南卫理公会大学莱尔工程学院

Cybersecurity is the computer science discipline concerned with the design and development of secure systems and applications. Cybersecurity covers security of computer networks and systems as well as physical security. In addition to the technical aspects such as cryptography, protocols and access control, the curriculum deals with the policy and management issues, integration and logistics, and budgeting. Centering on the problems of working professionals in the critical field of security, the SMU program in cybersecurity serves the needs of both full-time and part-time students.

Degree Requirements

In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering degree requirements for an M.S. degree, candidates are required to satisfy the following:

Core Courses

Satisfactory completion of the core curriculum encompassing four courses:

• CS 7339 - Computer System Security
• CS 7343 - Operating Systems and System Software
• CS 7349 - Data and Network Security
• CS 7359 - Software Security

Advanced Elective Courses

Satisfactory completion of three advanced elective courses from the following:

• CS 7314 - Software Testing and Quality Assurance
• CS 7331 - Data Mining
• CS 7338 - Security Economics
• CS 7359 - Software Security
• CS 7369 - Hardware Security and Trojan Detection
• CS 8317 - Software Reliability and Safety
• CS 8331 - Advanced Data Mining
• CS 8349 - Advanced Network and System Security
• CS 8352 - Cryptography and Data Security or
• ECE 8372 - Cryptography and Data Security
• CS 8353 - Digital Forensics
• CS 8356 - Border and Transportation Security
• CS 8359 - Advanced Software Security
• CS 8377 - Fault-Tolerant Computing
• EMIS 7313 - Integrated Logistics Support

In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering degree requirements for an M.S. degree, candidates are required to satisfy the following:

• Either 24 credit hours of coursework and a master’s thesis or 30 credit hours of coursework.
• Twelve credit hours of core courses. Students on campus are required to register for a seminar course (for zero credit hours) for at least one term and secure a grade of Pass.
• Six credit hours of concentration. Thesis students take six credit hours of thesis, instead of concentration.
• Twelve credit hours of electives. All students are allowed to take at most three credit hours of independent study, which will be counted as one elective course.