Engineering Science (Cybersecurity) MS

The Engineering Science MS with a course focus in Cybersecurity is an interdisciplinary program in partnership with the UB School of Management that is intended for graduates and IT professionals to upskill their cybersecurity knowledge and background. The program is for those seeking positions as cybersecurity analysts, cybersecurity engineers, cybersecurity administrators, or cybersecurity consultants in industry or local and federal government.

The program is designed to cover the foundational concepts of cybersecurity, teach cybersecurity principles, and provide hands-on experience applying security solutions and tools to protect cyber infrastructures in areas such as health care, manufacturing, and transportation systems. 

This program is composed of core, focus area, and elective courses that characterize and underscore the educational and research goals of the Center of Academic Excellence in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education (CEISARE) which is concerned with cybersecurity workforce development in government, industry, and academia. The program will also prepare students for various industry certifications.

Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, Boeing, Cisco, Citigroup, Dell, Deloitte, General Dynamics, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, KPMG, Northrup Grumman, and Wells Fargo are just a subset of companies that are aggressively seeking employees trained in cybersecurity. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' job outlook projects jobs in this area to grow at a rate of 35% over the next ten years.

This program is distinct from the prevailing Computer Science and Engineering MS or Management Information Systems MS programs at UB which attract students primarily with degrees in Computer Science and Business Administration, respectively. We seek to admit students with backgrounds or related coursework in electrical, mechanical, information technology or any associated engineering field, information systems, or mathematics. Enrollment will be initially limited to 25-30 students per year. This program is also open to students who have obtained an undergraduate minor in computer science or computer security.

Our flexible curriculum enables students to focus on the core competencies that align with their own personal training goals in order to prepare them for careers in the field of information security and computer security. The program is 10 courses for a total of 30 credits and culminates with an integrated project experience either through an independent study, internship or as part of an experience-based course. It is designed to be completed in three semesters but can be completed in one calendar year, subject to the availability of courses in the appropriate semesters and completing the final culminating experience requirement in the summer.  

Students will take 10 courses for a total of 30 credits. While the core courses provide a consistent body of core knowledge, the focus area courses provide breadth, and the electives (with a major term project) provide depth and hands-on experience. 

Take five courses to earn 15 credits:

• CSE 503 – Computer Science for Non-Majors (3 credits)
• EAS 5XX – Cryptography and Computer Security* (3 credits)
  
• MGS 650 – Information Assurance (3 credits)
  
• CDA 551/MGS 639 – Cybersecurity and Privacy (3 credits)
  
• CSE 5XX – Network Security* (3 credits)
  

Choose three courses to earn 9 credits:

• CSE 510 – Software Security (3 credits)
  
• EAS 5XX – Systems Security (3 credits)
  
• CSE 5XX – AI/ML and Security* (3 credits)
  
• MGS 610 – Digital Forensics (3 credits)
  

Choose two 3-credit electives, one of which must include a major project as indicated in the notes below to earn 6 credits.

• CSE 510 – Hardware Trust and Security^§ (3 credits)
• CSE 526 – Blockchain Application Development^§ (3 credits)
• CSE 529 – Algorithms for Modern Computing Systems (3 credits)
• CSE 535 – Information Retrieval^§ (3 credits)
• CSE 540 – Machine Learning and Society^§ (3 credits)
• CDA 502/MGS 613 – Database Management Systems (3 credits)
• EAS 5XX/MGS 6XX – Cybersecurity Analytics* (3 credits)
• EAS 5XX/MGS 6XX – Cloud Security* (3 credits)
• EAS 5XX – Cybersecurity Project^§ ** (3 credits)

* Indicates a new course and/or course under development. 

** The culminating experience requirement can be completed as a part of a pre-approved experience-based elective course or through a pre-approved internship or industry certification audit and review, or as supervised work with a faculty member.

^§ Qualifies as an experience-based elective with a significant project.