Cybersecurity - Comprehensive Emphasis Requirements (BS)

Major Requirements 1
Foundations:
CYBER 101INTRODUCTION TO CYBERSECURITY3
COMPSCI 220INTERMEDIATE JAVA3
or COMPSCI 221 INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMMING IN C#
or COMPSCI 222 INTERMEDIATE C++
COMPSCI 230ADVANCED PROGRAMMING3
or COMPSCI 223 DATA STRUCTURES
COMPSCI 271COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMING3
COMPSCI 460COMPUTER NETWORKING3
Core Knowledge and Skills:
COMPSCI 342DIGITAL FORENSICS3
COMPSCI 353CYBERSECURITY LAW AND POLICY3
COMPSCI 354INTRUSION DETECTION AND INCIDENT RESPONSE3
COMPSCI 424OPERATING SYSTEMS3
COMPSCI 455CRYPTOGRAPHY AND NETWORK SECURITY3
COMPSCI 456COMPUTER SYSTEM SECURITY3
ITSCM 331SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION AND SECURITY3
ITSCM 332NETWORK MANAGEMENT3
Integration and Application:
CYBER 459SYSTEMS SECURITY ENGINEERING3
ITSCM 452INFORMATION ASSURANCE AND SECURITY3
Cybersecurity Electives:12
INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
CLOUD SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
JAVASCRIPT AND DHTML
SERVER-SIDE SCRIPTING
INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING
THEORY OF ALGORITHMS
WEB SECURITY
MALWARE ANALYSIS
MACHINE LEARNING FOR CYBERSECURITY
MOBILE COMPUTING ARCHITECTURE
WEB SERVER AND UNIX ADMINISTRATION
SECURITY OPERATIONS IN THE CLOUD
DATABASE DESIGN AND ADMINISTRATION
MANAGING CYBERSECURITY INCIDENTS AND COMPLIANCE
INTRODUCTION TO ETHICAL HACKING
AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION TO ABSTRACT ALGEBRA
SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE SECURITY 2
CRYPTOGRAPHY AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS 2
Any graduate CYBER courses numbered 710 or higher 2
Total Units57
1

A minor is not required.

2

Graduate courses (500+) may have additional requirements prior to enrollment by undergraduate students. The online graduate courses might charge the graduate tuition rate. See the Seniors Taking Graduate Courses Policy for further information. 

Unique Requirements
COMPSCI 172INTRODUCTION TO JAVA3
or COMPSCI 174 INTRODUCTION TO C++
COMPSCI 215DISCRETE STRUCTURES3
or MATH 280 DISCRETE MATHEMATICS
ENGLISH 370ADVANCED COMPOSITION3
or PWP 371 WRITING IN THE SCIENCES
or PWP 372 TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING
MATH 250APPLIED CALCULUS SURVEY FOR BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES5
or MATH 253 CALCULUS AND ANALYTIC GEOMETRY I
STAT 342APPLIED STATISTICS3
Total Units17

Four-Year Plan: This four-year plan outlines a suggested curricular path for new students aiming to earn a degree within in four years. Please note that this plan represents just one of many paths to degree completion.  

Freshman
FallUnitsSpringUnits
ENGLISH 10113ENGLISH 1023
MATH 1424MATH 1513
CYBER 1013COMPSCI 172 or 1743
CORE 1303COMPSCI 2153
INTRAUNV 1041CORE 140 or 1203
PEGNRL 1921 
 15 15
Sophomore
FallUnitsSpringUnits
COMPSCI 220, 221, or 2223COMPSCI 230 or 2233
COMPSCI 2713COMPSCI 3423
COMPSCI 3533COMPSCI 3543
MATH 2535STAT 3423
Elective (SBS-E or SBS-S)3CORE 1103
 17 15
Junior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
ITSCM 331 or COMPSCI 4813ITSCM 3323
COMPSCI 4553COMPSCI 4243
COMPSCI 4603COMPSCI 4563
Lab Science (NSWL) course4Lab Science (NSWL) course4
COMM 1103U.S. Racial/Ethnic Diversity Course (DV)3
 16 16
Senior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
ITSCM 4523CYBER 4593
Cybersecurity Elective3Cybersecurity Elective3
Cybersecurity Elective3Cybersecurity Elective3
ENGLISH 370, PWP 371, or PWP 3723CORE 3903
Elective (HA-A, HA-G, or HA-H)3 
 15 12
Total Units: 121
1

The math and English courses you will take during your first year will depend on UW System placement exam scores or ACT/SAT subscores. This four-year plan reflects the math and English courses most common for students in this major. All students are encouraged to complete placement testing prior to attending Warhawks SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration).

First Year: The Thinking In Code Learning Community is a great option for first-year students with a major in computer science or considering a major in computer science.

Joining a university-sponsored club and actively participating is strongly encouraged. Involvement in a club or activity will help you develop interpersonal skills, give you the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills, and adds to your resume.

*Student Organizations 

  •  ISACA - students collaborate and develop skills in areas like IT auditing, cybersecurity, and data privacy 
  •  GAMED - for students interested in designing their own games 
  • ACM - people with mutual interest and love for Computer Science  
  • Robotics - collaborate with other students to build and compete in robotics  

Watch for “COMPSCI Update” weekly emails for more information about ways to get involved.

Second Year: Undergraduate research is recommended for students who have an interest in attending graduate school in the future. Completing a directed research project with a faculty mentor has many benefits: it develops a student’s critical thinking and writing abilities, signals to graduate school programs that a student is prepared for independent research of their own, and it can provide a student with financial support since many undergraduate research opportunities are paid.

Third Year: An internship is an experiential learning opportunity that provides students with hands-on experience in a potential career field, supervision and coaching from prospective employers, and the ability to learn professional norms and behaviors. In addition, completing an internship allows students to differentiate themselves in a competitive job market. Students should begin planning for an internship by the beginning of the junior year and can complete the internship in the junior or senior year. The internship course, COMPSCI 493, counts as an upper-level technical elective. 

Also, Career Information in Letters and Sciences, LSINDP 399, is a 1-credit course that focuses on career and graduate school opportunities; identifying skills, strengths, and work values; creating effective job search materials; developing a networking strategy; and planning to a successful post-graduation transition.

Fourth Year: All students must earn 120 credits to earn a bachelor’s degree and many students have the opportunity to choose additional courses in the fourth year to expand skills, explore interests, or try something new.

Planning for Graduation: Students should apply for graduation one full semester prior to their intended graduation date. Information about commencement and the application for graduation are on the Registrar’s Office website.

*Computer Science department hardware recommendations:  

  • Operating System. For Computer Science or Cybersecurity students a Windows-based laptop if possible, since most of the programs work well with this operating system.   
  • CPU. Intel i7/ AMD 7 or above is recommended for CPU
  • Memory. 16GB or above for RAM  
  • Hard Drive. SSD (Solid State Drive) with >= 512GB for hard disk.