 318J Porter, 734.487.0090

Anthony Moreno, PhD, Professor, 318Q Porter, 734.487.2821

Undergraduate Degree -

The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s undergraduate transcript.

According to university policy, students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours at the 100-level or above for a bachelor’s degree. Completing this combined program’s minimum credit hour total (Undergrad + Grad) will likely require students to complete more than 120 credit hours as an undergraduate.

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, please see the Undergraduate Catalog or print a General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 84 hours

Requirements for Graduation

Students can NOT apply courses at the 300-level or above to this program, if not taken at EMU
ALL students MUST take at least 45 credits at the 300-level or above in the IA/CD program
Students must maintain a minimum cumulative EMU GPA of 2.5.

Foundational Requirements: 6 hours

Information Assurance & Cyber Security Requirements: 78 hours

Required Core: 57 hours
IA 103 Information Security Overview 3 hrs
IA 202L4 Risk-Vulnerability Analysis 3 hrs
IA 212 Open Systems Platform and Network Administration 3 hrs
IA 244 Administration of Computer Systems 3 hrs
IA 329W Policy Development in Information Assurance 3 hrs
IA 385 Database & Web Application Security 3 hrs
IA 400 Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering 3 hrs
IA 427 Digital Forensics I 3 hrs
IA 445 Ethical Hacking and Offensive Security 3 hrs
IA 455 Incident Response 3 hrs
IA 462 Advanced Operating Systems Security and Administration 3 hrs
IA 473 Network Forensics and Analytics 3 hrs
IA 495 Capstone 3 hrs
IA 544 Cyber Law, Privacy, Policy and Compliance 3 hrs
IT 110 Concepts of Network and Business Technology 3 hrs
IT 145 Task Automation for IT Admins 3 hrs
IT 150 Networking I 3 hrs
ISAC 350 Network Security 3 hrs
ISAC 375 Software Assurance 3 hrs
Restricted Electives: 21 hours

Choose 21 hours from the following courses. Students may apply up to 18 credit hours of IA courses toward this requirement.
Foundational Electives: 12 hours

Select a minimum of twelve credit hours from the following. With advisor approval, students may use other IA, IT, or ISAC courses at the 300-level or above to satisfy this requirement.
IA 387L4 Cooperative Education 3 hrs
IA 428 Digital Forensics II 3 hrs
IA 442 Cyber Intelligence 3 hrs
IA 471 Data Security and Privacy 3 hrs
IA 474 Applied Data Mining for Information Assurance 3 hrs
IA 475 Advanced Topics in Information Security 3 hrs
IA 476 Enterprise Security Analytics 3 hrs
IT 254 Networking II 3 hrs
IT 319 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction 3 hrs
IT 321 Web Server Administration and Development 3 hrs
IT 356 Managing Virtualization and Cloud Computing 3 hrs
IT 375 Wireless Networks Administration 3 hrs
ISAC 317 IoT and Embedded Systems Security 3 hrs
ISAC 417 Modern Vehicle Technology & Cyber Security 3 hrs
Advanced Electives: 9 hours

Choose nine credit hours of IA courses at the 500-level.

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Graduate Degree -

The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s graduate transcript.

Students must ensure they have completed the necessary graduate credit hours that, when combined with those taken as an undergraduate, equal or exceed the minimum number of credit hours required for this combined program. Sometimes, a student may need additional coursework beyond the minimum requirements listed below to meet the total hour requirement.

Degree Requirements: 18 hours

Core Courses: 12 hours

Choose a minimum of twelve credit hours from the following.

IA 622 Risk Management and Incident Response 3 hrs
IA 642 Defensive Security 3 hrs
IA 645 Data Analytics for Cybersecurity 3 hrs
IA 650 Offensive Security 3 hrs
IA 651 Cyber Security Project Management 3 hrs

Capstone: 6 hours

Satisfy one of the following options.

Option I - Thesis

A candidate completes an original research under the supervision of a guidance (thesis) committee. This research must be suitable for publication, written in a form acceptable to the Graduate School and defended in an oral examination.

In addition students will complete six credit hours from the following:
IA 690 Thesis 1 hr
IA 691 Thesis 2 hrs
IA 692 Thesis 3 hrs
Option II - Project
IA 694 Project Design and Implementations 3 hrs
An additional elective course 3 hrs See advisor for a list of available courses and approval

Combined Program Total: 142 hours

Critical Graduation Information

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the on-line catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
Complete a Writing Intensive (WI) Course in your major.
Earn a minimum of 45 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor, will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements | EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available on the General Education section of the undergraduate catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.