Cybersecurity, B.S. and M.S.

Zhixiong Chen, Ph.D., CISSP., Program Director
914-674-7756
zchen@mercy.edu

Bachelor of Science

General Liberal Arts and Science
General Education Requirements*	60 credits

Major Concentration
Cybersecurity Foundation and Major
(Undergraduate Courses)	39 credits
Major Electives	9 credits
Open Electives*	12 credits
Total	120 credits

Master of Science

Course work completed during B.S. degree^†	12 credits
Course work completed during M.S. degree	18 credits
Total combined B.S./M.S.	138 credits

*CISC 131 , CISC 231 , MATH 116 (or MATH 115 ) and MATH 120 /CISC 120 , MATH 122 , MATH 201 are Prerequisites for the major and must be used to fulfill general education requirement.

^†Students take four graduate courses to fulfill the open elective requirements of the B.S. Cybersecurity. These graduate courses may also be used to fulfill the requirements of the M.S. in Cybersecurity. Please see Graduate Catalog for course descriptions.

The B.S. Cybersecurity 24 -credit residency requirement must be satisfied by courses numbered 200 or above. Mercy University’s residency requirement for the B.S. degree is 30 credits.

The 4+1 B.S./ M.S. Cybersecurity program offers a unique opportunity for students who wish to pursue a BS and MS in Cybersecurity degree at an accelerated pace. Students should declare the 4+1 BS+MS program in Cybersecurity as a freshman or later. Students take four graduate-level Cybersecurity courses (12 credits) in their fourth undergraduate year while pursuing their B.S. degree. These 12 credits will be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate programs and will allow a seamless transition for eligible students into the graduate portion of the program. See the graduate program progression requirements below.

Students who complete the 4+1 B.S./ M.S. Cybersecurity program can potentially complete the M.S. degree within one year after completing their B.S. degree. Contact the Graduate Program Director for more information.

Students who choose the B.S /M.S. degree program in Cybersecurity must complete:

Undergraduate Foundation Courses

CISC 131 - Foundations of Computing I *
CISC 231 - Foundations of Computing II *
IASP 221 - Linux Administration
IASP 230 - Introduction to Cybersecurity
MATH 244 - Discrete Structures
*These courses fulfill part of the General Education requirements.

Undergraduate Major Courses

Undergraduate Major Electives

and three courses from the following:

Undergraduate Open Electives

IASP 500- Topics on Information Security Credit(s):3
IASP 505- Foundations of Cybersecurity Sciences Credit(s): 3
2 courses from any one of the Application, Network, Legal /Management, or Special Categories Credit(s): 3

Graduate Portion of the B.S./M.S. Cybersecurity Program

To select suitable graduate courses, students are encouraged to meet with their PACT mentor or Program Director. Please refer to the graduate catalog for course descriptions.

Five courses (15 credits) to fulfill the following M.S. program requirements:

Application Category

Students must take at least one course from the following:

IASP 520 - Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery Credit(s): 3
IASP 525 - Database Security Credit(s): 3
IASP 530 - Forensic Computing Credit(s): 3
IASP 565 - Internet Social Media and Security Credit(s): 3
IASP 585 - Applied Cryptography Credit(s): 3

Network Category

Students must take at least one course from the following:

IASP 550 - Intrusion Detection and Prevention Credit(s): 3
IASP 555 - Mobile Technologies and Wireless Sensor Services Credit(s): 3
IASP 560 - Wireless Network and Security Credit(s): 3

Legal / Management Category

Students must take at least one course from the following:

IASP 510 - Social Implication of Information Security Credit(s): 3
IASP 540 - Information Assurance and Management Credit(s): 3
IASP 580 - IT Security Audit and Compliance Credit(s): 3

Special Category

Students should take any one from the following courses:

IASP 590 - Internship: Advanced topics in Security Practices Credit(s): 3
IASP 595 - Special Topics in Information Security Credit(s): 3
IASP 599 - Independent Study Credit(s): 3
IASP 601 - Master’s Thesis Credit(s): 3

Major Elective Category

Students should take 3 courses from the following course categories:

Application courses
Network courses
Legal/Management courses
Special courses

The Cybersecurity Master’s Program offers a limited number of elective courses - under limited circumstances the Master’s students may be allowed to take electives which are offered in the Computer Science Master’s courses CISC 500 or higher.

Capstone Category

Students must complete the following capstone course:

IASP 600 - Master’s Project Credit(s): 3

Graduate Progression Requirements:

In the spring of the fourth undergraduate year, students in the B.S./M.S. Cybersecurity program will be evaluated by the Program Director for a review of their continued qualifications and progression to the M.S. portion of the program.
Students must have attained a 3.0 cumulative and major GPA to progress to the M.S. portion of the program.
For students who do not meet the GPA requirement, their major will be changed to the B.S. Cybersecurity. The B.S. Cybersecurity degree will be conferred upon completion of the undergraduate degree requirements.