This major is offered in the traditional and AU Online format.
Bachelor of Science
The Cybersecurity program is designed for students with the desire to hone their technical skills and understanding of information security threats. This program places a strong emphasis on cybersecurity management and governance.
Cybersecurity majors will develop the skills and ethical frameworks to view information and the security of information from perspectives as users, managers, policy makers, and hackers. These various perspectives, in addition to some technical skills developed in the program, will assure that students leave the program with the ability to identify potential threats and use and manage technical skills with ethical integrity to protect various communities of users within which they work and live.
In the end, the cybersecurity major is designed to prepare graduates to establish, implement, and oversee a cybersecurity structure for an organization. Student learn how to create a security approach that combines the ethical use of technology, governance, and compliance. Majors gain advanced knowledge in organizational structures, communication, operational business processes, and the legal framework for cybersecurity policy.
Coursework in the cybersecurity degree (management and policy) features emerging topics in the field. In addition, industry leaders and employers both advise and are part of the faculty to make sure AU's cybersecurity programs are covering emerging areas that are relevant to career growth. Cybersecurity graduates can be found in numerous jobs and industries including informational security analysts, computer and information systems managers, data compliance officers, computer support specialists, information technology managers, public policy makers, software developers, web developers, and many more. Success in many of the preceding careers is achieved by double majoring with computer science, business, public health, political science and public policy, psychology, or criminal justice. Graduates with double majors who combine these deeper areas of focus with the interdisciplinary cybersecurity degree emphasizing management, policy, governance, and ethics will have a competitive edge in the marketplace upon graduation.
Program Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
CSC-1700 | Introduction to Computer Programming | 4 |
CYB-1100 | Foundations in Cybersecurity Management | 4 |
CYB-2100 | Communicating, Problem Solving, and Leading in Cybersecurity | 4 |
CSC-3200 | UNIX/LINUX Administration | 4 |
CYB-3100 | Cybersecurity Governance | 4 |
CYB-3300 | Risk Management and Organizational Resilience | 4 |
CYB-3500 | Cybersecurity Program Development | 4 |
CYB-3810-9 | Selected Topics in Cybersecurity | 4 |
or CSC-3400 | Computer Security | |
CYB-4940 | Cybersecurity Internship | 4 |
CYB-4990 | Capstone in Cybersecurity | 4 |
Total Credits | 40 |
Undergraduate Degree Requirements
A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:
- Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
- Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
- At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
- Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
- Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
- Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
- Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
- ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
- IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or GWC-1000 or IDS-3040 Global Justice
- IDS-1150 First Year Experience or GWC-4000 - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
- Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students)
- Distribution Requirements
Students will complete one approved course1 from each of the following categories:- Artistic Literacy
- Cultural Literacy
- Human Inquiry
- Scientific Inquiry
In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course1 from the following category:
- Integration and Application
1 | Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:
|
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- Cultivate and promote ethical principles that complement and advance company policies and government interests
- Bridge the communication gap between information technology security professionals and key business and government stakeholders
- Understand compliance requirements for cybersecurity
- Apply risk analysis concepts and models to a variety of organizations
- Develop and deploy cybersecurity tools within organizations
- Learn how to adapt to evolving cybersecurity challenges through continuous education at the intersection of technology, management, and policy