The Associate of Science in Cybersecurity is designed to advance the student’s practical knowledge and skills in the cybersecurity industry, regardless of one’s background. Organizations of all sizes face constant cyberthreats and cyberattacks from both internal and external attackers. The cybersecurity associate degree provides a fundamental understanding of cybersecurity theory and know-how often required to implement effective cybersecurity defenses in public and private sectors. Students who complete this associate degree may wish to consider pursuing the University’s cybersecurity bachelor's degree for further knowledge and skill.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Identify common uses of cryptography in creating a secure infrastructure.
- Implement various mitigation strategies to cyber threats and provide security solutions.
- Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of local and wide area networks.
- Explain legal and ethical issues related to technology implications.
Degree at a Glance
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | 30 | |
| Major Required | 24 | |
| Final Program Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective Requirements | 3 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 60 | |
Degree Program Requirements
General Education Requirements (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (6 semester hours) 1 | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Arabic I | ||
| Arabic II | ||
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Survey of Photography | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop® | ||
| French I | ||
| French II | ||
| German I | ||
| German II | ||
| Introduction to Japanese | ||
| Literature of American Encounters, Revolution, and Rebellion | ||
| From Abolition to #MeToo: Literature of the American Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Pivotal Figures in Early British Literature | ||
| British Literature from Wordsworth through the Wasteland | ||
| Leadership in World Literature: Antiquity to the Early Modern Period | ||
| Literature of the Newly Globalized World: The Individual’s Struggle to Adapt | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Jazz and Rock | ||
| World Music and Cultures | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese | ||
| Introduction to the Study of Religion | ||
| Introduction to World Religions | ||
| Russian I | ||
| Spanish I | ||
| Spanish II | ||
| Thinking and Acting Ethically | ||
| Civics, Political and Social Sciences (6 semester hours) 1 | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| World Archaeology | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Social Media and Society | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Microeconomics | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
| Microeconomics for Business | ||
| Macroeconomics for Business | ||
| Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Geography | ||
| Practical Food Safety and Awareness | ||
| International Relations I | ||
| Forgotten America--Under Represented Cultures in American Literature | ||
| Introduction to Political Science | ||
| American Government I | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Death and Dying | ||
| Race & Religion | ||
| Hope and Resilience | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| American Popular Culture | ||
| Exploring Society and Cultures via Science Fiction | ||
| Communication: Writing, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours) | ||
| COMM120 | Information and Digital Literacy | 3 |
| ENGL110 | Making Writing Relevant | 3 |
| ITCC231 | Introduction to Information Technology Writing | 3 |
| History (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| American History to 1877 | ||
| American History since 1877 | ||
| World Civilization before 1650 | ||
| World Civilization since 1650 | ||
| Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War | ||
| Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War | ||
| African-American History before 1877 | ||
| African-American History since 1877 | ||
| History of the American Indian | ||
| History of Science | ||
| The History and Context of STEM | ||
| Mathematics and Applied Reasoning (3 semester hours) | ||
| MATH110 | College Algebra | 3 |
| Natural Sciences (3 semester hours) | ||
| STEM100 | Introduction to STEM Disciplines | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101 - Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110 - Making Writing Relevant. |
Major Required (24 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENTD261 | Scripting Languages for the Administrator | 3 |
| ISSC231 | Networking Concepts | 3 |
| ISSC242 | Hardening Operating Systems | 3 |
| ISSC262 | Red and Blue Team Security | 3 |
| ISSC266 | Cryptography Concepts | 3 |
| ITMG281 | Law, Privacy, and Digital Data | 3 |
| MATH302 | Statistics | 3 |
| ISSC221 | Intermediate Computer Systems | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 24 | |
Final Program Requirements (3 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ISSC298 | Cybersecurity Capstone Portfolio | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 3 | |
Elective Requirements (3 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select any courses comprised of lower (100-200) level courses not already taken to fulfill the requirements listed above. Additional general education courses may be taken to fulfill elective requirements. | 3 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 3 | |